I opened the clear storage container under my lofted twin bed made from dark, varnished wood. At the behest of my mother, I was sitting cross-legged on the green carpet of my childhood bedroom, sorting through my book collection. 

During this trip home to Hawaii, I was tasked with identifying books I could part with versus the collection that I was too attached to get rid of. As I pulled hardcovers and paperbacks from within the protective plastic storage container, it became obvious, I had been obsessed with horses as a child. 

This, of course, was something I already knew, but when confronted by the rows upon rows of horse books, it became something I could not ignore. 

Later, when I opened my Spotify app and clicked on a playlist that I’d made years ago, the music app suggested other songs by Emily Zeck. Her song Coastal Cowgirl Blues started to play. 

Coastal Cowgirl. 

That’s what I had been all of those years, right? Heading to the barn for a Sunday riding lesson then going straight to the beach in the same small town of Waimanalo to catch some rays. 

Even when I moved up here to Northern California, I couldn’t quite escape that horsegirl personality and found trail rides that wound through the hills and down to the sea. With Horse N Around trail rides, teenagers (real horse girls) led us through Bodega Bay, one riding bareback, each sporting bikini tops under their shirts, as ready for the beach as they were for the barn.

It’s an interesting pairing—beach life and barn life. I no longer ride horses weekly, but I still feel the draw of life on a ranch as well as life in a redone VW bus with surfboards and palm trees.

For anyone else who feels the draw to these two environments simultaneously, I thought I’d share my Kook Aunty guide to Coastal Cowgirl. 

What to Know About Coastal Kook Cowgirl Vibes 

1. Bikinis & Blue Jeans

I know on Pinterest, the “coastal cowgirl aesthetic” has been trending for a while. However, the Nancy Meyers-approved look of chic white coastal cottages with tasteful touches of ranch accessories (silver horse bookends, a leather whip curled perfectly on a decor tray) and flowing white linen blouses with white cowboy boots paired with perfectly tailored bootcut mom jeans isn’t exactly the Kook Aunty way. 

In this kook’s opinion, the real (though unofficial) coastal cowgirl aesthetic is far more haphazard. It’s a look that is more functional than stylish. A bikini top underneath an old Roxy t-shirt that was cut up in the seventh grade paired with blue jeans that you aren’t afraid to get dirty and a pair of old boots that are likely caked in mud. A pair of slippers waiting for you in your truck when you hop in to transition to a day at the beach. Hair braided to fit beneath a riding helmet or cowboy hat. 

This low-key, ready-for-waves/riding look is the way of it for any coastal cowgirl kooks out there. 

2. Paniolo Passion

Part of being a Kook Aunty Coastal Cowgirl is also recognizing the history of cowboys in Hawaii. As soon as I hear the words Coastal and Cowgirl paired together, my thought jumps to the song Paniolo Country by Melveen Leed. 

Paniolo is the Hawaiian word for cowboy. Yes, there were cowboys in Hawaii. According to the Paniolo Preservation Society, the tradition started when King Kamehameha III requested help training some of his people to herd cattle. This occurred in 1832. The King had been gifted cattle by Captain George Vancouver on his second trip to the islands in 1793. Upon receiving the cattle, King Kamehameha put forbade anyone from slaughtering the animals. By 1830, this meant there were far too many cattle to maintain on the island, so the Kapu against slaughtering them was lifted. 

In response to King Kamehameha III’s request for assistance in training his people to herd these wild cattle, three Mexican-Spanish vaqueros came to help teach the Hawaiian people. Their influence can still be seen within the Paniolo traditions. 

Horses and farming are still a big part of many people’s lives in Hawaii. As a child, I would sometimes get to visit a friend’s ranch on Hawaii Island. We would run the grounds at night, the evenings still warm, chasing chickens as our parents enjoyed beers and conversation. 

Today, the closest I get to Paniolo life is admiring the men and women who ride in parades wearing cowboy hats enhanced with lei that wrap around the brim. That and accidentally taking a friend to a bar called Paniolo in Waikiki after doing little to know research (I’m not a regular in Waikiki but we had decided to stay for the night during our visit). Let’s just say that place, attached to a motel, filled with lost-looking tourists, indulging regulars, transplants from around the world, was not exactly what I was looking to show her.

Still, despite my separation from paniolo life and my kook-worthy mishap leading us to a Paniolo bar unworthy of its name, I still feel the history of this lifestyle in my home.

3. Country Music, Slack Key Guitar, & Surf Rock Sounds

When it comes to being a true Coastal Cowgirl, you have to be sure that your playlist is a little off its rocker! 

In my barn girl days, I went with the real horse girls to a concert on the Kaneohe Marine Core Base to listen to Country Music but mainly Papa Roach. Horse girls are as wild as beach girls are laid back. 

Whether driving from Kaneohe to Waimanalo to ride and then swim or from the Del Mar County Fair to Mission Beach in San Diego, the playlists should include Chris Stapelton and Gretchen Wilson, Cecilio & Kapono and Makana, The Buttertones and Shannon & the Clams. 

In case you need some more details to understand this strange mix of sounds, you can simply pop over to this Coastal Kook Cowgirl playlist >