Exercise, skincare and fake freckles are in. High screen time, lack of organization and late-night-Doordashing is out. At least, that’s what Burlingame students said when asked to reflect on their “Ins” and “Outs” for 2024. 

The practice of listing “Ins” and “Outs” for the new year puts a spin on the traditional practice of New Year resolutions when people lay out plans to create a new and improved version of themselves starting on Jan. 1. 

Instead of making an unrealistic list of goals to accomplish in the new year, “Ins and Outs” encourage participants to list small values or practices they are adopting (“in”) or letting go of (“out”) in the New Year. This trend also helps relieve some of the stigmas surrounding the New Year because lists can contain niche and funny goals, not just existential lifestyle shifts. A humorous example from the B’s student poll — IN: “Wearing more prints,” OUT: “Doordashing on weekdays.” With countless people on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok sharing their Ins and Outs for the new year, it creates a lighthearted community where people can bounce off each other’s ideas or take inspiration for their lists.

“Ins and Outs” can be as personal or general as you want. In the Burlingame B’s survey to gather student input on the trend, students displayed both originality and common ground. For example, when asked what aesthetic was in for 2024, the leading answer was “clean girl,” but only by 27.8% of the 72 responses. Similarly, there was no consensus on the latest makeup trend, although a plurality did vote for scented lip glosses like the infamous Summer Fridays and Rhode products. However, when asked about self-improvement goals, many answers were concentrated on adopting more productive and healthy lifestyles by reducing procrastination and adopting wellness tactics.

“Ins and Outs” share similarities with New Year’s resolutions by emphasizing self-betterment in one’s personal life. According to senior Sofia Cavalieri, her main “In” for 2024 is simple: herself.

“I really want to focus on myself and making sure that I’m happy and being the best version of myself,” Cavalieri said. “If I’m going to be down it’s because of a chemical imbalance in my brain and not because someone’s giving me a hard time.”

However, like anything on social media, the “Ins and Outs” trend can foster toxicity and unrealistic comparison. Sophomore Abigail Gorin, a participant, attests to this.

“Sometimes I’ll see an ‘out’ being something that I actually really like and I’m like, ‘Wait, I don’t want this to leave,’” Gorin said. “I want to be able to do this without it being considered an ‘out.’ Just because it’s considered to be not in trend anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still want to wear it.”

Based on the survey, many students’ opinions contradicted each other. For example, some people voted that eyeliner was out, but others voted it was in. It’s important to note that your 2024 Ins and Outs should be specific to yourself and reflect your goals for the year, not anyone else’s. Following trends can be fun, but you should always place your needs and values first, dressing and behaving in a way that makes you feel the most comfortable.