Call them 2003’s lifestyle newsmakers. Not President Bush, but Dr. Atkins. Not Wall Street, but wet basements. Not aquaporins, but picture phones.
These are the people, places and things that — for better or worse — caught our attention this past year. They were emblematic of the widely differing subjects that fall under the catch-all "lifestyle": fashion, interior design, relationships, health, fitness, food and nutrition.
We don’t pretend this is the year-ending list to end all year-enders. Forgive us if we’ve left out your favorite newsmaker, but all we can say is: Wait until next year.
Dr. Robert Atkins. The diet guru and best-selling author died this April from a fall at age 72, having finally gained respectability for his radical weight-loss plan. His diet can be summed up simply: protein and fats are good, carbohydrates are bad — at least as far as shedding pounds goes.
Martha Stewart. In spite of her legal woes, her furniture line for Bernhardt, in retail showrooms this spring, was a phenomenal success. She still symbolizes a gracious lifestyle for millions of Americans, and Barbara Walters named her one of 2003’s ten most fascinating people.
Fat kids. Because 20 percent to 30 percent of American children are now obese or likely to become so, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first recommendation on the problem, that doctors should check their young patients’ body-mass index annually. Two weeks ago the first prescription pill was approved to help teens fight obesity.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first former chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness to be elected governor of a state. He couldn’t have done it without wife and Kennedy family member Maria.
Trista and Ryan. Love in America, 2003-style. "The Bachelorette" couple got to know each other in six weeks in front of cameras. ABC paid for their million-dollar wedding — and broadcast it, of course.
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" cast. The Fab Five’s makeovers in fashion, interior design, food, grooming and culture made the term "metrosexual" part of mainstream America’s vocabulary. Critics dubbed Bravo’s surprise hit the most watchable of this season’s reality shows.
Narciso Rodriguez. The Hispanic designer, who became famous for creating the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding gown, is a favorite of celebs, but his designs are known for their quiet elegance. This year he won his second consecutive Womenswear Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Oprah. She became a billionaire and this year made Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest people by discussing lifestyle issues on her popular talk show. Her campaign to help orphans of South Africa’s AIDS epidemic and her feud with Dave Letterman also made news this year.
Jamie Oliver. TV’s "Naked Chef" has a new Food Network show, a new cookbook and a new line of T-Fal gourmet cookware. He even has a new baby. Some think the American public’s fascination with Oliver and other celebrity chefs has to do with the fact that our mothers aren’t teaching us to cook anymore.
Michael Jackson. The year began with ABC’s documentary about the King of Pop, which fascinated and repelled the American public, and is ending with what may turn out to be the most sensational celebrity court case ever.
Friendster.com. The hot new online community where you link only with people who are friends or friends of friends. With more than 4 million members, it’s the ultimate in social networking. At a time when online dating services are losing steam, Friendster is growing by leaps and bounds.
Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The trend toward more healthful foods continues unabated. Of course we’re still enjoying our Krispy Kremes and quarter pounders, but shoppers are also crowding the aisles of stores that sell organic produce and free-range chicken, not to mention Two-buck Chuck.
Male-Only Spas. A quarter of all spa clients are men, according to People magazine. Now men are starting to have their very own retreats. — Freedom Paradise. The new resort in Mexico, which caters to those who are part of the national trend of people getting fat, bills itself as the first of its kind. Plus-size vacationers can have fun without worrying about how they look, and can be comfortable because of amenities such as extra-large, extra-sturdy poolside lounge chairs.
Wet basements. Twenty-eight inches of snow in February, Tropical storm Isabel in September and record precipitation for the year. Need we say more? Well, yes. After one of the worst dry spells in the history of the region, we just weren’t prepared.
Wal-Mart. The new Christmas urban legend: A woman claimed she was trampled there in a stampede to buy $29.87 DVD players. Some saw it as the ultimate example of crass commercialism, others as a great deal on DVD players made possible by underpaid Wal-Mart workers and cheap Chinese labor.
Self-scan lanes. Do-it-yourself comes to our biggest supermarkets. Shoppers love ‘em or hate ‘em, but self-scanning is changing the way we shop for groceries.
The mini. The year’s fashion highlight. It was part of a Mod explosion, which was in turn part of a return to all things retro in fashion and home. Whether rising hemlines had any connection to the war, as history suggests, seems unlikely.
SARS. Severe acute respiratory syndrome didn’t officially exist in March; by May it made the covers of Newsweek and Time. The flu-like illness caused relatively few deaths worldwide given the panic it engendered — there were 8,098 cases, including 774 deaths. This year’s virulent flu strains will probably affect more Americans.
Gay marriage. Supported by Massachusetts’ highest court in 2003, a public commitment to lifelong union has become a family-values hot button for conservatives.
Duct tape. Use it for homeland defense, hurricanes and even fashion accessories. Each year Americans buy about $300 million worth, USA Today reported, until this year when production quintupled. You never can predict what items will become trendy.
Trans-fat. Known as the "stealth fat," it’s bad for your heart and just about impossible to avoid. Every junk food you love seems to contain it. And because it’s manmade — found mostly in hydrogenated fats — natural food advocates are particularly alarmed.
Cell phones with cameras. This year digital picture phones took off — and raised technology’s latest privacy issues. You can discreetly e-mail the image anywhere to another picture phone user without the subject’s knowing.
Low-carb foods. Michelob Ultra low-carb beer, Russell Stover low-carb candies, Hardee’s lettuce-wrapped Thickburger and pork rinds are the latest weapons in the battle of the bulge — all the result, of course, of 2003’s high-profile low-carb diets such as South Beach and Atkins.
Father-daughter relationships. Network TV shows "Alias," "Karen Sisco," "8 Simple Rules," "The O.C.," and "24" made them big. The most interesting are the first two, which show daughters can be both strong women and daddy’s girls.
Boot camp. The war mentality extends even to getting in shape. Military-inspired fitness and weight-loss programs could be found in gyms all over the United States this year.
Virtual colonoscopy. Medical technology marches on. The test is noninvasive, is done without sedation, requires less disruptive preparation, and is less expensive than a traditional colonoscopy. It may become the procedure of choice for mass screening, saving about 50,000 lives lost to colon cancer each year.
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