I have always loved fall. Though I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice flavored drinks, I absolutely adore everything else about the season. Cozy sweaters, rainy days, murder mystery novels, Harry Potter movie marathons while drinking a warm tea in bed – I mean, what could sound better?
As much as I am a devout lover of fall, I can’t deny I miss summer. And sometimes, I miss summer while it’s still with us.
Fall clothing items, burnt orange house decor, cinnamon scented candles, and even Halloween costumes start to pop up in sales windows and online ads before the weather drops below 85 degrees. For a lot of individuals, walking around the mall on August 1st, or even opening up a social media app, is a treacherous reminder that summer is coming to an inevitable close.
Not only are companies trying to immerse their consumers in fall way too early, but influencers are as well. Scrolling through TikTok in the dead of summer can truly transport you to another season. I love seeing autumn inspired videos because as I said, I love fall. But, I don’t think everyone should be subject to an overwhelming amount of seasonal content. I honestly believe posting about fall before it actually occurs is just a trend that influencers feel they need to follow in order to get ahead of their competitors.
For example, one of the first videos I saved for Halloween costume inspiration this year was from a TikToker named Shekinah (@shekinahgrace_s). This particular video, featuring pictures of a duo costume idea of Marvels’ Thor and Loki with a backtrack of Olivia Rodrigo’s song, “Vampire,” was posted on July 1st, 2023. To put this into perspective, this video was posted 85 days before the autumn equinox, or Sept. 23, 2023, 123 days before Halloween, and three days before one of the most ‘summer’ events of the year- the Fourth of July. The video generated 1.3 million views which may make you think the majority of people do like seeing fall content so early. However, actual engagement with the video is overwise low compared to its view count- 162.7k lives, 1464 comments, 20.5k saves (me being one), and 14.3k shares.
Similarly, TikToker Strawberry Skies (@strawberryskies33), posted a video titled “Finding Halloween backgrounds so you don’t have to,” on July 12th, 2023. This video was even more popular, raking in 3.3 million views, 415.1k likes, 1193 comments, 123.9k saves, and 37.4k shares.
Just Arp, a junior business student, said, “Whenever I see Halloween or Christmas themed videos on my Instagram reels, I just scroll by. It’s too early for all that.”
I don’t mind seeing fall videos and posts ion my social media feeds in summer because if I want to dive into the warm, cozy rabbit hole of autumn content I can, but if I don’t want to, I can just turn my phone off.
On the other hand, what I do hate is fall-themed products hitting shelves when ‘back to school’ themed items should still be in abundance. It seems like Bath & Body Works stocks every single fall scent they can fathom by mid-August. Personally, I think vanilla and cinnamon scented body lotion in the summer mixed with sweat from 90 degree heat is not the most enjoyable smell. But, in mid-October, when I visit the store for some holiday products, I’m met with the wrong holiday- Christmas.
Bringing fall back too early causes the entire holiday calendar to shift. Companies run out of autumn themed products before it even hits November, and then they are forced to start displaying their Christmas collections.
“Why do we have to have Halloween candy and décor out in September? I just feel like it makes the seasons go by faster which makes the year feel faster too,” said Meghan Smith, junior nursing student.
