My partner is Russian-American, which means he has zero dietary restrictions and even less tolerance for those who do. When we started dating, I would audibly gasp whenever he devoured pickled anything - watermelon, cucumbers, and other vegetables - with strange delight. He'd ignore my shock, just as he does with my outfits that he doesn't like. Apart from making me fall in love with all sorts of pickled 'delicacies’, he grew up pickling and devouring a very special fruit: tomatoes. You can catch pictures of little Michael either sunbathing in Forte dei Marmi or running through the woods of Estonia, eating a tomato as if it were nothing less than his favorite fruit. Most importantly, you can always see the immeasurable joy on his face while he eats it.
I, on the other hand, had always treated tomatoes as neutral fruit. Growing up in Brazil, they tasted rather odd - never luscious, juicy, or beautiful like the tomatoes from New Jersey or Italy. Foreign tomatoes were such a gorgeous shade of red, so bright yet so dark, that you just wanted to throw one on the ground to see if the color would paint the concrete red. The tomatoes in Brazil were often sour, tasteless, and lifeless. I understand that the climatic conditions and soil couldn't grant us Brazilians the same tomatoes, unfortunately. I spent a good chunk of my life neglecting this fruit and admiring it from afar, counting the days until I could travel abroad and eat a salad with proper tomatoes.
I started consuming a ridiculous amount of tomatoes after I moved to the United States. Even more so when I started living with my tomato-obsessed partner. Now, whenever I land in Brazil, I often catch myself daydreaming about my mid-afternoon cherry tomato snack.
Tomatoes have recently become a significant part of the cultural zeitgeist, though they always have been a popular fruit. I see tomatoes as the cooler, more versatile cousin of apples, if that makes any sense.
Last year, which seems so long ago, the ‘tomato girl aesthetic’ trended on TikTok, but its fleeting and ephemeral nature left me puzzled and consequently, underwhelmed. What was it really about? Was it the reddish, sun-kissed makeup? The indulgence in buying several red dresses from Reformation? The embrace of Dolce & Gabbana's aesthetic? The celebration of Portofino or the French Riviera? It seemed more like a rebranded celebration of the European summer and there's nothing wrong with that. However, it felt like the tomato wasn't the centerpiece but more of a supporting actor that never got an Oscar nomination. If I were to fully embrace this aesthetic, I would need to wear a tomato as a hat - I'm not joking.
This year, in perfect comedic timing, the Loewe tomato meme flooded everyone's feed just as summer began. It seems Jonathan Anderson didn't ‘plant’ the meme online as a vicious marketing strategy, as one might think. However, I believe Anderson has a keen understanding of cultural discourse - whether peripheral or central - allowing him to maintain Loewe's relevance in today's competitive luxury market. Anderson likely aimed to further integrate tomatoes into Loewe’s aesthetic, especially given the skyrocketing popularity of the Tomato Leaves candle scent. Furthermore, the brand loves embedding other vegetables and fruits as part of the brand’s multifaceted identity.
This resurgence has reignited - in my head - the debate: Was the tomato aesthetic dead or merely dormant?
Why Tomatoes Are So Popular, in my humble - and crazy - opinion:
I have a strange theory. I believe tomato's rise in popularity is due to several reasons, but one seems to stand out the most to me: the aesthetic obsession with simplicity.
First, and foremost, tomatoes are deeply rooted - literally and symbolically - in this notion of closeness to nature and simplicity. I believe due to their versatility as a fruit - serving as a condiment, a snack, and even the base for creative and elaborate dishes - makes them a rather simple fruit. By simple, I don't mean lacking complexity. I mean it in an easy, unpretentious way, akin to the infamous jeans and a white shirt concoction. For example, if you don't know what to cook in the summertime, you can always resort to a salad that contains tomatoes. Tomatoes are the essence of summer - their freshness, vibrancy, and juiciness. I am trying to paint the picture, but imagine a hot summer day in Rome and someone offers you a tomato salad with lemon, basil, and mozzarella; you'll probably devour it. Tomatoes scream summer! No wonder they spike in popularity during this season. This recent obsession with vegetables - and tomatoes - coincides with a broader societal desire to embrace simplicity and its associated aesthetics. Symbolically, a return to this notion that loving the ‘basic’ and simplicity isn't basic, but necessary to stay grounded.
There is a new obsession with the fetishization of simplicity. Most people, myself included, have grown weary of botox, fillers, and the perfection displayed on Instagram. The peak of flex culture from 2016 - 2018 is no longer the acceptable - and not desirable it seems - aesthetic. Casual photo dumps are now the prevalent norm on social media; even if they subtly display an enormous sense of wealth and privilege. This TikTok from user akilimoree - which is an absolute brilliant deep dive - explores this notion of how it is a privilege to be surrounded by beautiful things and make an ‘aesthetic’ out of it, especially when it comes to coining this '“simple life” when you can achieve this simplicity because wealth allows you to. At the same time, we understand why people have become more reluctant with sharing opulence on social media. Sumptuous summer vacations and bragging about staying at a new Four Seasons location with strangers is no longer cute, but considered tacky. It is much more acceptable to rent a cottage in the Puglia region and showcase the simplicity of the region altogether. Even if your vacation was more expensive than staying at the Four Seasons, it doesn't matter. Keeping that image of simplicity is what your audience might prefer. Sorry, but no one wants to see your Goyard ecosystem anymore whilst flying first class on Emirates. They want to see you in vintage dresses picking tomatoes in Southern Italy.
So, how do tomatoes fit in here? The recent admiration with this fruit coincides with the societal desire to embrace a rooted, grounded, and consequently live a simpler life - exactly what tomatoes are; literally and symbolically.
Tomatoes symbolize a return to basics. They represent a life where you eat the tomatoes you have grown yourself. The life of wearing linen clothes and without carrying if your hair is blow dried. It means using a raffia bag for fashionable and functional purposes; as a wine bag, as a market bag, as a city bag, and so forth. It means snacking on a cherry tomato as you bike through your town (lol!). It means that the desired activity involves little to no spending money - sitting at the beach, reading a book, tanning, going to the park. It means sitting on a friend's rooftop and sharing a bottle of wine. In this fast-paced world, where we feel the need to partake in every social media discourse and be online at all times to avoid becoming obsolete, the simpler life seems like the perfect escape. It offers a less agitated existence, one where the humble tomato stands a symbol of this serene and grounded lifestyle.
In embracing tomatoes, we are not just choosing a versatile and nutritious fruit; we are making a statement that we want peace. We are opting for a lighthearted life, grounding ourselves in nature, and celebrating the beauty of simplicity. This, I believe, is why tomatoes have a surge in popularity during the summer. A season where we are forced to partake in so much consumption, activities, and plans. Maybe, and only maybe, this beautiful fruit encapsulates, in its vibrant color, our desires for a life that is rich in meaning but simpler in its pleasures.
I don't know if anything I said here made sense but I had fun writing about this…lol!
More on summer and tomatoes:
Notes on Tomato from
- from last year but still very relevant. I'm channeling this type of tomato girl summer!Boring Girl Summer from
is a fabulous read.
Loving this thorough review of our cultural tomato obsession! I think you nailed it. xx 🍅🌞