Fads

In a 1977 column in the February 5th edition of Saturday Review, Leo Rosten identified the mood ring as an example of a fad by noting Saks Fifth Avenue sold it for $40 at Christmas and it was available for $1.19 at Walgreen’s the next January. He defined fad as “temporary fashion” and style as “fashion that is here today and here tomorrow.” He cited pizza, The Rolling Stones, and ABC (the network) as fads. Candida Donadio, cashmere jackets and Elizabeth Ray represent fashion. And style includes Adam (the magazine), Nina Van Pallandt, and Ford station wagons. The definitions were sound but the examples were a bit wobbly. Rosten himself was more of a fad than The Rolling Stones, more in fashion than Candida Donadio, and even more stylish than Adam. But that is not saying much. He proved that you need more time to elapse before coming up with examples. I do not want to fall into the same trap as Rosten but I am betting pizza will outlast fads like Donald Trump and the Coronavirus. I am influenced by my own love of pizza. And I am quite sure Rosten was not a fan of the Rolling Stones and pizza pie because you only use the word fad to describe something that irritates you.