The Pros And Cons of Autumn: De-romanticising Your Life

Around mid August every year, a subtle shift begins to happen across TikTok feeds everywhere. Rory Gilmore audios become more common, Harry Potter edits more popular, and tank tops become replaced by Tate sweaters which are surely too warm for the weather. Although summer is still in full swing, we as a collective seem fully prepared to ditch the season for autumn. They say the grass - or in this case, the fallen leaves - is always greener on the other side, but as someone with a personal vendetta against shortened daylight hours, I’m not so sure I agree. So instead, please enjoy this list I’ve assembled to decide if all the favourite autumn tropes are as good as you remember, or if we will yet again be wishing for summer before our pumpkin spice lattes have even gone cold.

1. Autumn Fashion 

PROS: Autumn fashion is more exciting than winter or spring fashion, as the jump from tanks and shorts to long sleeves and trousers is by far the most dramatic on the seasonal calendar. Unlike winter, autumn also does hold on to a certain level of colour, with reds and navy blues completely taking over the closets of teenage girls everywhere. Summer isn’t too far gone at this point, which means people take certain liberties with style which just can’t be afforded in winter - most notably with coats. Even if I don’t buy a single other piece of clothing, I somehow always end up with a new autumn coat every year (the turtleneck peacoat in my Pinterest board is calling my name), likely out of optimism for new outfit combos. Old clothes are dusted off, and given a new life after the time apart. Maybe time can heal all wounds - even those caused by one too many outfit repeats.

CONS: These new outfits are fun for about the first three weeks, until the crushing realisation that the UK is, in fact, cold sets in. Couple that with the ever increasing academic stress, and leaving the house in a denim skirt and tights combo to face the 8AM artic temperatures goes from iconic to near impossible very quickly. Inevitably, the nicer purchases are replaced by tried and truer items, such as the busted black puffer I’ve been avoiding, and eventually relenting to, for atleast three years now. There comes a point where the choice to wear cute clothes goes from romanticising the season to an act of rebellion, which I have no choice but to begrudgingly respect.

2. Coffee Orders 

PROS: Unlike clothing, coffee can actually be carried throughout the seasons, with the small change of adding or removing ice to your order. However, there are some drinks this transition just doesn’t really work for, which makes the return to autumn that much sweeter. I am being quite literal, when I refer to chai lattes. That dash of cinnamon, or pumpkin spice, becomes less and less socially acceptable as the months go by, so it is always a relief to be able to enjoy the warmth of this drink without any additional societal drawbacks. Getting a coffee before school, and sipping said coffee throughout the day always makes classes that bit more bearable, even if it’s usually just a distraction from the actual studying that’s meant to be going on in lessons.

CONS: As much as that extra caffeine boost can be a lifesaver in the morning, the art of getting a coffee before school, especially in autumn, can be so stressful sometimes I begin to question whether the drink is even worth it. The queue is always insanely long at popular places, and because everyone suddenly wants an extra shot of vanilla, or cinnamon, it moves at a snail pace. An indie place is therefore nice in theory, but when the formula isn’t tied to whatever ironclad recipe book/bible a place like Blank Street has for their baristas, you always live in fear of your chai tasting slightly less tasty than the day before. Add the guessing game of whether your order will make you miss your train, or worst case, the dreaded 8:30 bell, and the money you give for a pumpkin spiced latte feels more akin to gambling than the “true” start of autumn.

3. Halloween 

PROS: A much needed holiday to look forward to during the first few months of school, which would definitely be a lot more dreary otherwise. Unlike America, we don’t have thanksgiving to bolster the autumn months, which means Halloween really is the event of anticipation. Technically, the 5th of November also counts, but it really pales in comparison to the USA’s 4th of July. Thinking about it now, it’s also slightly depressing our equivalent celebrates the victory of the establishment the US celebrates escaping, but this is not the time, place, nor article for that discussion.

Halloween also slows down the Christmas enthusiasm by a considerable amount, which as a strong believer that I shouldn’t be hearing Mariah Carey before November, is very much appreciated. Unlike Christmas, Halloween’s ability to adapt means it doesn’t lose its magic as you grow older, and it’s nice to have at least one holiday unaccompanied by unbearable nostalgia.

CONS: When people make Halloween plans, fit with exciting themes (maybe one listed in our party themes article from last year?) and of course, outfits, the UK population tends to have collective amnesia, or maybe just delusion, about how COLD Halloween night actually is. It’s laughable how every year, to question whether to bring or not to bring the giant coat that covers your outfit (but would increase the ability to focus on the evening by at least 10%) is never really questioned again until at most the night before. Take this article as a warning….

Apart from that, there aren’t actually too many cons to Halloween, assuming the October canon event has already been bypassed at this point.

4. Music

(I am fully assuming you are a Spotify user, and if that is not the case maybe this should be an autumn of self reflection instead x)

PROS:  Music is undeniably seasonal, and as much as I like to think each season has its own subtleties that a playlist should represent, it essentially boils down to this year’s Reading festival Friday headliners: summer and spring being Chappell roan, and autumn and winter being Hozier. People are mostly in agreement of the bittersweet, sad vibes autumnal music should sound like, which makes it a lot more nostalgic when it’s finally time to wear the wired earbuds on the way to school again. Music is the most tried and tested way to romanticise the season, and also the only one that really works, because unlike coffee or clothes, the songs stay the same, and aren’t affected by timing or weather. 

CONS: Seasonal depression is a very real thing, and as I learnt the hard way in year 9, starting my day with a Bon Iver and Current Joys highlights list is not exactly the way to a cheerful morning. Autumn music definitely sets the mood, but you have to wonder if the season would be slightly more bearable if HOT TO GO was blasting in our ears instead of soul crushing guitar melodies. Maybe, by embracing the season too fully, we lose the pep in our step that would actually let us enjoy it for longer?

Food for thought.

special mentions to…

5. Doc Martens 

PROS: So iconic they get a mention outside the clothes section. The number one autumn shoe, with a platform so high that you won’t even feel a splash from the puddles you need to trudge through to get to school.

CONS: Blisters. These shoes literally never get broken in, unless they’ve been through some kind of battering my school commute does not provide. 

6. Leaves

PROS: Free ASMR, and a nice addition to the Instagram feed. London is one of the greenest cities in the world, so logically, it becomes one of the most colourful come autumn.

CONS: Not so aesthetic when they fall into your hair and take three to five business days to remove. Or better yet, don’t get removed and get discovered at the end of the day, having been an unwelcome hair accessory that probably doesn’t match your outfit.

7. Books

PROS: Specifically Donna tartt vibes come into full swing around now, and in these scary times where the performative male aesthetic is on the rise, it’s important to lean our dark academia roots as much as possible, in an act of self defence.

CONS: People reading books on the tube always bring me an irrational sense of fear after I saw someone reading Macbeth for the first time the morning of my GCSE exam. Spoiler: the passage they were reading was the extract - some people really are just that lucky, and as a result I’ve felt bitter ever since. Aiming to avoid reliving that as much as possible this autumn.

And that concludes our first ever pros and cons list! Unfortunately, the weather has gotten significantly colder since I began writing this article, and my enthusiasm for autumn has diminished at a similar rate, but hopefully this review has helped our readers start deromanticising their lives a healthy amount, by forming an opinion beyond tiktok montages - whether it be positive, negative, or even neutral. All thanks to Unpublished’s trademark honesty, of course. Thanks for reading.

Xoxo, Unpublished.