By Emma Robitaille ’16, Contributor
As the muggy month of August comes to a close, a familiar and less humid friend awaits us: fall. And with fall comes the excuse to immerse ourselves in the plethora of fall clichés. Both treasured and trite, the activities that make up autumn have actually become quite overused if we really think about it. But does this stop us from faithfully succumbing to fall and its banalities? Absolutely not. Instead, we shamelessly indulge. Here is a roundup of my top five favorite fall clichés.
1. Patagonias
The Patagonia, a classic Country Day staple, finally returns. It’s a functional, unisex piece that perseveres throughout all of the seasons. It welcomes the fall, braves the winter, and even sticks around in the spring as everyone runs out of outfit ideas that fit both the season and dress code. A Patagonia is close enough to a collar, right? Plus, it reminds us how truly individualistic we really are when we show up to a Country Day football game to see half of the bleachers wearing the same Patagonia as us.
2. Haunted Houses
Nothing really defines fall like a trip to a haunted house, complete with girlish screams (typically from the boys) and numerous attempts to not pee your pants. Each fall, gaggles of students ranging from tweens to teens flock to Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt in hopes of being absolutely terrified. Haunted houses are everywhere in the fall –they’re on the billboards on the side of the highway and in every other movie commercial on TV. Haunted houses are also an opportunity to put yourself in the same exact position as someone in a really scary movie. If you choose to do this, be sure your group splits up. It always works out in the movies.
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes
The Pumpkin Spice Latte (or “PSL” for the diehards) is practically the poster child for fall clichés. Its release date has become increasingly sacred as the autumns go by and it continues to flood every social media platform. You can expect to see a least one Instagram, two tweets, and a Facebook post about a PSL by noontime on a Saturday in October. The disturbing reality about what’s actually in a pumpkin spice latte does not deter its devoted consumers.
4. The “Inaugural Cold”
Everyone knows the dreaded cold: the one that begins with a runny nose in the middle of A bell and ends with bronchitis by H bell. I would tell you to take solace in the phrase “the first is always the worst,” but that doesn’t really apply to colds. They’re all pretty bad. Unfortunately, not all of fall’s clichés are pleasant. But they do give us a great excuse to cozy up in our Patagonia and watch a lot of scary movies instead of going to school. Also, there’s a one day period in the cold where your voice has the perfect amount of scratchiness. But then the congestion takes over and it’s hard to have a conversation with someone without sounding like you’re on the edge of a mucus-filled death.
5. Fall Instagrams
“Let’s go to a pumpkin patch this weekend. I need a new backdrop for my Instagram.” This is a paraphrase of something I’ve actually heard in the Country Day hallways. In total honesty, I may have shamefully said something along these lines too. It is impossible to scroll through social media and not see a picture of someone posing in front of a tree adorned with red and orange leaves, complete with four leaf emojis as the caption. Furthermore, your Instagram and Twitter feeds will soon be vomiting with an unhealthy amount of images of apple cider, s’mores, and basically anything with pumpkin it.
Yet, clichés are often the very substance of tradition. As easy as they are to poke fun at / brutally rip apart, they are little blessings that deserve appreciation. Meander through a pumpkin patch, proudly sport a Patagonia, and drink as many pumpkin spice lattes as your heart can handle. Relish in the scratchiness of your voice. Conquer Fear Fest, if that’s what you’re into. I really don’t enjoy those situations but I have respect for the [insane] people who do. And if you take a picture doing any of those things, go ahead and post it. It’s good to remind everyone it’s fall. Just please don’t do the four-leaf-emoji-caption-thing. I’d say only three leaf emojis and you’re golden.
Image Source: http://www.brushymountainoutdoors.com/brands/
