the stanley cup trend is dying but not because theyre aware of over consumption but because people don't want to be associated with people who do that. they want to become the first on the next new trend instead and will drop it once it gets overhyped just like stanley
You have fans and bandwagon fans. Trends perpetuates more bandwagon fans. However, this is all through the lens of the digital realm. What about the Stanley fans that touch grass and don’t even know what’s going on in the digital realm? 🤔🤔🤔
@@davidpachecogarciayes, like the retired construction worker who took his coffee every day, in the metal thermos, for 30 years.. and, still does early morning fishing trips, etc..
thinking back to my middle school experience, the thin plastic bracelet "silly bandz" were all the rage, i knew people who collected different shapes and colors and messages. but I think what makes that so different from the kids today who love their stanley or drunk elephant or lululemon as that our silly bandz were meant for kids, while the trendy products of today are meant for adult consumption, leading to 12 year olds with $45 water bottles and $125 leggings. there is something to be said about being influenced to buy adult products in order to gain popularity at such a young age
I couldn't remember the name of the plastic bracelets I mentioned in the video and silly bandz is it!! Yeah, you're right that they were a 'trend' made for kids, which is a very interesting concept to think about on its own. Children buying products or adults buying kids products made for adults is also interesting. I have many thoughts on both of these but neither are complete 😅so thank you for helping me noodle a lil more
I remember LOATHING silly bands as a kid! I've always hated things that only looked good when NOT in use or things that were cute but no one would ever see them like ankle socks or underwear with characters on them or like plain colored backpacks and purses with super fun designs on the inside lining. Like what's the POINT?! Silly bandz fits squarely in this category because they were super cute shapes but you couldn't even tell what they were once they were on. might as well be wearing regular colorful rubber bands. never made sense to me!
I think a lot of teen/pre-teen girls want to appear more mature so they'll try to look and dress like the older girls/women. It seems to have accelerated though. Instead of dressing like high schoolers or college students, we have middle school kids dressing like SAHMs in a wealthy neighborhood
The idea that women spending money on themselves is frivolous is so accurate! My ex and I lived together for 5 years, and anytime I purchased something for myself like makeup or a hobby of mine, he'd critique my spending and say I was going overboard. Even though he spent more than me every month, he'd buy $60 video games, alcohol, and weed. He also had to buy new $60 headsets every couple of months because he had such bad anger at video games that he'd repeatedly break them by throwing them. All while cheating on me behind my back as well. Although it can get lonely being alone, I'm just glad I don't have to justify myself to someone else anymore.
As a female financial advisor, I say buy and collect whatever you want, as long as you are not in bad debt and are saving for retirement. The real problem with Stanley cups are that if were going to throw them away after we get bored of them, that's going to be a LOT of garbage. WallE can only do so much.
I think not being in bad debt is not a good reason, we should all be mindful of spending habits no matter the gender. I’ve never been in debt for my hobbies, but tbh the pleasure I got from them does not equal the benefits I could have gotten if I used that money to invest or saving for more important goals
You're right that it was never just a cup. I recall a story a mom told about getting her daughter a cup for Christmas; and her daughter was pleased with the cup until she went to school. She was bullied because it wasn't the Stanley cup and she was made to be ashamed of it. I remember that feeling so well, as I was regularly shamed in school, being a projects kid and not getting to wear any new clothes ever. THAT is what this is: CLASSISM disguised as a "fun craze" (with the hidden message - get this and you won't be a pathetic loser).
I SO appreciate your information regarding the way women’s purchases are seen as “frivolous”! I got in an argument with my husband because he kept judging my purchases (skincare/haircare/makeup) as “frivolous and wasteful” even though dollar for dollar I spent LESS than him every month (of my OWN earned money btw). He spent all his money on video games, alcohol, and eating out. But my purchases were frivolous but his were just “living life” 😒
I hate how women seem to have this view too my generation keeps joking about using “girl math” to buy more things even if you don’t have the money. Like girl you are literally being sexist to other women right now when you say stuff like that!
That makes me think of my ex-husband. He'd criticize me buying anything that went beyond basic soap and shampoo for skincare, saying I spent too much (even acting like I was still buying stuff for my hobbies even though I hadn't bought anything for them in 2 years) while buying himself computer stuff that collected dust. Jewelry? Unless it cost less than $20; I wasn't allowed to buy it. He complained if I bought organic anything for food even though it has better nutrition and flavour. Meanwhile my fiancé understands that taking proper care of my hair and skin is extremely important. We don't have as much "stuff" but I think we are happier, regardless.
@@katka8490 I’m glad he’s your EX-husband and that you found someone who understands. I discussed the situation more with my husband and he eventually came to realize that it there probably was some societal influence (as well as just personal bias) making him feel like my purchases were more frivolous than his. So there’s a positive end to my story as well. 😊
i learned that the current marketing exec (idk his exact title) at stanley used to work for crocs. he got to crocs to become trendy through following the sneaker limited drop style and then did the same with stanley cups. hiring that man should show that stanley actually really doesnt care about sustainability. if they did, they would not be doing constant drops like this
My mother is a hyper consumer. Growing up, I had any toy or clothes I wanted. I know I made friends feel left out because of how "spoiled" I was. As an adult, I reject the over consumption. I had to teach myself how to budget, priorities, and saving for the future. Still to this day, my mom will spend her last dollar on an item she has to put in a storage unit. She has overconsuned and hoarded herself into homelessness and she still won't stop.
@@pabloescobarschanclas well yes it will be harder but its never impossible, my mother broke her habit after being in it all her life, it takes time, patience and support.
people just need to stop buying the new trends. They should just stick with what worked for them for years and then replace them if they break or run out. These cups are also huge and really heavy.
The "need" to follow a trend in order to be perceived as belonging/acceptable is the real root of the problem here. People are afraid to be individuals because they're terrified of being judged, found wanting, and cast out. The solution is to stop giving a shit about what other people think of you.
@@auntieheksold-timemedicine3045 YESS, THISS. people need to stop caring to genuinely live a happy life, and to stop feeling the need to stay on trend.
Exactly. I thought for a while that I "needed" Stanley cup because I just had a baby and spending hours on the couch trapped to feed the baby made me soooo thirsty. But you know what? I already had a water bottle I got from work and few of those mason jars with straws. They were more than enough and I've had them for _years_ and use them on daily basis.
I dont mind a huge heavy cup. My work has no filtered water so I needed a huuge jug to keep me hydrated all day. But also it's gotta be spill proof. I toss my water bottle around in the car way too much to have something that will leak. I also hate the straws and sippy lids cuz who wants to wash that everyday when you're exhausted before or after work? The fact Stanley's leak and are harder to clean really makes me wonder how they got away w being so damn expensive
this isn’t a new phenomenon. i’m 47. the first i remember is cabbage patch kids. x-box consoles & games. kylie lips. it’s all the same thing, it just looks different in different time-periods. in this period where “we” have the attention span of a goldfish, the interest just fades much faster.
Same age here...I remember all that as well. I agree, the trends are getting shorter and shorter and FAR more aggressive! I remember seeing the Cabbage Patch riots on the news!
I purchased my cup over a year and a half ago. Definitely helped me drink more water and I use it 5 times a week at the gym. It’s great for super hot summer days when I go to the flee market. I got a head of the trend due to my job, basically my role was to get ahead of trends. I got mine fully knowing it was the only one I was going to have and I was going to use it! I still get weird stares at the gym to this day and most girls stopped using them after Christmas bc the shame the came with it. I personally was getting that from people I knew as well even though I had the cup for over a year by the time all the conversations and collections started. I get that the collections are a bit much but why can’t girls enjoy something without getting picked apart?
That's kinda how I did it. I found out about the craze and thought that's stupid. I also at the same time needed a thermos for my coffee in the morning. I did some research and found it was a great thermos so I bought one. I love it it's been a whole year and I still love the quality so I bought one Stanley quencher I'm going in for IVF and I have trouble staying hydrated and have an issue with warm water. Now my issues are solved. The only problem I see are people buying every single cup in every color. It's reusable they don't need that many. One cup per adult. I would never buy it for a kid.
Hey Shawna! Do you know much about Terror Management Theory? I am taking a class where we have been covering it recently and I think it explains so much as to why hyper-consumerism is getting worse and worse. Here is my very short explanation, but I am happy to send some academic resources on it: According to the theory, all humans have this innate contradiction where we do not want to die but we absolutely know we will. Particularly when it is a distal (more existential, compared to a proximal/confronting) fear of death, we have two coping mechanisms. In particular, we have the 'world view defence'. Here, we try to connect to our culture as this makes us feel that we can theoretically 'live longer' through being a part of a culture/ society that will outlive us as individuals. It's a kind of 'sure, I will die at 80, but I was part of a broader culture that could survive hundreds of years' thing. Some interesting research: 1. The "Prostitution study" (Rosenblatt, et al.,1989): judges primed with their own death (they call it the 'morality salience' or MS) set the bond for a prostitute much higher ($455), as compared to the judges in the control condition ($50). The reason the authors give for this is that the judges faced with their own deaths held onto their cultural norms even more as a way to 'outlive themselves'. Sorry if this seems a bit abstract. I think the next study will show how it links to consumerism. 2. Dar-Nimrod, 2012: This study looked at the question of why things like sad car commercials are so pervasive. It is such an interesting question because there's no intuitive reason why seeing a Dodge Ram ad where the wife dies of cancer makes you want to buy the car. However, clearly, this works because these are some of the most popular types of commercials. Basically in this study, one group was primed with their own death (Morality Salience group) and one group was not (control). Then both groups were shown a bunch of products such as Levi's. Those in the morality salience group found these products much more desirable and said they wanted to buy them much more than those in the control group. Thus, the author concluded that when we are faced with our own death, we want to latch onto these cultural symbols that show we are a part of something bigger - and if we are a part of something bigger, we can symbolically outlive our deaths through our culture. Anyway, this is way too long now, but I am obsessed with this topic! I think it explains so much as to why hyper-consumerism seems to be getting worse and worse. Capitalism is making us depressed and we need some way to deal with the fact that we are constantly reminded we are going to die soon everywhere we look - from Covid to climate change to stories of cancer patients and car accidents on every news site. We need some way to deal with it, and one 'simple' way is to connect to cultural symbols which help us believe we can outlive ourselves by performing our culture.
This was VERY interesting thank you so much for including this research! I have not studied Terror Management Theory but have had more of a surface level knowledge of it. I've actually been thinking about it in connection to doom spending. There's definitely more to explore here so I appreciate this a lot!
People always complain that "womenz be shopping" but we also purchase groceries, clothing and toys for the kids, gifts for both sides of the family....
And men often don’t even think about those things because they never had to - women took care of it. If women stopped buying groceries, would their husbands even know what needed to be bought?
It's amazing how fast trends move these days...the ever moving goalposts of "trendy things" is fueling over consumption in a big way. The Stanley craze is certainly a symptom of it, and I think the majority of people who were so taken by it have simply moved onto the next big trend. It's always on to the next big thing or the next season, never about enjoying what you have or the moment you're in...because that's not profitable to companies. But choosing contentment rather than chasing trends will make us happier and leave us with more money to use on important things.
I really appreciated this commentary and the feminist perspective you included. It definitely made me think. I can also see how anyone who is marginalized and less accepted in society can be vulnerable to this type of consumer culture, pressured to buy something as a way to fit in - because a purchase is at least something we can choose, as opposed to how others treat us based on our race, sexuality, disabilities, and so on. And while the financially privileged people, who have more spending money, might continue to buy into trends without significant financial issues - people who are already more financially disadvantaged (possibly generationally) suffer more financially when they buy into trends. But our culture keeps rewarding people for buying. Also, despite women being criticized more than men for their spending habits, it is SO common for the CEOs and decision-makers of makeup companies, clothing companies, etc. to be men. So then we have a society where men are intentionally creating products and implementing strategies to get women to spend more, and then our men-focused culture is laughing at women for spending so frivolously. Ugh.
I think, while there are obviously many factors that contribute to the repeated cycle of trends and overconsumption, one significant one is that a lot of us weren't taught emotional regulation when it comes to wanting. I really appreciate that when i was younger, being told "no" was rarely framed as "no, we can't afford that" and instead was presented to me as "no, that's wasteful/unnecessary/excessive." I'm sure there were plenty of times where i wanted something we couldn't afford, but my mom always walked me through the process of talking myself out of buying something i didn’t need. If I wanted the trendy things the kids at school had, she'd be willing to take me to Limited Too or Abercrombie, but she'd explain that if i wanted something from there, it would probably only be one thing, instead of the two or three things we could get at the thrift store or TJ Maxx for the same price. I feel like this really set me up to not be an adult over consumer. I dont need to buy everything i want the second i technically have enough money to buy it. Every purchase is an internal conversation, and i think that's a good habit.
12:46 Stanley knew what they were doing. They launched a massive marketing campaign specifically through influencers to intentionally tap into a market they previously had no presence in. Their goal was exactly the type of hyper-consumerism behavior that occurred. Although I’m sure the ridiculous level it reached did exceed their expectations.
Maybe this doesn't have to do a lot with the video itself, but I love your content. I think it is really informative and it has allowed me to reflect on my own consuming habits. I always listen to them while cleaning my room, making food or when I'm just chilling in my room after a long day. Keep up the good work💖🫂
I think if anyone studies history of humanity across the world, they'll find that belonging and tribalism and expressions of belonging to the tribe go back as far as communal living has existed. The cycles of what causes us to feel included have sped up due to technology, both in manufacturing and communication. Choose to be a minimalist and become a member of that community and stop buying every new item offered.
There is a Stanley cup with a flip up straw, carry handle and doesn’t leak.., I own it and love it. So there’s no NEED for me to buy into hydro jug/Owala hype. When I went shopping for my Stanley, I could see the potential issues with leakage and the exposed straw… which I why I didn’t buy the traditional Stanley that everyone seems to have. Now they are cancelling Stanley and moving onto to something else when they could have been better consumers by simply doing their research. So 20 Stanley’s later… 20 Owalas later…. At some point sustainability is thrown out the window, and consumers will just be wishing they had their water bottle money back.
Yessss the iceflow is so superior! I have one and have no need for any other water bottle, it meets all my needs ❤ never liked the exposed straw and gigantic handle of the other one, it must be so hard to fit into bags and stuff
which is funny considering that men also over-consume to insane degrees. sneakers, hats, physical media collections, figurines, video games and merch, tools, legos, cars, gadgets, electronics, etc. it’s just seen as socially acceptable for them to do it
omg in my age and maybe this was just my area but it was the miss me jeans, i used to cry to my mom to buy me $100 JEANS and i was 13!!! with not a penny to my own name lmao the audacity 😩😩😩
you're not the first person to mention these jeans!! I had to look them up and definitely recognize them. These were very trendy where I lived but I've never heard them called by name before until recently!
In the most polite way possible I’m so glad you’ve stopped doing the “coming up” segment in your newer videos. I know that it’s a hook thing you tend to have to do as a content creator but going right into it feels so much more organic and for me personally I’m always more willing to watch that kind of content. Half the reason I never make consistent content on TH-cam is the perfectionism and the information overwhelm on how to get reach
Klean Kanteen. Had mine for YEARS, only bought a second when I wanted to take both a coffee and a water to work with me when I was packing up my bag for the day. Have had the first for over 10 yrs and the 2nd one for more than 5yrs. They check all the boxes for me; incl easy to clean, keep liquids hot/cold for LOOONG time, fit in cup holders and water bottle sleeves in backpacks, and don't leak! They have traveled the world with me, and also come with me daily to work. Price is comparable to any other vessel that you might see being peddled by an influencer but actually does ALL the things! Very happy with them as a company as well!
I remember being super-confused when I was young, and Ugg boots were crazy popular because I thought Ugg boots were really ugly. Also, I was living overseas during this Stanley craze, so I was very confused when my husband told me that he was reading online that people were going nuts over Stanley cups. To me, a Stanley cup is something your dad has kept in his truck to hold his coffee for the past 20 or so years. Who would get excited about that? This whole situation reminds me of the weird Tulip craze in the Netherlands that lasted a couple years during the 1620's. As long as humans are obsessed with social status, it will just be one thing after another.
Love this video. Its so hard to think about how much i spent on make up, how quick I would hit Rouge and feel simultaneously embarrassed and proud. I still have tons of it because getting rid of it feels like throwing money away, but we're getting to that place. A lot of it is years old 😬
I consider myself to be a collector and my collections are so deeply personal and meaningful to me. I would NEVER dream of throwing them in the trash or de-cluttering them for the next thing. Not saying it’s impossible to collect cups but a true collection just isn’t something you discard to make room for something else entirely.
My mom bought a Stanley, decided she didn’t like how hard a time she had getting the lid off, so she gave it to me. I had been wanting one but couldn’t justify it when I had a water bottle that worked. I do love the Stanley I have now because it holds more than my other water bottle. I now use my Stanley as my everyday water cup and my old water bottle holds my breakfast smoothie or coffee since I’d struggled to find a cup I liked to use for either of these things lol
It's unfortunate because it's a good product. Stanley has been around for 100+ years based on the quality of their thermos bottle. The problem is that they're made to last a lifetime, where you only ever need one, but people were hoarding dozens of them as though they were disposable.
@@mothra__13 It’s a “good product” for old men on a hunting trip, which is how they were marketed for those 100 yrs. They’re hideous & outrageously bulky for carrying on grocery trips
I would've been somewhat happy about people buying reusable water bottles since it would cut down on the waste of disposables. But I watched SO MANY videos of people filling their Stanley cups with disposable water bottles... completely defeating the purpose. My tap water isn't the greatest where I live, but my Brita filter works just fine!
I learned about those cups being popular like 5 minutes ago and they are already out? I can't keep up, which removes any desire I have to buy into trends. Those people running reminds me of the black-friday footage of the past.
@@davidpachecogarcia The problem here is that you "need" it because you imagine situations where these items are useful. I think the similar but better questions are "Will I really do what I imagine and if yes, how often?" and "Do I already have something that can do that?".
28:04 totally agree! What about men who collect watches, cars and bikes? Those aren’t cheap and some of them are buying WAY too many for what they could use daily.
Stamps and Pokémon cards are poor examples as comparisons to the Stanley cup. Those are often more investment motivated. They also small pieces of paper. What you should discuss are Pop Toys and the merch surrounding fandoms instead.
I think in recent years you can compare the reselling part to prices of the Playstation 5 after release and graphic cards during the crypto hype. And probably sneakers. But apart from having watched a few videos about the hype and special drops, I'm more familiar with graphic cards.
I was sucked into the Ugg trend in 2010 as an impressionable 12-year-old but I will say: they lasted me 13 years (!) I just recently lost them to a flooded basement. Now I am thinking about replacing them, but I'm worried the quality has gone downhill!
my uggs from around 2007 are still in great condition. as long as you don't walk a lot in them outside, they do last. i gave them to my little sister years ago, and now they're trendy again
I've been using my same, ONE Stanley every day for over a year. It has never grown mold and I have never tipped it over to cause a spill, even in the car. Sounds like people are citing problems with the cup that don't happen unless you don't clean it or intentionally tip it over to encourage others to buy a different cup to fill their pantry.
Same. My mom ran into a tall friend when they came out and he was able to reach over a lot of people to grab one. We stood a little away from it, but I saw old ladies fighting and shoving. People are crazy.
I was astonished at how crazy people got over them. I have one. I drink a ton of water, and my old cup was 10 years old, wasn't well insulated because a gap somehow formed, and was leaking in between the walls of the cup (It was a Tervis.) I bought my Stanley because it's a well insulated quality product. I will use it until it falls apart and cannot be used any longer like I do everything else. You will have to pry my UGGS from my cold dead hands. I don't care if they are out of style. I have had the same pair for 12 years, and wear them almost daily when it's cold. They are a quality product, and still look almost new.
I’ve done soooo much learning over the past year about finance and consumerism in my own life. At one point I was totally caught in the hype of the “collect them all” mindset. All of a sudden I was like woooah what am I doing?! I sold them all except one on facebook marketplace for the price a bought them(I didn’t want to price gouge). As a person who likes to see trends and definitely has fomo I’ve discovered how easy it is to slide into over consumption. Love listening to this from another persons perspective
Imagine spending 1,000$ dollars on water bottles, just to get rid of them a month later, and spending an additional 500$ on new water bottles, which serve the exact. same. purpose.
I think you did a great job unpacking this! What strikes me as interesting is how localized It Girl culture used to be. My sister was a counselor at an upscale summer camp one year in college. She would tell me that there regional differences in trends. The west coast kids had their over priced flip flops and the midwestern kids were crazy about Vera Bradley and so on. Now it seems like the trends are more standardized and nationalized. Have you personally heard anything about people trying to procure these things cheaper overseas or just over the boarder?
As i'm someone who is not that much on social media and who's not in the US, the Stanley trend is honestly wild 😂 i never saw any Stanley here in France, i think 🤔 pretty sure we have our own micro trends though 😅
I've had my same yeti for years now (since 2017) and its still going strong. The only thing I had to replace recently was the water cap. I usually keep it more interesting by adding high quality stickers to it when I travel or businesses/products/media I really enjoy. It's sort of a really cheap and low equity souvenir and it has kept my bottle interesting to me after all these years. My only complaints is I wish I got the bigger version and you have to hand wash it to protect the stickers
My husband had to have every new iPad,every new phone,a sports car,eat out because he didn’t want to cook or clean up,heat or cool the whole house because he didn’t want to put a sweater on or just sit near a fan….men are very wasteful with money as well but are not judged. Car collections, drinking,golf,gambling etc.
I collect store specific Patagonia shirts…kind of hypocritical to the company values of vying less. But it’s basically my souvenir and it’s not like I can order it online. Tho it does keep me from buying any new tshirts apart from the Patagonia ones.
For some people, usually people with adhd, autism or mental illnesses It can help them with their water intake if they have a bottle/tumbler/whatever in every space they use regularly. I have one in the living room, in the bedroom and in my workspace because I barely drink anything over the day if I don't have it near me and see It all the time. That being said I just use basic glass bottles. Also because I don't like how how Stanley cups look but mostly because I think they are very overpriced and I couldn't afford even one nevermind 3 or more without inconveniencing other aspects of my life financially. Also cleaning those seems like a nightmare especially as soon as my depression decides we have a bad day/week/month.
@@Lilo2312 nah. it's probably just insatiable greed and hoarder tendendies. many women are just shopping addicted and nobody checks them. the autism excuse is so passe
I’m glad you brought up the electronics thing-I know someone (a man) who spends SO MUCH money on cheap/breakable electronic gadgets, and who purchases lots of expensive PC building pieces with the intent to upgrade or modify or build something without ever actually doing anything about it. Half the time, he returns what he buys. I wish that he was more intentional given the amount of shipping it takes to buy something just to return it, and how much electronic waste impacts the environment. A well-built PC is like a good reusable water bottle: one should last you for YEARS. Again, adults should be able to spend their money how they want, but the thoughtlessness and overconsumption really bothers me.
This isn't a secret amongst this group. There's a term for it: Gear Aquisition Syndrom, aka G.A.S. Guys (and women. I'm female and love synthesizers so I fall into this catagory sometimes) treat it more like drinking too much - gotta keep an eye on how many so it doesn't get out of hand. But really, the gear aquisition thing is slightly different in that people aren't always looking for THESE things for status or to collect. They're trying to solve a problem and hope that this gadget will do it. But, the reason why they're looking doesn't matter, when anyone can be convinced by a skilled salesperson.
I wonder if the imbalance in consumerism between genders has to do with men being empowered and told “they can do/make anything they put their mind to” and so they don’t feel the need to buy as much stuff as women? Like women’s encouraged-dependency is tied to their increased spending…
My 14 year old SIL has multiple Stanley's and is obsessed with them. She wears Lululemon. She is very trendy and popular. I wasn't even half as clued in as her when i was 14. It blows my mind how much consumerism has infiltrated even the middleschool and younger aged kids minds.
I saw someone that sold one of those Valentine's Stanley Cups for 24,000 and someone actually bought it that is freaking crazy!!! SMH like what, y? 🤨😒😕😵
I collect thrifted dvds. I put them in my living room shelves and might need another shelving unit lol pretty soon. I have limited space in my apartment for rows of stanley cups or hoards of makeup lol
@@Iquey ohh ok, i didnt mean it in a mean way, i was just confused on how this comment was related to the video. But i understand, collecting dvds is cool. ty :)
I always remember what this foreign comedian said. If the system is broken and life seems terrible under it, the bread has to taste really good so you can cope with that situation.
The resellers moved on to Halloween-themed Hello Kitty merch from HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx. Every single one of those stores had a reseller or two standing around bright and early, long before the store opened, to rush in and run towards the plush blankets section. I saw on multiple occasions these obese, middle-aged ogres with cart-fulls of Sanrio crap. You ask them if they’s resellers and they all deny it. Oh, yeah? So, you just happen to need 5 Sanrio plush blankets on a random Wednesday, and then came back the following day to buy 5 more and the day after that to buy another 5? Just how many plush HK blankets do you need? They literally buy nothing other than Sanrio crap. It’d be like 30 mugs, a couple of canisters, 5 eye masks and so on. As long as it was Hello Kitty related, they grabbed every last one of whatever that store had. I was never a big fan of Hello Kitty, and all of it just seemed like a collective madness to someone like me. But in case you were wondering why the Stanley insanity died down. The ones responsible, were occupied with tracking down, Sanrio Merchandise for reselling.
I personally think it was the hype surrounding them being exposed nationally that turned people off. If you have one, then you’re one of “those” people. I personally have one (1) because I needed a new bottle, and it is great. One bottle is all you need. I’ll be using this until I can’t anymore. I also find it so funny that you mention the first wave of the UGG trend! I remember it, and while this Stanley trend was happening, there was a second wave of UGGs trending. Those platform slippers. It’s cyclical and so easy to place value on fitting in with the trend.
Yes, I think you are right. I thought they were cute, but would never own one because (a) I would never pay that much for what people were getting and (b) I didn't want to feel like a sheep. I even have seen a cashier at Aldi with one. As soon as everyone has one, it is no longer "cool" or "exclusive." Just like many other trends, it was only a matter of time.
It's weird because I do remember having ugg boots back around that 2009 time. I was with my mother, older sister and her kids for black Friday. Saw them in a mall and thought they were cute. Saw some other girls wearing them, but didn't know it was a trend till much later as i didn't pay attention to those things. Never wore them much either for some reason. But they were comfortable.
Thank you so much for making this point about how women’s spending is almost always characterized as frivolous. When I started getting allowance my parents would tell me I should save my money for “something you really want”. Then when I would buy what I really wanted- shoes/lipgloss/clothes- I was repeatedly given the message that this was frivolous, and don’t I want a car someday? Which by he way I didn’t, I grew up in the 90s/00s so my plan was to move to NYC and take the train everywhere 😂 This honestly really messed with my ideas about money and spending and ultimately contributed to overspending and spending in secret because I felt guilty about what I wanted to buy and really internalized the idea that I was terrible with money.
I got my reusabe water boytle for 13 bucks at Ross. I won't need it to keep it freezer cold for 36 hours and I have access to water all day to refill it...sure, some folks need a huge jug as they are outside in the heat all day but Susan doesn't need a 5 gallon jug for hot yoga class
29:24 I think it’s probably because women in the past didn’t have their own money so they were technically “spending someone else’s hard earned money”. So naturally, they would always be discouraged to spend for their own hobbies that aren’t practical or useful to other people. Now the time has changed. We all have our own money. But the mindset and the biases didn’t change. Misogyny is still deeply rooted in the society and is living rent free in people’s minds. That just renforces my believe that people, especially WOMEN, should always have their own financial income. The world is very simply materially based no matter how you sugar coat it with the values of community, family and love (they are no doubly important). You may earn your own money nowadays and want to spend it for your own happiness. Yet people still hold gender based biases against your buying habit potentially because of the gender roles your ancestors played 200 years ago. Just imagine.
Apart from being overpriced, they are bulky and impractical. I’m taking my ‘off branded’ drink bottle that I can knock over and it won’t leak, thank you.
I've never cared about trends, except one time. When having Crocs shoes dictated that I had a chance to not be lame any more (REAL Crocs, not those offbrand ones blah blah blah). I finally got them and nothing changed. Of course this was all very predictable, but not to an elementary schooler.
It’s like in the freakanomics book talking about baby name trends. There are names that start off being used by rich people, then middle class copies, then poor people copy. By that point, rich people don’t want to use that baby name anymore and move on. Whatever the rich status item is is what people are chasing now. What I find disturbing is how social media has sped up the cycle of trends coming and going. Micro trends are going to be way worse for over consuming than long term trends
The only Stanley/Yeti/Hydroflask- type bottle I own is a knockoff one that I picked up free from work because someone left it laying around the office for 8 MONTHS before I was game enough to assume they'd never come back for it. Now I've had it for 1.5 years. The straw mouth piece is quite stained from lipgloss, and now it also leaks when it falls over, but ive been putting off buying a new one because of this trend 😂 Even though I can afford a new one, I also get mad every time I look at the prices and close the tab in anger. Still waiting to grant myself permission for a new one soon 😅
We didn’t have “it girl” statuses at any school I went to, because nobody was making a big deal of what they wore/owned 😂 We just liked what we liked and kept it pushin.
A thoughtful discussion as always, Shawna! I personally hadn't heard of the Stanley until a few months ago and it was because of another commentary video. Interestingly I've never really been swept up with trends; probably because my tastes tend towards quirkiness and uniqueness. I want to be an individual rather than the IT Girl. It was challenging for the self- esteem as a youth, but I'm thankful at the same time that it developed by identity.
19:49 I think when people say “mindless” in this sense, they more so mean “not mindful”, because people who are addicted to something (like shopping or collecting) *can* do things on purpose and yet it not be mindful consumption
I also think there’s a culture of fully replacing something instead of trying to fix the issue. I have a Stanley cup, and instead of replacing the entire thing I just got a more leak-proof lid. The cup itself still works.
social contagion has been around for a long time, I think these Tiktoks/Reels/Shorts/Posts are bringing in the newest iteration, and what's kind of freaky is that if someone purposefully wants to get a bunch of people to do something without even thinking about it, they just need to make a post that gets traction. It started with that cup in the burned out car, and soon every post with a lady in it had her walking around carrying one, even if the post wasn't about that. lol
I love my Stanley. I use it for the gym and it helps me drink water daily. That said you don’t need more than one water bottle and I would never stand in line for one 😂. Also got it on sale 🤗
your video was recommended to me after watching a video about how the company axe spray ended up accidentally attracting a younger crowd in the western world compared to wear it launched and how ultimately the culture symbol it became ended up negatively impacting the public perception of the product. much the same way these stanley cups are affecting middle school just - alot less dangerous . it makes me think its less about product consumption being gendered and more about how those products are advertised by popular media. it seems to me that when it comes to a product becoming a consumer frenzy it has like different factors between the people who want to by it. there seems to be 4 different types of personality that these product crazes focus on the most -> those who want something to talk about . often status symbols that are visible but it could also be things like certain types of holiday trips. specifically theres a vid on the oddity and evolution of criuseships that touches on this really well . -> those who dont really care what a product looks like but fall into a false sense of justification for their purchase because it appears to provide something to them they dont have on their own . usually health or confidence based . sports drinks, axe, perfume, health food crazes ,sketchers shape ups , ect -> those who to give / gain a passive educational skill in a "safe " way. usually these are kids toys but not always. the biggest example of this for adults its usually in the form of a trending group class , online course , ect . -> people intertwined into fandoms /or seeking a community . these people know the product really well and are often eager to share their opinions on new releases to help others decide for themselves if they want to participate in it. they themselves are rarely resulting in a full on frenzy for a product unless they truly believe in it but the companies that follow those groups are often cash cows. a good example of this would be id say the movie sequel culture or what it was back in 2017 but there are plenty of examples. For example in the art community its often limited releases /returning variants of popular pencils , paints or equipment. for myself that be the blackwing sharpener craze of 2019 when they rereleased the blackwing pencil sharpener alongside a rare rerelease of a certain variant of the highly beloved blackwing pencils. theres also a weird fifth thing im not sure what to name it but it focuses specifically on home appliances and hyping them up. primarily washing machines and fridges but also smaller stuff like vacuums . i want to call it like "upgrade culture " cause these always revolve around getting an item that is supposedly more functional than the current model you own. sometimes its true . but more times than not it ends up not being useful because of limitations of the house itself. like when you get a roomba only to realize it doesnt do well on your particular floors . ya know ? just some interesting observations to add to the convo on consumer culture .
I live in a city, where there's a lot of convenience corner stores. There was a problem, where store owners would go into say Aldi's for example. The loaf of bread would be on sale for 89 cents. They would fill carts up with all the bread. Then sell it at their stores for triple the price. I actually witnessed this first hand. The woman had 40 loaves of bread. People were complaining because there was none left. Manager said we don't have a limit, so I can't do anything about it. Then I went to a corner convenience store to my surprise guess who was there?? Yes the store owner who bought the 40 loaves of bread. She was selling them for $3.99. I thought this was just a one-off thing. Apparently I found out it was an actual problem. Walmart, Aldi's, or any supermarket brand, in the corner stores. You know the price for example was a 1.89, & it is the actual supermarket brand. The corner stores will sell it for $4.29. The problem was people who were on a budget trying to save and going to the supermarkets for the sale items. The supermarkets were always out of them. People started to demand, that supermarkets put a limit on how many you can get. There are so many people complaining that now you do see on big sale items,a limit on how many you can get. The price gouging is getting out of hand. Side note - the Stanley cup situation, I have seen, the sweetest well-behaved little girl. Just have a meltdown, because she had to have a Stanley to bring to school. Because people would make fun of her, if she came in with her non Stanley cup. I thought social media exaggerated. When I saw it again for the first time. I am just amazed.
Womens purchasing is deemed frivolous when it outpaces their income. The same way id look at a guy buying a 3000 pc if hes living paycheck to paycheck and especially if hes gonna affirm/afterpay it. You dont need to look cute and put together if you dont have at least 500 bucks in an emergency savings.
I am still back on the Corkcicle. I am not sure how cool it was, but I still have ice in my water when I wake up in the morning. It is getting pretty worn, but I still love it.
I used to be in the circle of buying and trading Funko pops and just like for the Stanleys, there would be limited edition drops where we would wait outside of Target to get what we wanted. For the most part, people were very respectful of each other and I never saw people pushing and shoving to get what they wanted. It’s very interesting to compare the two because a few years ago, Funko pops were so huge in the collector/ reseller markets but it never escalated to the level of Stanleys
I still have my father's stainless steel Stanley thermos. I also have a green enamel Stanley thermos with an SS cup and insides. They are from the 1970s. They are still the best thermoses available. My father was a heavy equipment operator who ran over his SS thermos with a Crain chain. It barely had a dent. Also, they were guaranteed for life. For my dad that was the reason to pay the high price. The glass-lined thermoses broke easily
I've been wanting to buy a locally designed and made leak proof properly insulated travel mug for a while now. But I have a properly insulated waterbottle, a travel mug and a foldable waterbottle (for my carryon). Even though I would be able to get rid of my leaky non-insulated travel mug this way, it still hurts to upgrade because I have multiple travel beverage containers already. I keep putting it off even though it would be an actual improvement in my life and I'd be set for maybe a decade because it's a very good product with option to replace parts of the lid if they stop working.
Our area Targets did not have Stanley cups. I wonder if it was more area specific and if the media coverage was intended to drive up interest and want.
This whole craze did encourage me to buy the same type cup with a handle, but no straw. Ours is a "Yukon" brand. Its a huge solid red cup that has a Buc-cees logo. Buc-cees is a popular gas station in Texas that has food and gifts. Its very country. So the whole thing is very on the nose to own. I have room for 1 only, so the three of us share it. It's a little heavy for my arthritic wrist with the handle. My husband uses it the most.
I have a Built cup. Hubby got it for me for my birthday years ago. Use it every day for water. It's got stickers and dents and it's ridiculous. Would still rather use it until it won't be used anymore then buy a new cup cause why??? I didn't get it and get it more now, but still not really.
It is a real phenomenon that things that girls and women like even though it’s making the companies good money are looked down upon, then you have those pick mes and not like other girls because we can pick that people judge us for what we like and also downgrade each other. It’s all a very nic shit cycle.
i love my stanley’s. I have 2, one for work / regular outtings and one for camping/hiking. I got my best friend and my cousin. That’s it though. because they are designed for longevity and i take care of them so they last longer. I hate the overconsumption of stanley’s.. defeats the entire purpose of their message and the product itself. And it’s just predatory to anyone who might want one
I have never been into trends or fads so I find all of this fascinating and enraging at the same time. My $20 water bottle works better than big brand water bottles. I've had a $20 backpack I've used every single day for 3 years and it's fantastic. All these people are doing is paying for a company label. It's been like that forever, just enhanced now that the internet exists. There's nothing special about it. The clip of the lady throwing the bottles in the trash made me so angry. At least donate them to a shelter or thrift store!
This was a really well done commentary on the craze, and I'm so glad you spent a significant amount of time discussing the sexism of the entire backlash, I think that aspect has been missing from this discussion. Personally I bought one Stanley because late 2023-early 2024 has been the happiest time of my life and I wanted something to commemorate that very specific time frame and Stanleys will always be tied to that moment, and yes I'm probably a little too emotionally invested in my stupid cup, but it will continue to sit on my desk and remind me of a great period of time in my life for years to come, and that's doing a capitalism in a way I'm okay with lol
Now its the cult of trader joes tote bags. Mini and full size. Ive seen numerous posts in mom groups in my town. They are willing to pay upwards of 100 bucks for a 4 dollar tote/ insulted tote.
the stanley cup trend is dying but not because theyre aware of over consumption but because people don't want to be associated with people who do that. they want to become the first on the next new trend instead and will drop it once it gets overhyped just like stanley
Yeah like the trader Joe's tote bags and lunch bags. Idk what's going on anymore!
You have fans and bandwagon fans. Trends perpetuates more bandwagon fans. However, this is all through the lens of the digital realm. What about the Stanley fans that touch grass and don’t even know what’s going on in the digital realm? 🤔🤔🤔
It’s clearly linked to overconsumption
@@sungexpression9093 i said the dying part... not the trend itself lol
@@davidpachecogarciayes, like the retired construction worker who took his coffee every day, in the metal thermos, for 30 years.. and, still does early morning fishing trips, etc..
thinking back to my middle school experience, the thin plastic bracelet "silly bandz" were all the rage, i knew people who collected different shapes and colors and messages. but I think what makes that so different from the kids today who love their stanley or drunk elephant or lululemon as that our silly bandz were meant for kids, while the trendy products of today are meant for adult consumption, leading to 12 year olds with $45 water bottles and $125 leggings. there is something to be said about being influenced to buy adult products in order to gain popularity at such a young age
I couldn't remember the name of the plastic bracelets I mentioned in the video and silly bandz is it!! Yeah, you're right that they were a 'trend' made for kids, which is a very interesting concept to think about on its own. Children buying products or adults buying kids products made for adults is also interesting. I have many thoughts on both of these but neither are complete 😅so thank you for helping me noodle a lil more
omg i remember those, i never bought them myself but my friends gave some to me and i would sell those to other kids in my classes
Also ,I saw some silly bands in an old box and they are have degraded now too, you know as opposed to a steal cup
I remember LOATHING silly bands as a kid! I've always hated things that only looked good when NOT in use or things that were cute but no one would ever see them like ankle socks or underwear with characters on them or like plain colored backpacks and purses with super fun designs on the inside lining. Like what's the POINT?! Silly bandz fits squarely in this category because they were super cute shapes but you couldn't even tell what they were once they were on. might as well be wearing regular colorful rubber bands. never made sense to me!
I think a lot of teen/pre-teen girls want to appear more mature so they'll try to look and dress like the older girls/women. It seems to have accelerated though. Instead of dressing like high schoolers or college students, we have middle school kids dressing like SAHMs in a wealthy neighborhood
The idea that women spending money on themselves is frivolous is so accurate! My ex and I lived together for 5 years, and anytime I purchased something for myself like makeup or a hobby of mine, he'd critique my spending and say I was going overboard. Even though he spent more than me every month, he'd buy $60 video games, alcohol, and weed. He also had to buy new $60 headsets every couple of months because he had such bad anger at video games that he'd repeatedly break them by throwing them. All while cheating on me behind my back as well. Although it can get lonely being alone, I'm just glad I don't have to justify myself to someone else anymore.
Glad you’re out of that, totally unfair to you
As a female financial advisor, I say buy and collect whatever you want, as long as you are not in bad debt and are saving for retirement. The real problem with Stanley cups are that if were going to throw them away after we get bored of them, that's going to be a LOT of garbage. WallE can only do so much.
I think I needed to hear this lol. Thank you.
Overconsumption is bad regardless of if you have the money to save.
I think not being in bad debt is not a good reason, we should all be mindful of spending habits no matter the gender. I’ve never been in debt for my hobbies, but tbh the pleasure I got from them does not equal the benefits I could have gotten if I used that money to invest or saving for more important goals
the most fun and rewarding things to collect are vintage items you have to seriously look for and get second hand instead of buying brand new
Than and that they r UGLY!
You're right that it was never just a cup. I recall a story a mom told about getting her daughter a cup for Christmas; and her daughter was pleased with the cup until she went to school. She was bullied because it wasn't the Stanley cup and she was made to be ashamed of it. I remember that feeling so well, as I was regularly shamed in school, being a projects kid and not getting to wear any new clothes ever. THAT is what this is: CLASSISM disguised as a "fun craze" (with the hidden message - get this and you won't be a pathetic loser).
Yeah, and the weird thing was that the Walmart $10 cup was WAY cuter than Stanley.
What parents got the money to buy their kids every latest trend anyway?
I have Hydro flask travel tumble and got bullied by my coworkers for not having a Stanley. I am 39 and they are in their 20s
I SO appreciate your information regarding the way women’s purchases are seen as “frivolous”! I got in an argument with my husband because he kept judging my purchases (skincare/haircare/makeup) as “frivolous and wasteful” even though dollar for dollar I spent LESS than him every month (of my OWN earned money btw). He spent all his money on video games, alcohol, and eating out. But my purchases were frivolous but his were just “living life” 😒
I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you
That said, buying different color cups IS frivolous. Come on
I hate how women seem to have this view too my generation keeps joking about using “girl math” to buy more things even if you don’t have the money. Like girl you are literally being sexist to other women right now when you say stuff like that!
That makes me think of my ex-husband. He'd criticize me buying anything that went beyond basic soap and shampoo for skincare, saying I spent too much (even acting like I was still buying stuff for my hobbies even though I hadn't bought anything for them in 2 years) while buying himself computer stuff that collected dust. Jewelry? Unless it cost less than $20; I wasn't allowed to buy it. He complained if I bought organic anything for food even though it has better nutrition and flavour.
Meanwhile my fiancé understands that taking proper care of my hair and skin is extremely important. We don't have as much "stuff" but I think we are happier, regardless.
@@katka8490 I’m glad he’s your EX-husband and that you found someone who understands.
I discussed the situation more with my husband and he eventually came to realize that it there probably was some societal influence (as well as just personal bias) making him feel like my purchases were more frivolous than his. So there’s a positive end to my story as well. 😊
i learned that the current marketing exec (idk his exact title) at stanley used to work for crocs. he got to crocs to become trendy through following the sneaker limited drop style and then did the same with stanley cups. hiring that man should show that stanley actually really doesnt care about sustainability. if they did, they would not be doing constant drops like this
I HATE Crocs. Never owned a pair, too ugly.
This explains so much, it seemed fine like 2 years ago but now all the weird accessories reminded me of the croc flair
@@MadamoftheCatHousethey are so comfortable and so convenient for wearing at home or to the park with your kids.
My mother is a hyper consumer. Growing up, I had any toy or clothes I wanted. I know I made friends feel left out because of how "spoiled" I was. As an adult, I reject the over consumption. I had to teach myself how to budget, priorities, and saving for the future. Still to this day, my mom will spend her last dollar on an item she has to put in a storage unit. She has overconsuned and hoarded herself into homelessness and she still won't stop.
At that level it's probably pathological. That's why she can't stop.
@@snowps1 I agree that's probably the case. Is there a way to fix that tho?
@@Hannahsunshine-she probably just needs support and maybe therapy. Hope everything gets better for her❤
@@laskwkxkwkd i highly doubt it will get better for her at her age. the longer people do this, the harder it is to stop.
@@pabloescobarschanclas well yes it will be harder but its never impossible, my mother broke her habit after being in it all her life, it takes time, patience and support.
people just need to stop buying the new trends. They should just stick with what worked for them for years and then replace them if they break or run out. These cups are also huge and really heavy.
The "need" to follow a trend in order to be perceived as belonging/acceptable is the real root of the problem here. People are afraid to be individuals because they're terrified of being judged, found wanting, and cast out. The solution is to stop giving a shit about what other people think of you.
@@auntieheksold-timemedicine3045 YESS, THISS. people need to stop caring to genuinely live a happy life, and to stop feeling the need to stay on trend.
Exactly. I thought for a while that I "needed" Stanley cup because I just had a baby and spending hours on the couch trapped to feed the baby made me soooo thirsty.
But you know what? I already had a water bottle I got from work and few of those mason jars with straws. They were more than enough and I've had them for _years_ and use them on daily basis.
I dont mind a huge heavy cup. My work has no filtered water so I needed a huuge jug to keep me hydrated all day. But also it's gotta be spill proof. I toss my water bottle around in the car way too much to have something that will leak. I also hate the straws and sippy lids cuz who wants to wash that everyday when you're exhausted before or after work? The fact Stanley's leak and are harder to clean really makes me wonder how they got away w being so damn expensive
You forgot to mention BUTT UGLY! I just saw Owala cups and they look elegant at cost only $20.
this isn’t a new phenomenon. i’m 47. the first i remember is cabbage patch kids. x-box consoles & games. kylie lips. it’s all the same thing, it just looks different in different time-periods. in this period where “we” have the attention span of a goldfish, the interest just fades much faster.
exactly! that's one of the messages of the video
The label-saving had me thinking this was definitely a grown up Beanie Baby collector
Same age here...I remember all that as well. I agree, the trends are getting shorter and shorter and FAR more aggressive! I remember seeing the Cabbage Patch riots on the news!
I’m 46 and totally agree. Remember Girbaud jeans and Hypercolor? 😂
@@Holly_77 😆 HYPERCOLOR!!!
I purchased my cup over a year and a half ago. Definitely helped me drink more water and I use it 5 times a week at the gym. It’s great for super hot summer days when I go to the flee market. I got a head of the trend due to my job, basically my role was to get ahead of trends. I got mine fully knowing it was the only one I was going to have and I was going to use it! I still get weird stares at the gym to this day and most girls stopped using them after Christmas bc the shame the came with it. I personally was getting that from people I knew as well even though I had the cup for over a year by the time all the conversations and collections started. I get that the collections are a bit much but why can’t girls enjoy something without getting picked apart?
That's kinda how I did it. I found out about the craze and thought that's stupid. I also at the same time needed a thermos for my coffee in the morning. I did some research and found it was a great thermos so I bought one. I love it it's been a whole year and I still love the quality so I bought one Stanley quencher I'm going in for IVF and I have trouble staying hydrated and have an issue with warm water. Now my issues are solved. The only problem I see are people buying every single cup in every color. It's reusable they don't need that many. One cup per adult. I would never buy it for a kid.
Its not even just about water bottles, its about buying clout
This!!!!
Hey Shawna! Do you know much about Terror Management Theory? I am taking a class where we have been covering it recently and I think it explains so much as to why hyper-consumerism is getting worse and worse.
Here is my very short explanation, but I am happy to send some academic resources on it:
According to the theory, all humans have this innate contradiction where we do not want to die but we absolutely know we will. Particularly when it is a distal (more existential, compared to a proximal/confronting) fear of death, we have two coping mechanisms. In particular, we have the 'world view defence'. Here, we try to connect to our culture as this makes us feel that we can theoretically 'live longer' through being a part of a culture/ society that will outlive us as individuals. It's a kind of 'sure, I will die at 80, but I was part of a broader culture that could survive hundreds of years' thing.
Some interesting research:
1. The "Prostitution study" (Rosenblatt, et al.,1989): judges primed with their own death (they call it the 'morality salience' or MS) set the bond for a prostitute much higher ($455), as compared to the judges in the control condition ($50). The reason the authors give for this is that the judges faced with their own deaths held onto their cultural norms even more as a way to 'outlive themselves'. Sorry if this seems a bit abstract. I think the next study will show how it links to consumerism.
2. Dar-Nimrod, 2012: This study looked at the question of why things like sad car commercials are so pervasive. It is such an interesting question because there's no intuitive reason why seeing a Dodge Ram ad where the wife dies of cancer makes you want to buy the car. However, clearly, this works because these are some of the most popular types of commercials. Basically in this study, one group was primed with their own death (Morality Salience group) and one group was not (control). Then both groups were shown a bunch of products such as Levi's. Those in the morality salience group found these products much more desirable and said they wanted to buy them much more than those in the control group. Thus, the author concluded that when we are faced with our own death, we want to latch onto these cultural symbols that show we are a part of something bigger - and if we are a part of something bigger, we can symbolically outlive our deaths through our culture.
Anyway, this is way too long now, but I am obsessed with this topic! I think it explains so much as to why hyper-consumerism seems to be getting worse and worse. Capitalism is making us depressed and we need some way to deal with the fact that we are constantly reminded we are going to die soon everywhere we look - from Covid to climate change to stories of cancer patients and car accidents on every news site. We need some way to deal with it, and one 'simple' way is to connect to cultural symbols which help us believe we can outlive ourselves by performing our culture.
Damn that was poetic to me 😂❤
Damn that was poetic to me 😂❤
This was VERY interesting thank you so much for including this research! I have not studied Terror Management Theory but have had more of a surface level knowledge of it. I've actually been thinking about it in connection to doom spending. There's definitely more to explore here so I appreciate this a lot!
This was super interesting and informative!! Thank you!
I'm sorry but "it was gonna happen with or without the lead" in the intro has me rolling lmao😭 great video!
People always complain that "womenz be shopping" but we also purchase groceries, clothing and toys for the kids, gifts for both sides of the family....
And men often don’t even think about those things because they never had to - women took care of it. If women stopped buying groceries, would their husbands even know what needed to be bought?
It's amazing how fast trends move these days...the ever moving goalposts of "trendy things" is fueling over consumption in a big way. The Stanley craze is certainly a symptom of it, and I think the majority of people who were so taken by it have simply moved onto the next big trend. It's always on to the next big thing or the next season, never about enjoying what you have or the moment you're in...because that's not profitable to companies. But choosing contentment rather than chasing trends will make us happier and leave us with more money to use on important things.
I dont believe Stanley had no hand in the craze. They were sending PR to every youtube mom and tiktoker they could.. Brilliant move 👏
I really appreciated this commentary and the feminist perspective you included. It definitely made me think. I can also see how anyone who is marginalized and less accepted in society can be vulnerable to this type of consumer culture, pressured to buy something as a way to fit in - because a purchase is at least something we can choose, as opposed to how others treat us based on our race, sexuality, disabilities, and so on. And while the financially privileged people, who have more spending money, might continue to buy into trends without significant financial issues - people who are already more financially disadvantaged (possibly generationally) suffer more financially when they buy into trends. But our culture keeps rewarding people for buying. Also, despite women being criticized more than men for their spending habits, it is SO common for the CEOs and decision-makers of makeup companies, clothing companies, etc. to be men. So then we have a society where men are intentionally creating products and implementing strategies to get women to spend more, and then our men-focused culture is laughing at women for spending so frivolously. Ugh.
this is such a good comment, thank you for sharing!
I think, while there are obviously many factors that contribute to the repeated cycle of trends and overconsumption, one significant one is that a lot of us weren't taught emotional regulation when it comes to wanting.
I really appreciate that when i was younger, being told "no" was rarely framed as "no, we can't afford that" and instead was presented to me as "no, that's wasteful/unnecessary/excessive." I'm sure there were plenty of times where i wanted something we couldn't afford, but my mom always walked me through the process of talking myself out of buying something i didn’t need. If I wanted the trendy things the kids at school had, she'd be willing to take me to Limited Too or Abercrombie, but she'd explain that if i wanted something from there, it would probably only be one thing, instead of the two or three things we could get at the thrift store or TJ Maxx for the same price. I feel like this really set me up to not be an adult over consumer. I dont need to buy everything i want the second i technically have enough money to buy it. Every purchase is an internal conversation, and i think that's a good habit.
12:46 Stanley knew what they were doing. They launched a massive marketing campaign specifically through influencers to intentionally tap into a market they previously had no presence in. Their goal was exactly the type of hyper-consumerism behavior that occurred. Although I’m sure the ridiculous level it reached did exceed their expectations.
Maybe this doesn't have to do a lot with the video itself, but I love your content. I think it is really informative and it has allowed me to reflect on my own consuming habits. I always listen to them while cleaning my room, making food or when I'm just chilling in my room after a long day. Keep up the good work💖🫂
Same! This channel is a gem!
thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoy my content
I think if anyone studies history of humanity across the world, they'll find that belonging and tribalism and expressions of belonging to the tribe go back as far as communal living has existed. The cycles of what causes us to feel included have sped up due to technology, both in manufacturing and communication. Choose to be a minimalist and become a member of that community and stop buying every new item offered.
Conspicuous Minimalism can be another kind of flex. And it can be toxic too.
There is a Stanley cup with a flip up straw, carry handle and doesn’t leak.., I own it and love it. So there’s no NEED for me to buy into hydro jug/Owala hype. When I went shopping for my Stanley, I could see the potential issues with leakage and the exposed straw… which I why I didn’t buy the traditional Stanley that everyone seems to have. Now they are cancelling Stanley and moving onto to something else when they could have been better consumers by simply doing their research. So 20 Stanley’s later… 20 Owalas later…. At some point sustainability is thrown out the window, and consumers will just be wishing they had their water bottle money back.
I have a hydroflask with straw
I never liked that exposed straw of Stanley
It's so impractical
Yess! I have my 1 singular Stanley ice flow for 1,5 years now and it’s a perfect water bottle in my eyes! Would camp outside a store for it though 😂
I consider the thermos to be the traditional Stanley. I'm finally starting to see those in stores again, now that the cup craze is dying down.
Yessss the iceflow is so superior! I have one and have no need for any other water bottle, it meets all my needs ❤ never liked the exposed straw and gigantic handle of the other one, it must be so hard to fit into bags and stuff
Our social status items as early 2000s kid were silly bands, littlest pet shop, monster high dolls, and who had the best clothes for their Barbie’s
You are so right about the misogyny regarding overconsumption! Really well observed and explained 🙌
which is funny considering that men also over-consume to insane degrees. sneakers, hats, physical media collections, figurines, video games and merch, tools, legos, cars, gadgets, electronics, etc. it’s just seen as socially acceptable for them to do it
omg i love hayley i’m so happy you included her commentary
omg in my age and maybe this was just my area but it was the miss me jeans, i used to cry to my mom to buy me $100 JEANS and i was 13!!! with not a penny to my own name lmao the audacity 😩😩😩
Thats sucks most about your teen years you finally find the perfect jeans and BAM you grew out of them
you're not the first person to mention these jeans!! I had to look them up and definitely recognize them. These were very trendy where I lived but I've never heard them called by name before until recently!
You weren't the first. In the 1990s, it was Guess Jeans. This has been going on for a long time.
Wooow, what a massive throw back this comment was. It wasn't just you!!
In the most polite way possible I’m so glad you’ve stopped doing the “coming up” segment in your newer videos. I know that it’s a hook thing you tend to have to do as a content creator but going right into it feels so much more organic and for me personally I’m always more willing to watch that kind of content. Half the reason I never make consistent content on TH-cam is the perfectionism and the information overwhelm on how to get reach
Klean Kanteen. Had mine for YEARS, only bought a second when I wanted to take both a coffee and a water to work with me when I was packing up my bag for the day. Have had the first for over 10 yrs and the 2nd one for more than 5yrs. They check all the boxes for me; incl easy to clean, keep liquids hot/cold for LOOONG time, fit in cup holders and water bottle sleeves in backpacks, and don't leak! They have traveled the world with me, and also come with me daily to work. Price is comparable to any other vessel that you might see being peddled by an influencer but actually does ALL the things! Very happy with them as a company as well!
I remember being super-confused when I was young, and Ugg boots were crazy popular because I thought Ugg boots were really ugly. Also, I was living overseas during this Stanley craze, so I was very confused when my husband told me that he was reading online that people were going nuts over Stanley cups. To me, a Stanley cup is something your dad has kept in his truck to hold his coffee for the past 20 or so years. Who would get excited about that? This whole situation reminds me of the weird Tulip craze in the Netherlands that lasted a couple years during the 1620's. As long as humans are obsessed with social status, it will just be one thing after another.
Ugg boots are ugly. Every Australian was confused, because we wear them as slippers and they were relatively cheap.
Love this video. Its so hard to think about how much i spent on make up, how quick I would hit Rouge and feel simultaneously embarrassed and proud. I still have tons of it because getting rid of it feels like throwing money away, but we're getting to that place. A lot of it is years old 😬
Throw it out girl - it’s wasted money anyway (if it’s not being used), and now it’s just taking up space, while it expires.
I consider myself to be a collector and my collections are so deeply personal and meaningful to me. I would NEVER dream of throwing them in the trash or de-cluttering them for the next thing. Not saying it’s impossible to collect cups but a true collection just isn’t something you discard to make room for something else entirely.
My mom bought a Stanley, decided she didn’t like how hard a time she had getting the lid off, so she gave it to me. I had been wanting one but couldn’t justify it when I had a water bottle that worked. I do love the Stanley I have now because it holds more than my other water bottle. I now use my Stanley as my everyday water cup and my old water bottle holds my breakfast smoothie or coffee since I’d struggled to find a cup I liked to use for either of these things lol
Stanley craze is dying out because people are now embarrassed to be associated with their Stanley cup.
Those accessories for them are so juvenile. What adult would want that on their cup.
It's unfortunate because it's a good product. Stanley has been around for 100+ years based on the quality of their thermos bottle. The problem is that they're made to last a lifetime, where you only ever need one, but people were hoarding dozens of them as though they were disposable.
@@mothra__13 It’s a “good product” for old men on a hunting trip, which is how they were marketed for those 100 yrs. They’re hideous & outrageously bulky for carrying on grocery trips
I would've been somewhat happy about people buying reusable water bottles since it would cut down on the waste of disposables. But I watched SO MANY videos of people filling their Stanley cups with disposable water bottles... completely defeating the purpose. My tap water isn't the greatest where I live, but my Brita filter works just fine!
This reminds me so much of the Dr. Seuss story The Sneeches. If you do not know of it you will love it, I think.
For 3 dollars eaches🤗
I learned about those cups being popular like 5 minutes ago and they are already out? I can't keep up, which removes any desire I have to buy into trends. Those people running reminds me of the black-friday footage of the past.
The most important question when I shop online is “do I need this?” If no. Then close laptop and throw it out the window. Lol.
@@davidpachecogarcia The problem here is that you "need" it because you imagine situations where these items are useful. I think the similar but better questions are "Will I really do what I imagine and if yes, how often?" and "Do I already have something that can do that?".
Hi Shawna, I hope you're doing well
thank you so much for this lovely comment!
Most of the hyperconsumerist “luxury” trends are born in marketing boardrooms in Paris…
28:04 totally agree! What about men who collect watches, cars and bikes? Those aren’t cheap and some of them are buying WAY too many for what they could use daily.
Stamps and Pokémon cards are poor examples as comparisons to the Stanley cup. Those are often more investment motivated. They also small pieces of paper. What you should discuss are Pop Toys and the merch surrounding fandoms instead.
Ya those pop funkos are a great example
Reminds me of the beanie baby craze 25 years ago
I think in recent years you can compare the reselling part to prices of the Playstation 5 after release and graphic cards during the crypto hype.
And probably sneakers. But apart from having watched a few videos about the hype and special drops, I'm more familiar with graphic cards.
words can’t describe the hatred i have for funko pops
And Squishmallows
I was sucked into the Ugg trend in 2010 as an impressionable 12-year-old but I will say: they lasted me 13 years (!) I just recently lost them to a flooded basement. Now I am thinking about replacing them, but I'm worried the quality has gone downhill!
my uggs from around 2007 are still in great condition. as long as you don't walk a lot in them outside, they do last. i gave them to my little sister years ago, and now they're trendy again
I've been using my same, ONE Stanley every day for over a year. It has never grown mold and I have never tipped it over to cause a spill, even in the car. Sounds like people are citing problems with the cup that don't happen unless you don't clean it or intentionally tip it over to encourage others to buy a different cup to fill their pantry.
I think the first one of these I remember was Cabbage Patch Kids. My grandmother stood in line for hours to get them for me and my siblings
Same. My mom ran into a tall friend when they came out and he was able to reach over a lot of people to grab one. We stood a little away from it, but I saw old ladies fighting and shoving. People are crazy.
I was astonished at how crazy people got over them. I have one. I drink a ton of water, and my old cup was 10 years old, wasn't well insulated because a gap somehow formed, and was leaking in between the walls of the cup (It was a Tervis.) I bought my Stanley because it's a well insulated quality product. I will use it until it falls apart and cannot be used any longer like I do everything else.
You will have to pry my UGGS from my cold dead hands. I don't care if they are out of style. I have had the same pair for 12 years, and wear them almost daily when it's cold. They are a quality product, and still look almost new.
Word of warning, Conspicuous Anti Consumerism and Conspicuous Minimalism can be just another kind of flex. And it can be pretty toxic as well.
I’ve done soooo much learning over the past year about finance and consumerism in my own life. At one point I was totally caught in the hype of the “collect them all” mindset. All of a sudden I was like woooah what am I doing?! I sold them all except one on facebook marketplace for the price a bought them(I didn’t want to price gouge). As a person who likes to see trends and definitely has fomo I’ve discovered how easy it is to slide into over consumption. Love listening to this from another persons perspective
Imagine spending 1,000$ dollars on water bottles, just to get rid of them a month later, and spending an additional 500$ on new water bottles, which serve the exact. same. purpose.
I think you did a great job unpacking this! What strikes me as interesting is how localized It Girl culture used to be. My sister was a counselor at an upscale summer camp one year in college. She would tell me that there regional differences in trends. The west coast kids had their over priced flip flops and the midwestern kids were crazy about Vera Bradley and so on. Now it seems like the trends are more standardized and nationalized. Have you personally heard anything about people trying to procure these things cheaper overseas or just over the boarder?
Trader Joe's is the new Stanley as their bags have created an insane market for lunch boxes.
Yes. I just wanted one. But those dam resellers got to it before me 😢
@@akong331
Sorry to hear that.
As i'm someone who is not that much on social media and who's not in the US, the Stanley trend is honestly wild 😂 i never saw any Stanley here in France, i think 🤔 pretty sure we have our own micro trends though 😅
I've had my same yeti for years now (since 2017) and its still going strong. The only thing I had to replace recently was the water cap. I usually keep it more interesting by adding high quality stickers to it when I travel or businesses/products/media I really enjoy. It's sort of a really cheap and low equity souvenir and it has kept my bottle interesting to me after all these years. My only complaints is I wish I got the bigger version and you have to hand wash it to protect the stickers
these cult products always die out… it just moves on to something else.
My husband had to have every new iPad,every new phone,a sports car,eat out because he didn’t want to cook or clean up,heat or cool the whole house because he didn’t want to put a sweater on or just sit near a fan….men are very wasteful with money as well but are not judged. Car collections, drinking,golf,gambling etc.
i just found your channel today and was a bit overstimulated, but your voice is so calm that it helped :D your videos are very nice
I never even heard there was a mothers day Stanley cup 😅 Not that i had even heard of stanley before the valentines craze so i guess that tracks
I collect store specific Patagonia shirts…kind of hypocritical to the company values of vying less. But it’s basically my souvenir and it’s not like I can order it online. Tho it does keep me from buying any new tshirts apart from the Patagonia ones.
What the heck!!!!!!!!! Why would anyone have more than one or two reusable cups!?!? Thats crazy. The whole point is to save waste!?!? Omg. Im shocked.
For some people, usually people with adhd, autism or mental illnesses It can help them with their water intake if they have a bottle/tumbler/whatever in every space they use regularly. I have one in the living room, in the bedroom and in my workspace because I barely drink anything over the day if I don't have it near me and see It all the time. That being said I just use basic glass bottles. Also because I don't like how how Stanley cups look but mostly because I think they are very overpriced and I couldn't afford even one nevermind 3 or more without inconveniencing other aspects of my life financially. Also cleaning those seems like a nightmare especially as soon as my depression decides we have a bad day/week/month.
@@Lilo2312 nah. it's probably just insatiable greed and hoarder tendendies. many women are just shopping addicted and nobody checks them. the autism excuse is so passe
I’m glad you brought up the electronics thing-I know someone (a man) who spends SO MUCH money on cheap/breakable electronic gadgets, and who purchases lots of expensive PC building pieces with the intent to upgrade or modify or build something without ever actually doing anything about it. Half the time, he returns what he buys. I wish that he was more intentional given the amount of shipping it takes to buy something just to return it, and how much electronic waste impacts the environment. A well-built PC is like a good reusable water bottle: one should last you for YEARS. Again, adults should be able to spend their money how they want, but the thoughtlessness and overconsumption really bothers me.
This isn't a secret amongst this group. There's a term for it: Gear Aquisition Syndrom, aka G.A.S. Guys (and women. I'm female and love synthesizers so I fall into this catagory sometimes) treat it more like drinking too much - gotta keep an eye on how many so it doesn't get out of hand. But really, the gear aquisition thing is slightly different in that people aren't always looking for THESE things for status or to collect. They're trying to solve a problem and hope that this gadget will do it. But, the reason why they're looking doesn't matter, when anyone can be convinced by a skilled salesperson.
I wonder if the imbalance in consumerism between genders has to do with men being empowered and told “they can do/make anything they put their mind to” and so they don’t feel the need to buy as much stuff as women? Like women’s encouraged-dependency is tied to their increased spending…
My 14 year old SIL has multiple Stanley's and is obsessed with them. She wears Lululemon. She is very trendy and popular. I wasn't even half as clued in as her when i was 14. It blows my mind how much consumerism has infiltrated even the middleschool and younger aged kids minds.
I saw someone that sold one of those Valentine's Stanley Cups for 24,000 and someone actually bought it that is freaking crazy!!! SMH like what, y? 🤨😒😕😵
I collect thrifted dvds. I put them in my living room shelves and might need another shelving unit lol pretty soon. I have limited space in my apartment for rows of stanley cups or hoards of makeup lol
what was the point of this comment? /g
@@iH3artKittiespeople collect stuff they actually like. At least with DVDs you get a movie or tv show though.
@@Iqueythank you for the explanation. you r spot on. also it helps to collect thrifted items as you r not creating demand for new things!
@@Iquey ohh ok, i didnt mean it in a mean way, i was just confused on how this comment was related to the video. But i understand, collecting dvds is cool. ty :)
@@iH3artKittiesyeah I didn’t want to write a full paragraph even tho some ppl here do so lol but you asked in a nice way
I always remember what this foreign comedian said. If the system is broken and life seems terrible under it, the bread has to taste really good so you can cope with that situation.
The resellers moved on to Halloween-themed Hello Kitty merch from HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx. Every single one of those stores had a reseller or two standing around bright and early, long before the store opened, to rush in and run towards the plush blankets section. I saw on multiple occasions these obese, middle-aged ogres with cart-fulls of Sanrio crap. You ask them if they’s resellers and they all deny it. Oh, yeah? So, you just happen to need 5 Sanrio plush blankets on a random Wednesday, and then came back the following day to buy 5 more and the day after that to buy another 5? Just how many plush HK blankets do you need? They literally buy nothing other than Sanrio crap. It’d be like 30 mugs, a couple of canisters, 5 eye masks and so on. As long as it was Hello Kitty related, they grabbed every last one of whatever that store had. I was never a big fan of Hello Kitty, and all of it just seemed like a collective madness to someone like me. But in case you were wondering why the Stanley insanity died down. The ones responsible, were occupied with tracking down, Sanrio Merchandise for reselling.
I personally think it was the hype surrounding them being exposed nationally that turned people off. If you have one, then you’re one of “those” people. I personally have one (1) because I needed a new bottle, and it is great. One bottle is all you need. I’ll be using this until I can’t anymore.
I also find it so funny that you mention the first wave of the UGG trend! I remember it, and while this Stanley trend was happening, there was a second wave of UGGs trending. Those platform slippers. It’s cyclical and so easy to place value on fitting in with the trend.
Yes, I think you are right. I thought they were cute, but would never own one because (a) I would never pay that much for what people were getting and (b) I didn't want to feel like a sheep. I even have seen a cashier at Aldi with one. As soon as everyone has one, it is no longer "cool" or "exclusive." Just like many other trends, it was only a matter of time.
It's weird because I do remember having ugg boots back around that 2009 time. I was with my mother, older sister and her kids for black Friday. Saw them in a mall and thought they were cute. Saw some other girls wearing them, but didn't know it was a trend till much later as i didn't pay attention to those things. Never wore them much either for some reason. But they were comfortable.
Thank you so much for making this point about how women’s spending is almost always characterized as frivolous. When I started getting allowance my parents would tell me I should save my money for “something you really want”. Then when I would buy what I really wanted- shoes/lipgloss/clothes- I was repeatedly given the message that this was frivolous, and don’t I want a car someday? Which by he way I didn’t, I grew up in the 90s/00s so my plan was to move to NYC and take the train everywhere 😂 This honestly really messed with my ideas about money and spending and ultimately contributed to overspending and spending in secret because I felt guilty about what I wanted to buy and really internalized the idea that I was terrible with money.
I got my reusabe water boytle for 13 bucks at Ross. I won't need it to keep it freezer cold for 36 hours and I have access to water all day to refill it...sure, some folks need a huge jug as they are outside in the heat all day but Susan doesn't need a 5 gallon jug for hot yoga class
29:24 I think it’s probably because women in the past didn’t have their own money so they were technically “spending someone else’s hard earned money”. So naturally, they would always be discouraged to spend for their own hobbies that aren’t practical or useful to other people.
Now the time has changed. We all have our own money. But the mindset and the biases didn’t change. Misogyny is still deeply rooted in the society and is living rent free in people’s minds.
That just renforces my believe that people, especially WOMEN, should always have their own financial income. The world is very simply materially based no matter how you sugar coat it with the values of community, family and love (they are no doubly important). You may earn your own money nowadays and want to spend it for your own happiness. Yet people still hold gender based biases against your buying habit potentially because of the gender roles your ancestors played 200 years ago. Just imagine.
Apart from being overpriced, they are bulky and impractical.
I’m taking my ‘off branded’ drink bottle that I can knock over and it won’t leak, thank you.
This just blows my mind because... like... it's a cup... a drinking cup... like... what. 😂
I get women wanting it to be trendy at yoga or whatever but when kids are freaking out that's concerning
I've never cared about trends, except one time. When having Crocs shoes dictated that I had a chance to not be lame any more (REAL Crocs, not those offbrand ones blah blah blah). I finally got them and nothing changed. Of course this was all very predictable, but not to an elementary schooler.
Lol There’s 31 stanley colors! How is this possible? Has anyone else never seen that many colors of a CUP?🤯😳
It’s like in the freakanomics book talking about baby name trends. There are names that start off being used by rich people, then middle class copies, then poor people copy. By that point, rich people don’t want to use that baby name anymore and move on.
Whatever the rich status item is is what people are chasing now. What I find disturbing is how social media has sped up the cycle of trends coming and going. Micro trends are going to be way worse for over consuming than long term trends
The only Stanley/Yeti/Hydroflask- type bottle I own is a knockoff one that I picked up free from work because someone left it laying around the office for 8 MONTHS before I was game enough to assume they'd never come back for it. Now I've had it for 1.5 years. The straw mouth piece is quite stained from lipgloss, and now it also leaks when it falls over, but ive been putting off buying a new one because of this trend 😂 Even though I can afford a new one, I also get mad every time I look at the prices and close the tab in anger. Still waiting to grant myself permission for a new one soon 😅
If you don't want to spend a lot, some of these water bottles are showing up at thrift stores
@deedeecarr6742 oh thank you :) why didnt i think of that already?
I buy mine when I need a new one at Marshalls/TKMaxx
We didn’t have “it girl” statuses at any school I went to, because nobody was making a big deal of what they wore/owned 😂 We just liked what we liked and kept it pushin.
5:00 they're forced to buy them second hand? who's forcing them pray tell?😭
A thoughtful discussion as always,
Shawna! I personally hadn't heard of the Stanley until a few months ago and it was because of another commentary video. Interestingly I've never really been swept up with trends; probably because my tastes tend towards quirkiness and uniqueness. I want to be an individual rather than the IT Girl. It was challenging for the self- esteem as a youth, but I'm thankful at the same time that it developed by identity.
I'm trying to figure out what exactly the type of lifestyle these cups are supposed to represent!! LOL!
19:49 I think when people say “mindless” in this sense, they more so mean “not mindful”, because people who are addicted to something (like shopping or collecting) *can* do things on purpose and yet it not be mindful consumption
I also think there’s a culture of fully replacing something instead of trying to fix the issue. I have a Stanley cup, and instead of replacing the entire thing I just got a more leak-proof lid. The cup itself still works.
social contagion has been around for a long time, I think these Tiktoks/Reels/Shorts/Posts are bringing in the newest iteration, and what's kind of freaky is that if someone purposefully wants to get a bunch of people to do something without even thinking about it, they just need to make a post that gets traction. It started with that cup in the burned out car, and soon every post with a lady in it had her walking around carrying one, even if the post wasn't about that. lol
I love my Stanley. I use it for the gym and it helps me drink water daily. That said you don’t need more than one water bottle and I would never stand in line for one 😂. Also got it on sale 🤗
Damn a stanley on sale this is so good for something that's your jam!
your video was recommended to me after watching a video about how the company axe spray ended up accidentally attracting a younger crowd in the western world compared to wear it launched and how ultimately the culture symbol it became ended up negatively impacting the public perception of the product. much the same way these stanley cups are affecting middle school just - alot less dangerous . it makes me think its less about product consumption being gendered and more about how those products are advertised by popular media.
it seems to me that when it comes to a product becoming a consumer frenzy it has like different factors between the people who want to by it.
there seems to be 4 different types of personality that these product crazes focus on the most
-> those who want something to talk about . often status symbols that are visible but it could also be things like certain types of holiday trips. specifically theres a vid on the oddity and evolution of criuseships that touches on this really well .
-> those who dont really care what a product looks like but fall into a false sense of justification for their purchase because it appears to provide something to them they dont have on their own . usually health or confidence based . sports drinks, axe, perfume, health food crazes ,sketchers shape ups , ect
-> those who to give / gain a passive educational skill in a "safe " way. usually these are kids toys but not always. the biggest example of this for adults its usually in the form of a trending group class , online course , ect .
-> people intertwined into fandoms /or seeking a community . these people know the product really well and are often eager to share their opinions on new releases to help others decide for themselves if they want to participate in it. they themselves are rarely resulting in a full on frenzy for a product unless they truly believe in it but the companies that follow those groups are often cash cows.
a good example of this would be id say the movie sequel culture or what it was back in 2017 but there are plenty of examples.
For example in the art community its often limited releases /returning variants of popular pencils , paints or equipment.
for myself that be the blackwing sharpener craze of 2019 when they rereleased the blackwing pencil sharpener alongside a rare rerelease of a certain variant of the highly beloved blackwing pencils.
theres also a weird fifth thing im not sure what to name it but it focuses specifically on home appliances and hyping them up. primarily washing machines and fridges but also smaller stuff like vacuums .
i want to call it like "upgrade culture "
cause these always revolve around getting an item that is supposedly more functional than the current model you own. sometimes its true . but more times than not it ends up not being useful because of limitations of the house itself.
like when you get a roomba only to realize it doesnt do well on your particular floors . ya know ?
just some interesting observations to add to the convo on consumer culture .
I live in a city, where there's a lot of convenience corner stores.
There was a problem, where store owners would go into say Aldi's for example. The loaf of bread would be on sale for 89 cents. They would fill carts up with all the bread. Then sell it at their stores for triple the price.
I actually witnessed this first hand. The woman had 40 loaves of bread. People were complaining because there was none left. Manager said we don't have a limit, so I can't do anything about it.
Then I went to a corner convenience store to my surprise guess who was there?? Yes the store owner who bought the 40 loaves of bread. She was selling them for $3.99.
I thought this was just a one-off thing. Apparently I found out it was an actual problem.
Walmart, Aldi's, or any supermarket brand, in the corner stores.
You know the price for example was a 1.89, & it is the actual supermarket brand.
The corner stores will sell it for $4.29.
The problem was people who were on a budget trying to save and going to the supermarkets for the sale items. The supermarkets were always out of them.
People started to demand, that supermarkets put a limit on how many you can get. There are so many people complaining that now you do see on big sale items,a limit on how many you can get.
The price gouging is getting out of hand.
Side note - the Stanley cup situation, I have seen, the sweetest well-behaved little girl. Just have a meltdown, because she had to have a Stanley to bring to school. Because people would make fun of her, if she came in with her non Stanley cup. I thought social media exaggerated. When I saw it again for the first time. I am just amazed.
Womens purchasing is deemed frivolous when it outpaces their income. The same way id look at a guy buying a 3000 pc if hes living paycheck to paycheck and especially if hes gonna affirm/afterpay it. You dont need to look cute and put together if you dont have at least 500 bucks in an emergency savings.
I am still back on the Corkcicle. I am not sure how cool it was, but I still have ice in my water when I wake up in the morning. It is getting pretty worn, but I still love it.
I used to be in the circle of buying and trading Funko pops and just like for the Stanleys, there would be limited edition drops where we would wait outside of Target to get what we wanted. For the most part, people were very respectful of each other and I never saw people pushing and shoving to get what they wanted. It’s very interesting to compare the two because a few years ago, Funko pops were so huge in the collector/ reseller markets but it never escalated to the level of Stanleys
I still have my father's stainless steel Stanley thermos. I also have a green enamel Stanley thermos with an SS cup and insides.
They are from the 1970s. They are still the best thermoses available. My father was a heavy equipment operator who ran over his SS thermos with a Crain chain. It barely had a dent.
Also, they were guaranteed for life. For my dad that was the reason to pay the high price. The glass-lined thermoses broke easily
I love hearing stories like this, thanks for sharing
I've been wanting to buy a locally designed and made leak proof properly insulated travel mug for a while now. But I have a properly insulated waterbottle, a travel mug and a foldable waterbottle (for my carryon). Even though I would be able to get rid of my leaky non-insulated travel mug this way, it still hurts to upgrade because I have multiple travel beverage containers already. I keep putting it off even though it would be an actual improvement in my life and I'd be set for maybe a decade because it's a very good product with option to replace parts of the lid if they stop working.
Our area Targets did not have Stanley cups. I wonder if it was more area specific and if the media coverage was intended to drive up interest and want.
This whole craze did encourage me to buy the same type cup with a handle, but no straw. Ours is a "Yukon" brand. Its a huge solid red cup that has a Buc-cees logo. Buc-cees is a popular gas station in Texas that has food and gifts. Its very country. So the whole thing is very on the nose to own. I have room for 1 only, so the three of us share it. It's a little heavy for my arthritic wrist with the handle. My husband uses it the most.
I have a Built cup. Hubby got it for me for my birthday years ago. Use it every day for water. It's got stickers and dents and it's ridiculous. Would still rather use it until it won't be used anymore then buy a new cup cause why??? I didn't get it and get it more now, but still not really.
love Haylo Hayley (and her sister Drama Kween)
great video 👍
It is a real phenomenon that things that girls and women like even though it’s making the companies good money are looked down upon, then you have those pick mes and not like other girls because we can pick that people judge us for what we like and also downgrade each other. It’s all a very nic shit cycle.
i love my stanley’s. I have 2, one for work / regular outtings and one for camping/hiking. I got my best friend and my cousin. That’s it though. because they are designed for longevity and i take care of them so they last longer.
I hate the overconsumption of stanley’s.. defeats the entire purpose of their message and the product itself. And it’s just predatory to anyone who might want one
The fact that women buying books is seen as frivolous tells you just how gendered this is
I have never been into trends or fads so I find all of this fascinating and enraging at the same time. My $20 water bottle works better than big brand water bottles. I've had a $20 backpack I've used every single day for 3 years and it's fantastic. All these people are doing is paying for a company label. It's been like that forever, just enhanced now that the internet exists. There's nothing special about it. The clip of the lady throwing the bottles in the trash made me so angry. At least donate them to a shelter or thrift store!
This was a really well done commentary on the craze, and I'm so glad you spent a significant amount of time discussing the sexism of the entire backlash, I think that aspect has been missing from this discussion.
Personally I bought one Stanley because late 2023-early 2024 has been the happiest time of my life and I wanted something to commemorate that very specific time frame and Stanleys will always be tied to that moment, and yes I'm probably a little too emotionally invested in my stupid cup, but it will continue to sit on my desk and remind me of a great period of time in my life for years to come, and that's doing a capitalism in a way I'm okay with lol
Now its the cult of trader joes tote bags. Mini and full size. Ive seen numerous posts in mom groups in my town. They are willing to pay upwards of 100 bucks for a 4 dollar tote/ insulted tote.