Woman in 'Christian Girl Autumn' meme donates to trans woman who created it

Remember 2019? It was either a year ago or 50 years ago, depending on how time works for your brain these days. In any case, way back in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion coined "hot girl summer" and it basically broke the internet. 

But then, in August of 2019, one Twitter user re-broke the internet by posting a picture of two very white, very scarf-ed girls and dubbing it "Christian Girl Autumn." Twitter exploded, and a new meme was born. That Twittter user, @bimbofiction, was actually a woman named Natasha. According to In the Know, she'd googled "fall outfits from 2012" to find the photo to make the meme.  

Little did Natasha know, she was about to change the life of the women in the meme. Caitlin Covington was an Instagram influencer when Natasha meme'd that photo of her and her friend, Emily Gemma.  

As soon as the "Christian Girl Autumn" meme went viral, Caitlin and Emily's Instagram accounts were discovered, and their audiences blew up. They soon realized their newfound fame was due to a meme that was, admittedly, slightly making fun of them.  

But Caitlin, ever so self-aware, appreciated it immediately. She told Insider. "I can't deny that I love fall and everything that goes along with it! When it comes to fall, I totally admit to being 'basic,' and I'm OK with that." 

As her follower count went up and up and up, Caitlin leaned into the "Christian Girl Autumn" stereotypes and embraced the brand. "I thought her meme was totally creative and funny," Caitlin said.  

She and Emily reached out to Natasha when they discovered she was the one responsible for the meme and for their burst in popularity. "They were both incredibly nice and lighthearted about the whole situation!" Natasha said. "They both wanted to get Starbucks with me one day!" 

Caitlin even told Natasha that they were "best friends forever" now. Caitlin said, "There was a lot of media coverage last year and I ended up gaining a lot of followers on Twitter because of it. She's always been kind to me, and I feel like we'll always share a connection because of the meme." 

So when Natasha, a trans woman, tweeted out a GoFundMe and explained that she was in need of financial help to cover hormone therapy, "gender affirming procedures, and doctors' visits," it was a no-brainer for Caitlin to step in and help the woman responsible for her viral status.  

She retweeted Natasha's call for help and explained to her followers that she was the person responsible for the "Christian Girl Autumn" meme. And then she donated $500 of her own to help Natasha out.  

When the meme went viral, Caitlin and Emily were questioned by people who assumed because of their looks that they must be conservative Republicans. In several tweets, Caitlin clarified that she supported the LGBTQ+ community and was not, in fact, a republican. 

"I'm a daughter, friend, wife, and an expecting mother," Caitlin said. "I'm a gay rights and Black Lives Matter supporter, and I think all people should be accepted for who they are. I think if someone sat down with me for 15 minutes, they would see that, too." 

She added, "Natasha has been vulnerable about her transition and about the struggle to be accepted by her friends and family, which I think is so courageous. I support her decision 100 percent — I am always in favor of people embracing who they really are and to feel confident in their own skin and find happiness." 

Natasha was so moved by Caitlin's donation and the fact that she shared the GoFundMe with her followers. "I wasn't expecting that much, and I immediately felt so grateful she had even shared the post on her platform. Caitlin's such an amazing woman and has an endless supply of kindness."