Health Gossip is a newsletter exploring health, wellness, and the culture that surrounds it. Today: a quick dive into the history of In/Out lists, along with my own health trend predictions for the New Year.
The In/Out list as we know it today dates back to “The List”, a Washington Post trend report first published in 1977. Online, the oldest version that I can find is from 2007, an early Internet page with two columns of “ins” (Oxytocin, antidepressant perfume) and “outs” (goat skewers, abstinence). It was written by so-called “List czar” Hank Stuever, who would go on to pen the lists for years to come.
Ahead of 2009, Stuever saw the rise of boyfriend jeans and “chefs who farm” and the fall of ellipticals and Oscar de la Renta. Three years later, quinoa is passé and “nicotine for health” is trending, a sentiment that’s proven to be eerily relevant today.1
I have to make an account to view this year’s iteration, which, among other things, names ghosts and it-girls as “out” and vasectomies and Human Design as “in.” It’s more on track than last year’s report but also fairly redundant, likely due to the fact that everything has already been said on Twitter. (Conveniently, the Post labels the tanking platform as both “in” and “out”, as it’s previously done with figures like Madonna and Al Gore.)
It’s tempting to say that the In/Out list is a practice in playing God, an attempt to control the uncontrollable through the means of confidence alone. Perhaps it’s a means of proving one’s cultural relevance, an attempt to set a trend or shape our collective narrative. Or maybe it’s just a fun exercise used to gauge one’s own values and inclinations within a broader cultural context.
Either way, here we are:
In
The Sun
Anecdotal evidence
Having a bedtime
Waking up
Blessing your food
Bach flower essences
The martial arts
Wearing natural fibers
Biohacking for girls
Mineral hair analysis
Steak for breakfast
Remineralizing toothpaste
Facebook health groups
Feng shui
Adopting a meat and fruit diet
Mitochondrial health
Vitamin E
Flexibility
Vedic Astrology
Broth walks2
Bison meat
Objective beauty
Farm-to-table
The I Ching
Silence
Yoga moms
Battery-powered alarm clocks
Lectin discourse
Luxury gyms
Digestive bitters
Dawn and dusk
Being secretly sober
Gelatin
Orthodox vegetarianism
Foot reflexology
Tantric sex
Sitting with yourself
Out
Veganism
Annual checkups
Pop Astrology
Soy-based candles
Athletic Greens
Hormonal birth control
Bluetooth technology
Nuts and seeds
Chemical SPF
Ordering in
Speaking in absolutes
Quick fixes
Pre-workout drinks
Monkfruit sweetener
Manifestation TikTok
Hot Yoga
Polyester
Charcoal toothpaste
LED lighting
Taking a multivitamin
The meme-ification of Ray Peat (RIP)
Only living once
A broth walk is when you take a walk, preferably in the morning, with broth, preferably bone. To maximize the gut-healing benefits, drink it on an empty stomach with a splash of lime juice and ACV. Wait 15 or so minutes before eating your first meal—which is how long your walk should be, anyway.
This newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services.
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