Word: fad
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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When you pin people down on things they like to do, the suggestions they offer are normally uninteresting. More than anything else, Americans like to eat--which is second only to sleeping in its boredom value. A small minority like to exercise, but the jogging fad of the 1980s was quickly displaced by the walking craze (since exerting yourself too much isn't good...
...moment, designer denim is a hot item, but when the fad is over, it is unlikely to decline in ignominy like the Nehru jacket. Instead it will probably become part of fashion's standing repertoire of alluring textiles. "Denim is the one thing everyone owns," says Donna Karan, who uses it extensively. From now on, it is likely to be found in garment bags as well as on coat pegs...
After several years of modest sales, limited almost exclusively to the Western mountain states, the sports-sandal fad has spread to both coasts. The most popular line is known as Teva, made by Deckers Corp. of Santa Barbara, Calif.; they come in 30 different styles and retail for anywhere from $35 to $80. Peter Link, Deckers' vice president for marketing and sales, predicts that revenues from the sandal will double this year to $12 million and double again next year. Says Link: "We want to be the airy alternative to athletic shoes." Clearly, a goal worth striding...
Although business executives grumble about the costs of relabeling, many manufacturers are philosophical about the reform movement. "I don't think the whole industry would be going through these changes without pressure from consumers," says Bob Pusey, a spokesman for Calistoga Mineral Water. "This is not a fad. The thing we're all going to have to get used to is that the consumer has a right to know and wants to know what is in food." The producers' major concern: that the FDA's new rules be consistent and easy to implement. "Already we're hearing about a number...
...very short people (though not very tall ones) with heightism ("discrimination or prejudice based on a person's stature, esp. discrimination against short people"); and to very fat people (but not very thin ones) with weightism ("bias or discrimination against people who are overweight"). Omitted, fortunately, are such high-fad content terms as lookism (bias against people because of their appearance), ableism (bias against the handicapped) or differently abled (alternative to handicapped...