Fall makes its yearly introduction with an explosion of pumpkin flavored products on Trader Joe’s shelves, a takeover of cinnamon scented candles at Target, and flannels of every color combination in millennial closets. The transition is sudden, all before the leaves truly transform into staggering shades of auburn, burnt orange, and mustard yellow. It’s the season of overpriced warm pumpkin spiced lattes (even though deep down you knew the classic iced latte would’ve satisfied you more) whilst you sit in a quaint cafe to do an hour of work as you watch the leaves graciously fall.
Fall is predictable, yet we gobble it up every year as if a new Trader Joe’s pumpkin spiced waffle and pancake mix (made gluten-free!) will make the season ten times better than it was a year before. But what is it about this consumerist season that engulfs our mind in a daze?
Entering Felicita Kostianis’ 2K double room, there’s a eucalyptus and palm scented candle surrounded by an assortment of mini pumpkins and green streaked squashes. The aura of the room hugs you tightly as you peer up to see fake amber orange leaves flank the ceiling along with the warm glow of fairy lights. All around the kitchen are polka-dot pumpkin printed tea towels as the smell of the apple cider hand soap lingers. By the window sill are slightly nourished plants, and above are acorn and yellow leaves window stickers.
“I think [fall is] the only reason I’m okay with summer ending,” Kostianis says, who certifies herself as a dignified fall lover from New Jersey, “We all hate the cold so we glorify the season before.” Glorification may even be a slight understatement. Especially for someone who did not grow up with the classic American consumerist life.
Clementine Paris, from France, sits with her mouth open as Kostianis beams at the thought of fall. “Halloween is a bit of a thing [in France],” she says, “but it’s a holiday, not a season. America celebrates seasons.”
Perhaps it’s precisely the back to back holidays of fall that makes this season so easy to commercialise – Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday. Then again, what other country erupts into a branded fall commercial for three months? It’s not just about the celebration of leaves; we spend time, money, and energy to appreciate the beauty of fall through overpriced apple picking and decor.
In fact, there might even be a psychological reason why fall fanatics boast about the changing season. The inherent coziness of the season linked with cooler temperatures extract a sense of nostalgia and calm. Holidays and traditions anchored in this season bring up happier memories and the reassurance of safety. Spring doesn’t give as many cozy vibes, and for many, it’s a season of stuffy noses, tissues, and eye drops. The summer is wrongly spent worrying about beach bodies and obsessing over tropical vacations. In such a state of solace during fall, it’s no wonder brands reach deep down into our pockets,and trick us into believing that buying an extra fluffy blanket, this time with pastel pumpkins, will soothe our minds.
“Yeah, consumerism in America is obvious,” says Paris, “but it’s easy to get used to. As much as they overdo fall, Americans overdo everything so it doesn’t come as a shock.”
America seems like the land of over-the-top marketing, but you’re immediately immersed, or rather brainwashed, by the consumerist culture that the constant Instagram ads may not even be that surprising.
Paris grabs a glass of apple cider, freshly produced and purchased from a recent trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow, Massachusetts. She takes a swig, licks her lips, and makes a funny face, saying, “Apple cider is just apple juice made with not so great apples.”
There are still some things that are too fall for Paris.
Gusto Journal 