Hyper-consumerism
guest starring m*thf*cking Stanleys.
Reusables aren’t meant to be disposable. And this sippy cup craze is out of hand.
Wiki really pressed with it’s definition on hyper-consumerism. I’ll paraphrase, consuming (includes purchasing) goods beyond necessity due to the association of said good to shape one’s identity, which is typically defined by social media. “Consumerism for the sake of consuming” - Frenchy Lunning.
I am in a committed relationship with four water bottles. Each get their turn daily if not every other day and I am committed to keeping these bottles until I decease.
It looks like this, Miss Yeti stays at work, because I’m a butterfinger gal and I be losing things when they leave their designated zones. She gets chugged during that 40 hour work week. Next is my lovely Takeya, who is for the gym only- she’s saved my life many times. Perfect size and has a cute lil finger hook so I can swing her from workout to workout. Take out enemies on the way. Madame Gatorade Squeeze is only for flavored water, such as powdered gatorade. Science may say I’m wrong but once that flavored water flavor permeates the bottle wall boundary…there’s no getting those tainted flavors out. And the last one, my biggest best-est girly, is my daily drinker. An unbranded American Red Cross 32oz tumbler who has always been there when I wake up in the middle of the night- throat dry as hell, eyes watering from coughing, back aching from sitting up wrong. She’s got my home thirst locked down. Rarely does this queen leave the home, but often does she remind me I am home. I feel like Tank, and these are my ladies (Surfs Up reference).
My gripe isn’t with Stanley alone. Truly it’s with fast fashion, and how fast reusable products go through the cycle of fads. It’s also with capitalism, and how price points for products can be behemoth-ly high and people will still eat up every new modded color released. Stanley’s Instagram quote touts how it is built for life! And I see people trying to live 4 or 5 lives through their Stanleys even though the average cost is $35 a cup! Lowest I’ve seen is $20- which is still wild to me. The 64oz is $64…
“Since 1913, we have been fueling life's adventures, delivering quality food and beverage gear that's #BuiltForLife”
Remember Hydroflasks? Sksksksk? *click clacks finger nails on the side* Ahh with the scrunchies too. Those two were a demonic duo, let me tell you. Their reign of craze was the background noise to my college years- 2016-2020. Every VSCO girl, millennial, outdoorsy, crunchy granola athlete had one. The noise of a Hydroflask getting tinked against someone’s nails, key chain, and Macbook still rings in my head. Like the shot heard round the world. Yeti also stepped into the ring, grabbing every outdoorsy-sport enthused-boat having American boy by the balls.
These metal water bottles became a flag, a symbol of passion, for the environment. A clear choice to reduce plastic water bottle use and waste. Aaaaand now it’s a red or beige flag. I at least am not going to date 6 Stanleys.
Hydroflask was preceded by a Y2K gem- Nalgene! Really hit homes in the early 90’s and is touted as still being very reliable. “The original water bottle. BPA Free.” I remember all the soccer moms, “dad joke” dads, crunchy college hikers, all having a Nalgene. Hooked in their fingers until it’s time for the next trendy thirst trapper. I wonder if those are still taking up real estate in cupboards.
Granted, there are real tangible reasons people like these types of metal water bottles. Beyond the aesthetics, there are substantial temperature retention qualities that keep your beverage cold or hot, however you like it. Due to double layer insulation, ice holds form for a surprising amount of time, and there’s no condensation. So all those stickers stay nice and un-sogged. There’s also the fact that there are potential health risks associated with single use plastics. Most are now BPA free and they sure are proud to state it. Easy to see the draw to invest in a few. So how many fad branded reusable water bottles is too much to have? How many Stanleys do you think is just the right amount of Stanleys?
And how many of those Stanleys leak. (ope)
I see you Owala, coming for Stanley shaped throats.
The attention Owala has been getting has their neighbor Stanley going from sharing an aisle amicably to requesting (in a corporate tone) that those customer trend stealing bottles be moved so that they’re not sharing any sort of shelf space. How fun. I really don’t care about the draw to all these trendy thirst trappers, bottom line is that the more you purchase- the higher the demand, the more they have to make, and all that adds up to more pollution from the manufacturing process. The higher your carbon footprint, and less of a sustainable choice. Some people did a full lap with this one and met themselves back at the start, with more water bottles than they need.
The market audience for reusable water bottles is global, and continues to grow as environmental consciousness continues to spread. The demand for alternatives to single use plastics will likely spike year after year for quite a while. I wonder if there’s more non plastic reusable water bottles around the world than humans. Regardless, I’m tired of seeing m*thf*cking Stanleys.
Cheers,
L.
