As the leaves begin to fall, pumpkin spice returns, Halloween approaches and social media fills with fall-themed posts. Yet many students at Aliso Niguel High School might not be able to partake in them as temperatures are still in the 80s and midterms are right around the corner.
For years fall has been romanticized as a cozy, comforting season especially on social media where it has held a title for being a nostalgic aesthetic. However, many students find that the season’s reputation doesn’t quite match the reality of what we experience in Southern California, where warm temperatures stay longer than pumpkin spiced lattes.
Naomi Christian (10) shares, “The weather these days changes from high to low every week. I don’t think this fall feels like fall because it’s not chilly and it’s burning every other week.”
The excitement of fall isn’t just about the weather. Stores fill up their racks with pumpkin and fall themed decorations by late August, and for some students, it can feel more overwhelming than exciting. It’s hard to enjoy the season when it feels so forced upon.
“I feel like we should just enjoy summer while it’s still around and wait until fall to come around late September,” said sophomore Deepashree Subedi. “Like I would want to enjoy my summer without seeing fall things already in stores.”
For many students, this season is associated with stress more than UGGs. Between the first set of inputted grades, college applications, and the lead-up to finals, the fall semester feels like it is filled with more stress than festivities. Christian shares, “This season is known for relaxation however schools aren’t living up to that standard, specifically middle and high school due to finals week. It creates even more stress for exams instead of enjoying what fall brings”
It is not just ANHS students who feel like fall has fallen out of its reputation. More and more people have been saying that there is an increase in videos online noting fall does not feel like how it used to. There could be multiple reasons to why people feel this way. Christian reflected, “Fall culture just isn’t around anymore like how it feels like it used to be. I have noticed people bringing this up on social media too. Like in kindergarten, teachers would put up decorations and make it obvious that it was fall. They would change up the theme of the classroom and do fun activities solely for the season as if they were celebrating fall. But as we get older, everyone is just so busy with their own lives that we don’t have time to acknowledge fall and what it brings.” She noted that social media might be part of the reason.
“ I think a big reason for this is actually social media though because people rely on it for short term release of dopamine. Fall isn’t flashy, loud and bright so it could take a while to appreciate it.”
