Spooky season
Halloween this year was marked by unusually warm weather but was a welcome transition into the winter months ahead. Halloween is marked by haunted house tours, pumpkin carving, spooky home decorations and local stores stuffed with candy. The most popular candy in the country is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, according to Candystore.com. Skittles and M&M’s come in second and third. The three worst-ranked candies are Circus Peanuts, Candy corn and Peanut Butter Kisses. A growing trend with the rise of the flu and other respiratory illnesses is ‘Trunk-or-Treat’, which is trick-or-treating from car trunks. People have been using car parking lots to host trunk-or-treating events which many deem to be safer than going door to door as per tradition. The Halloween & Costume Association says trunk-or-treating has become so popular that manufacturers have made special trunk decoration kits, according to Fox News. According to Google Frightgeist, a tool that analyses the most-searched costume ideas nationwide, the most popular costumes this year were witches, pirates, Harley Quinn and Batman. Strangers Things came close behind. They also show trends in cities: Spider-Man is the top search in both Atlanta and Los Angeles, while in New York, fairy is the most popular costume. Chicago’s top costume is Stranger Things, and for Dallas it is dinosaur.
Reclaim history
Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, is observed in November to celebrate Native Americans in the United States of America. The US president, Joe Biden, appointed Deb Haaland as interior secretary last year, making her the first indigenous cabinet secretary in US history. The month is not just about celebrating the culture, but also acknowledging the past. Many lands in the country were originally occupied by Native American tribes who were driven out by colonisers. In the 17th century, just before Dutch settlers invaded, Manhattan itself was once called “Manna-hata” by the local Lenape people who lived there, according to the NYC Department of Education. There are many ways to celebrate and educate oneself — through exhibitions, readings and mixed media resources. For instance, in Chicago, home to one of the largest Native American populations, you can attend the Field Museum’s permanent exhibition, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories, created with an advisory council of Native American scholars and collaborators representing over 105 tribes. In NYC, you can join walking and hiking tours of the lands formerly occupied by tribes. For example, the Urban Park Rangers are hosting a discussion in Van Courtlandt Park on the past and present experiences of Native Americans in the Bronx. The park was first inhabited by the Wiechquaskeck Lenapes around 1000 AD.
Step up
Kanye West was recently escorted out of the headquarters of the sneakers brand, Skechers, after dropping in unannounced, when the retail giant, Adidas, cancelled their partnership. Similarly, GAP also announced they were cancelling their collaboration with Ye and dropping the Yeezy collection, which is his private label. Fashion houses are stepping up and giving up profits in fear of what could be terrible PR and also attempting to take a stance in the face of racism and anti-semitism. GAP, for example, is now estimated to lose almost $300m in sales. Ralph Lauren has unveiled a new line celebrating Black college life in collaboration with Historically Black College and Universities graduates. The executive chairman and chief creative officer said that it’s meant to share “a more complete and authentic portrait of American style and of the American dream — ensuring stories of Black life and experiences are embedded in the inspiration and aspiration of our brand.” Marvel Studios has partnered with Actively Black, a highend athleisure brand focusing on Black style and culture, to sell their Black Panther: Wakanda Forever collection.
Milk the popularity
Milk substitutes have been quite a craze, starting with soy milk, followed by almond and coconut milk. Next in line is oat milk, but it has gone from a seemingly transitory trend to becoming firmly established as a popular alternative. People choose non-dairy milk for a variety of reasons, such as lactose intolerance, flavour preferences or concern for sustainability. People generally believed that oat milk was not only tastier but also apparently better for the environment. However, critics have been pointing out that oat milk is not better than other kinds of milk. Regardless, all signs seem to point to oat milk being a continued success.
Footnote
A street in a neighbourhood in Brooklyn called McDonald Avenue just had an official name-changing ceremony to become ‘Little Bangladesh’. This area houses 35% of the city’s Bangladeshi population and has many Bangladeshi eateries. This act pays homage to the immigrant population and is a New York thing to do. “It signifies our presence and power in this City — we are the fastest growing Asian community and we are a visible face that New Yorkers interact with every single day,” council member, Shahana Hanif, said.
