Some leisure activities become fashionable for a short time and then disappear when a new trend comes along, whereas others seem to be perennially popular. I can therefore only partly agree with the assertion that hobbies reflect changing fashions rather than our true interests.
On the one hand, it is true that many hobbies are simply passing trends. Children and teenagers, in particular, are attracted to whatever activity is currently popular among their peers. My 10-year-old niece, for example, seems to have a new interest every month, as she joins in with the latest craze that sweeps through her primary school. Over the last year or so, she has been obsessed with Rubik’s cubes, fidget spinners, squidgiest and slime. In a similar way, there have been several different fitness trends for adults over recent years, from jogging to yoga to circuit training, and I doubt whether the majority of participants continued to enjoy those activities in the long term.
On the other hand, many people spend their free time doing popular activities that are far from trendy. One good example would be the game chess. Children and adults who enjoy playing chess are certainly not following a new fashion or wasting their time on something that they do not truly like. On the contrary, they are passionate about a game that has existed for hundreds of years, and they find it inherently fascinating and absorbing. I would say the same about many other hobbies, from reading to swimming.
In summary, although there are some activities, which don't last long, it cannot be said that each activity is based on current trends and is temporary when we consider that there are many activities going on for centuries
Some
leisure
activities
become fashionable for a short time and then disappear when a new
trend
comes
along, whereas others seem to be
perennially
popular. I can
therefore
only
partly
agree
with the assertion that hobbies reflect changing fashions
rather
than our true interests.
On the one hand, it is true that
many
hobbies are
simply
passing
trends
. Children and
teenagers
,
in particular
,
are attracted
to whatever
activity
is
currently
popular among their peers. My 10-year-
old
niece,
for example
, seems to have a new interest every month, as she
joins
in with the latest craze that sweeps through her primary school. Over the last year or
so
, she has
been obsessed
with Rubik’s cubes, fidget spinners,
squidgiest
and slime.
In a similar way
, there have been several
different
fitness
trends
for adults over recent years, from jogging to yoga to circuit training, and I doubt whether the majority of participants continued to enjoy those
activities
in the long term.
On the other hand
,
many
people
spend their free time doing popular
activities
that are far from trendy. One
good
example would be the game chess. Children and adults who enjoy playing chess are
certainly
not following a new fashion or wasting their time on something that they do not
truly
like.
On the contrary
, they are passionate about a game that has existed for hundreds of years, and they find it
inherently
fascinating and absorbing. I would say the same about
many
other hobbies, from reading to swimming.
In summary, although there are
some
activities
, which don't last long, it cannot
be said
that each
activity
is based
on
current
trends
and is temporary when we consider that there are
many
activities
going on for centuries