Plain English with Derek Thompson Buy or Sell Pandemic Trends: Peloton, Movie Theaters, Masks, and More!
Nov 23, 2021
Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic known for her insights on consumer habits, joins to dive into hot topics stemming from the pandemic. They tackle the future of Peloton, weighing its market challenges against emerging interest. The discussion also dissects changing fashion trends, favoring comfort over formality. Mull shares insights on the lingering effects of pandemic anxiety on health perceptions and how social behaviors, like mask-wearing, are becoming political statements. Finally, they ponder the fate of movie theaters as viewing habits evolve.
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Evolving Greetings
- Derek Thompson encountered three different greetings post-pandemic: handshake, fist bump, and elbow touch.
- This anecdote highlights the pandemic's unpredictable impact on social interactions.
Types of Pandemic Changes
- Pandemics cause inventions, interruptions, and accelerations of existing trends.
- Online shopping and remote work were accelerated by the pandemic, while indoor dining was merely interrupted.
Athleisure Domination
- Clothing trends are generally cyclical, but casualization is a long-term structural trend.
- Athleisure's rise exemplifies this, with sweatpants, polo shirts, and sneakers originating as athletic wear and now dominating everyday fashion.