JENN McKINLAY: I try to stay on trend, I do. It used to be easy when I had teens in my house, keeping me apprised of the latest and greatest from streaming shows to social media platforms to newest flavors of candy. Now, in the empty nest, I have absolutely no idea what is happening!
In an unsupervised and misguided effort to keep up with the latest “must watch” show, Hub and I stepped up for the first episode of Squid Game. We were left at the end of the first episode gaping at the TV and each other. What did we just watch, the anti-Ted Lasso? As Phoebe from Friends would yell, “Oh! My eyes!”
Then, of course, there’s Tik Tok or Book Tok, whatever that is. This was my line in the sand for social media platforms. Not gonna do it, I kept saying. And I really haven’t. I’m what I call “present but absent”. I have an account. It’s posted exactly one video. I once fell into the rabbit hole of watching scores of people sing the same song over and over, dance the same moves over and over, and lost HOURS of my life. I can’t, y’all, I just can’t.
Lastly, for the love of all that is sugar loaded and yummy, Hooligan 2 (fellow candy freak) brought me a bag of candy corn -- already controversial, I know, I still love it, don’t judge me -- that is flavored like a TURKEY DINNER! What heresy is this? Who thought this was a good idea? Is nothing sacred?
So, I find I am no longer on trend, or trending, and I’m okay with it. If losing hours of my life, eating terrible sweets, and emotionally scarring myself are required to keep me on point, well, I think I’d rather be dull.
What about you, Reds? What trends have hit lately that you are fine with letting pass you by?
HALLIE EPHRON: Candy corn that tastes like turkey dinner sounds completely disgusting. Anathema!
What seems to be passing me by are food trends. The newspaper recipe world has veered into super spicy and non meat. Good for the planet, for sure, but I am still figuring out tofu.
RHYS BOWEN: I’ve never been one to follow trends since my heyday in the sixties when I was full on Mary Quant, Vidal Sasoon, Beatles and moving with the in crowd on Carnaby Street. Since then, not so much. And now I’m hardly aware of trends unless one of my grandkids rolls her eyes and says “On Nana!”
But I have been reading about Squid Game, and I have to say never in a hundred years would I want to watch something so horribly dark and violent. I’ve found as I have aged that I don’t tolerate violence well any more. I need movies with predictably happy endings, civilized people talking to each other--like Downton Abbey. I can handle tragedy with a story like that, but never senseless violence.
I’m not into food trends either. I have ventured into a couple--vertical food (ridiculous and not enough to eat) and that time when desserts came with balls of frozen nitrogen that made the plate smoke. But as for candy corn that tastes like a turkey dinner? I’m afraid our food will come to that one day soon when the earth runs out of real food. We’ll take a pill that tastes like something and then a spoonful of artificial protein and fillers. That will be a three course meal.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I think some trends are fun--that’s how we found Ted Lasso, and in the before times it was fun to talk about water cooler TV. Even silly things like American Idol, (which we totally did not know about until season two, that’s how on trend we are) can give people something fun to talk about.
Clothing, though, I have to admit I monitor. Skinny jeans out, boyfriend jeans in. Very very short skirts, now, or very very long. (But who cares, really, when I just wear yoga pants. And wow, have you seen the new clothing? I think they are making those prairie dress things in case people gained weight in lockdown.)
Food? I read the food trend things, and then think--I don’t HAVE any of those ingredients, and whatever, it doesn't even sound good.
And I am laughing about TikTok. Many a day a colleague has sung its praises, and staunchly declared the necessity. I say it's spinach, and I say to hell with it.
Finally, I think we can say that anything that tastes like anything else makes me wonder why you wouldn't just eat the real thing. But--i’d try a turkey candy corn one, just to see. Turkey-taste couldn't make candy corn taste any worse!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Thank you, Jenn! Now I know two trends I'm happy to let pass me by--turkey-flavored candy corn and Squid Game. Actually, I did know about Squid Game but was so not tempted. I'm not sure I was ever trendy even at my hippest. Now, for clothes trends, I rely on my friend who follows fashion, and my daughter, who I think would tell me if I wore something totally awful (but maybe she wouldn't/hasn't? That's a scary thought.
LUCY BURDETTE: I will definitely pass on that candy corn and Squid Games too. A friend’s daughter-in-law said no one in television will buy a normal concept because they are looking for the next SG. I asked: what will the older people watch? She said: TV has always aimed at the 18 to 34 age bracket. Sigh.
What about you, Readers? Are on trend or happily letting them pass you by?
