Overconsumption

Society today revolves around trends, niches, and fads like planets orbit the Sun. The United States has been a consumer driven society since the 1920s, yet especially in recent years, the startling effects of overconsumption have dominated the mainstream.

One recent trend that many have fallen victim to is the Stanley tumbler; they are desperate to get their hands on one of their own. On the Stanley website, the typical cost of their water bottles is $45. However, resellers on websites such as Ebay will sell them at $100, proving its high volume of demand. Having a Stanley water bottle has become increasingly popular, and many have, ironically, begun to collect them. This is incredibly counterproductive, given a reusable water bottle is supposed to both save money and preserve the environment, but the trend seems to overpower practicality.

Many companies have profited off of the Stanley fad by selling insignificant items to accompany it. For example, straw toppers, add-on keychains, water bottle bags, and snack trays have all been mass produced and advertised as must-haves. Many TikTok influencers make videos titled “Pack my Stanley for a Walk,” and then continue to dress up their water bottle like a baby doll. One user was actually shown filling up her Stanley with bottled water, which is certainly ironic, and after calculating the total price of her Stanley with add-ons included, her “going for a walk water bottle” cost a whopping $80. 

Overconsumption is all around us, and to save the environment and our wallets, we must carefully choose what we spend our money on. Despite what society tells us, spending $80 on a water bottle—or multiple—is ridiculous.