"i... am an autumn"
The seasons can be whatever we make them on the WB lot.
There’s a chill in the air. Or, at least, if you try really hard, you can kinda feel one.
It’s fall, so the calendar tells me, even if the weather doesn’t agree. The temperature is climbing deep into the 90s this week in Los Angeles, and these days, changing weather patterns make seasonal forecasts everywhere unpredictable. But, we can still feel a chill in the air if we try.
‘Tis the season for chunky sweaters and apple cider and maple butter. It’s the time of year when everyone hauls out plastic pumpkins, and buys those cinnamon brooms from Trader Joe’s, and switches out the sea salt-scented candles for ones with names like “Cozy Farmhouse” and “Leaves.” And I’m always first in line to do it all.
There’s a TikTok sound that shows up in every other video this time of year: a Gilmore Girls moment in which Richard Gilmore announces, “I… am an autumn.” The videos paired with this sound could collectively populate a fall-themed Pinterest board until the end of time. I don’t know for sure, but a cursory viewing tells me most of the images in these videos are, in fact, pulled from Pinterest or some other curatorially-perfect source, with their glossy, romantic sheens. If the videos aren’t comprised of mood board-style images, then they’re usually product hauls or listicles showcasing the pillows, books, coffee creamers, lip oils, glassware, soundtracks, socks, movies, room sprays, nail polishes, cookies, etc. you can get to create the perfect fall aesthetic at home.
I recount these videos with little to no judgment. Again, I try to soak up as much of the autumn aesthetic as possible. While I think we can all be more conscious, sustainable consumers and try to thrift/make use of the library as much as possible, I think there is great joy and beauty in constructing the exact vibe you want for the season. In fact, it’s arguably a necessity when the aforementioned weather is so bonkers and the world around us is out of whack. In that case, then why not set out to create the exact world in which we want to exist?
There’s always an element of self-conscious construction to the making of seasonal aesthetics (or any aesthetic, for that matter) and we can embrace that effort as a feature of how we celebrate the changing of the seasons. Take Gilmore Girls as a prominent example. The show is often cited as a quintessentially “fall show,” one that feels cozy and tailormade for watching while wearing knits. But so much of the show’s “fallness” is very blatantly constructed, both in the story world and outside of it.
Stars Hollow gets littered with pumpkins and haybales at the behest of Taylor Doose, who foists festivities onto the town like a TikTok girlie posting apple-picking videos the first chance she gets after Labor Day. And, when watching Gilmore Girls, it’s often difficult to fully convince yourself they’re in Connecticut when you can see the mountains of Burbank behind them. You can never forget that what you’re watching is something constructed by a team because Lorelai and Rory are literally sweating in their sweaters as they walk past mountains that, I can tell you from experience, do not exist in New England.
And I love it so much! I love that reminder of a constructed reality, and I love the feedback loop it creates. The producers of a TV show like Gilmore Girls pick and choose the best fall aesthetics to include, and the audience knows it’s not real, but it’s so irresistibly perfect. And so then the audience takes those aesthetics and incorporates them into their own lives. And then that becomes a part of reality, which will then likely influence more TV shows and movies and books. Life informs culture, which informs life, which informs culture, which… is kinda the whole thesis of this newsletter.
So this fall, embrace that chill in the air, even if you have to try extra hard to get yourself to feel it. Be the Taylor Doose of your corner of the world and scatter fake leaves in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. It’s festive, dammit, and we all deserve a little festivity in our lives. Even more so, we all deserve to take some agency in creating exactly the kind of festivity that makes us feel good, that makes our little corners of the world feel cozy and warm, that inspires us to sigh and declare, “I… am an autumn.”
As I talk about odd weather and the world being out of whack, I’m thinking about the people affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene. If you feel inclined, here’s a list of ways you can help.
stuff i’m thinking about
As our world shifts, so do the ideals at the center of the American Dream.
If I could live inside this New Yorker feature on Ina Garten, I would.
How and why the Moleskine notebook became so ubiquitous.
The mystery of Celebrity Number Six’s identity has captivated the internet for years, and it’s finally been solved.
I’m obsessed with the idea of Strega Nona Fall.
It’s the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and empathy is key as we look to brighter, better future.
stuff i’m loving
This gorgeous performance by Gavin Creel, whose sudden death this week sent shockwaves throughout the Broadway community and beyond. He was an immense talent who radiated goodness in everything he did.
I got to see Oh, Mary! a few weeks ago, and it so lived up to the hype. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud in a theater; what a fabulous reminder of how fun art can be.
Books!!
Honey by Isabel Banta
But How Are You, Really by (shoutout to fellow Wesleyan alum!) Ella Dawson
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Making sure I’m registered to vote and have a game plan to vote in this oh so important upcoming election.