My Ins and Outs of 2026
Hannah Horvath inspired me to be brazenly opinionated!
Freya Carolyn
10/21/20265 min read
Esmé Gigi Genevieve Squalor (Lemony Snicket's, A Series of Unfortunate Events) once said pinstripe suits were ‘in’ and alcoholic martinis were ‘out’. I happen to disagree with both of these assertions (where would we be without alcoholic martinis, and what disaster must have struck the fashion world to make pinstripe suits ‘in’?). But never mind that; even as a child, I had the foresight to realise that ‘In and Out’ lists were perhaps the epitome of shallowness in our society. How does something suddenly become so unfashionable it is literally deemed unworthy of being ‘in’ our social and material environment? Well, today, I’m going to say ‘screw you’ to all that socio-philosophical thinking and craft my own ‘In and Out’ list. Partly because I’m trying to write something other than my novel and partly because I’m bored of not being such a hater.
IN
Brian Duffield’s Whalefall
My friend and I were talking about our most anticipated films of the year. Hers was La Bola Negra, a profound, LGBTQ+ film set across different periods in Spanish history. Mine was a far-fetched blockbuster about a man being swallowed by a whale. What’s not to love? Pure silliness, survival horror, the ultimate escapism (unless you’re the man who really got swallowed by a whale - https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/15/entertainment/whalefall-movie-michael-packard)
OUT
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
By now, most of us (chronically online people) have heard about Kylie Jenner rocking the reported $50 million fantasy bra. (Is that even a real sentence or some lazy pitch for a terrible porno?) Admittedly, I was intrigued by all the fuss surrounding the show this year, from complaints about having too many influencers walk the runway to the hype around Tate McRae’s compelling performance. Still, I couldn’t help but skip through the show with an unmistakable grimace. There’s something off about having these women who have been preened to perfection hugging and cheering at the end as if they’ve all been to the same ‘girlboss’ sleepover. In reality, we know the brand’s history - using unhealthy beauty standards to market their sexy and overpriced lingerie. Victoria’s Secret has tried to rebrand themselves as ‘body positive’ over recent years, but any such efforts are immediately diminished when they have Kylie Jenner be the supposed ‘showstopper’ (no, literally, they interrupted the show for her walk…). Maybe because I’m not a fashion girly I just don’t get it, but to me it looks like continued toxicity marketed as ‘girl power’, and I am one angel who’s just not buying it. Bored, next.
IN
GIRLS revival!
Talking about girl power, what I definitely am buying is the reboot of Lena Dunham’s Girls. Starting production next year, I am super excited to tune in to what the most annoying but real girls in New York are doing. For reasons I am not well versed in, Lena Dunham has fallen prey to ‘cancel culture’ recently, but there is no denying she is a fabulous writer. I am currently on season 5 of GIRLS, and am constantly taken aback by her sharp, witty, and unflinchingly brave writing style. She is not afraid to make the audience dislike her characters, which I think is refreshing as, truthfully, we are all quite unlikeable sometimes. So I declare the GIRLS revival of 2027 as officially ‘in’!
OUT
Hollywood Arts.
On the other hand… the recent Victorious revival, Hollywood Arts, is most definitely not in. Welcoming back Daniella Monet as Trina Vega, this revival lacks much of what made the original show ‘shine’ (excuse the pun, Victorious fans). From Victorious’s much funnier script to the raw talent of the original cast, there is simply no comparison. I truly enjoy watching Victorious even at 20, but I couldn’t stop myself from cringing every 10 seconds during Hollywood Arts. Personally, I think they should have taken it in the direction of the iCarly reboot - slightly more mature for an audience who has grown up alongside the show. But instead they decide to say, fuck subtlety, let’s name one of our characters ‘Jen Z’?????
(Side note: there’s a small possibility I might be glorifying the original show out of nostalgia…)
IN
Sitting in silence
We are well into the digital age, which means we exist among incessant noise. Noise from our phones, our TV screens, our laptops (our glasses, #cancelMeta) is constantly overwhelming us. So much so that we’re almost afraid to exist in silence. There has to be music or a podcast or a TikTok playing vaguely in the back so that you can’t hear your own thoughts. I know this because I’m guilty of it too. Nevertheless, I’m trying to practise not needing this background noise. There’s something scary about it, being left with only your own thoughts with no means of distracting yourself, but humans were simply not meant to live with this much noise.
OUT
The term ‘disgustingly educated’
Okay, I feel like this might be a controversial one. I have to disclaim first, I definitely am not talking about the educational side of social media that is gaining rapid popularity, such as BookTok or the idea of a ‘personal curriculum’ (ie., a list of individual academic interests someone wants to learn about simply for their own enjoyment). I often engage with this side of social media. However, the term ‘disgustingly educated’ has always rubbed me the wrong way. It may be the way it rebrands education as a type of ‘aesthetic’, the internet’s new ‘cool girl’. If education slowly becomes just another aesthetic, have we lost our love for learning for the sake of curating another online image? I champion the idea of young women wanting to learn more, but there’s something about aspiring to be ‘disgustingly educated’ that reeks of casting yourself as socially superior rather than possessing a true passion for education.
IN
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie.
This is going to be a short entry as, truth be told, I have not yet seen the new reboot of Stephen King’s Carrie. (2026 certainly has a thing for reboots, huh?) Despite this, without any knowledge of the show and therefore completely naively, I deem it as IN! Simply for the fact that my guilty pleasure for the last five years has been watching amateur productions of Carrie: The Musical!, I will 100% be tuning in for this new series.
OUT
Hating on songs when you’ve only heard 15 seconds… (WARNING: HOT TAKE)
Yes, Taylor Swift’s Patient Zero inspired this. And yes, I do think it sounds very bad. Saying that, I, like many others, have only heard the 15-second bridge on TikTok. So I don’t think that really gives me license to say it’s a terrible song when I’ve not even heard 10% of it. (Although, the little I have heard of it does not tempt me to listen to much more of it. Sorry Taylor.)
IN
Blank Street’s Cinnamon Bun collection
Matcha. Coffee. Cinnamon Buns. Sweet, sweet deliciousness. Need I say more? This is the most excited I’ve been for a drink since I was 11 and found out all the influencers were drinking Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. Currently, I’m in Spain, which means I’d have to book a flight to pick up a Cinnamon Bun Iced Latte! Sadly, British Airways was all booked up. Blank Street has often been criticised for being a ‘trendy coffee shop with shitty drinks’, but I argue, anywhere that can even dream of combining matcha and cinnamon buns must be a top tier joint.
OUT
Not making an effort socially.
‘I can’t.’ I’m tired.’ ‘My social battery is drained.’ ‘I know this is late notice but…’ These are all often valid excuses. If you’re exhausted, you shouldn’t feel pressured to hang out. If you genuinely don’t enjoy an activity, don’t go. Boundaries are important. But so is maintaining a healthy and thriving social life. Sometimes, you even owe it to your friends to keep them company, ie., to make an effort. Yes, hot chocolate and rerunning Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time is cute, but do you know what’s not cute? Letting down your friends! Make an effort, get out of your comfort zone; future you will thank you for it.
(PS: take these with a pinch of salt! These are all my ins and outs, and I know that nothing can truly ever be ‘in’ or ‘out’. Hey, if you hated this read, feel free to put it on your Out list!)