Fifteen seconds, that’s all it takes for Strongsville teens to be influenced. Maddie Klinzing, sophomore, wears matching sets three out of the five days at school. This fact is just the start of the microtrends like water bottles, fun drinks, and fashion; they all play a role in overconsumption.

“I wear matching sets so much because it is easy to pick an outfit for the day and they are super comfortable,” Klinzing, sophomore, said. And while no one would question the comfort of a matching set, the rapidity with which the trend arrived and pushed out leggings and hoodies or mismatched sweats and tshirts helps lead to overconsumption. Why buy a new matching set if you have comfy clothes in your closet already that are less than six months old? The answer is overconsumption driven by social media and corporate profits.  

The term fast fashion reveals its intention: to get customers to buy and to buy quickly after a previous purchase. Following fast fashion trends like hoodies, pants, and shirts, things like matching sets, camo, White Fox, Comfrt, and Dandy hoodies replaced them and push the original trends out of style. To keep up, students must purchase more. 

Research has shown that teens have a constant desire of belonging when it comes to fitting in with everyone around them. Young people are strongly influenced by social media and their fellow peers. Doubt this truth? Look at your feet. Are you wearing an open-toed flip flop? A pair of 9060 New Balances? Adidas Campuses? Where did you first see them? 

One of the many fashion trends starts with shoes. From sandals, tennis shoes, boots, heels to classy or funky shoes, whatever suits your preference, there’s a trend for your style. 

“I have a big shoe rack in my room, and it’s four layers. Each fits about six pairs of shoes. I do slightly have a shoe problem,” Shayler Smith, senior, said. Not only does Smith have a shoe rack with about twenty four pairs of shoes, she has even more in her closet. 

With that many pairs of shoes, the real question with having so many shoes becomes how many pairs are decoration pieces and how many are getting worn?

Many students buy shoes because others have them and they feel compelled to have them too. From Uggs, Blazers, Converse, Hokas, and Nike Dunks, shoes follow a fast and changing trend, requiring constant updates and consumption to keep up.

“People over consume things just to say they have it. A lot of brands will pick up on that and drop a new version. Like, it will be the same shoes with a different title. For example, the low dunk black and white Nikes became the Pandas. Then people went crazy to get them,” Lulu Nawabit, sophomore, said. “Owalas and even Alanis are becoming like that too.”

A water bottle meant to cut down on environmental impact, the Stanley, caused Black Friday fights and hours-long waits. After consumers stock-piled Stanleys in every color and pattern, lining their walls with shelves full of them and accessorizing them with even mini-Stanleys and lip balm holders, the trend went away and was replaced with Owala bottles. There’s an irony in collecting so much future waste in the form of bottles that were supposed to help reduce waste.

¨I’ll be on that Stanley trend for a while, but now it’s Owalas,” Smith said.

According to an expert from Barnard College and the Columbia University Climate School, every product purchased has “an environmental payback period and customers need to really understand why it’s so unsustainable to buy multiple, durable items, and treat them more like a fast fashion item.”

Even energy drinks are being collected and over-consumed.

Popular energy drink brand Alani introduced a Witch’s Brew flavor that was hard to get and frequently sold out due to the hype on social media. And this was despite the drink being linked to panic attacks and possibly even strokes. Finding a Witch’s Brew became a kind of accomplishment, leading to consumers buying and drinking as many as they could find.

Even coffee follows a trend. Starbucks and Dunkin are the norm at Strongsville High School. In fact, every morning students walk by multiple students with a pink and orange or green logo in their hands. The most simple drink from Starbucks starts at $2.45 and the rest go up from there. With the addition of customization of drinks, a Starbucks can cost over $8.00.

“I get it whenever I’m feeling it cause it just tastes good,” Kerri Teague, sophomore, said.

The same drinks can be made at home for less money, but they will lack the logo that has come to define one’s taste.

“I get the strawberry acai refresher at Starbucks. Itś about $5.00. I usually get it after sports because itś really refreshing, and it just tastes really good. I feel like when people carry it around, it draws my eyes because it looks really good and then I want to go there,” Jadyn Dombek, sophomore, said.

Even a simple accessory can lead to excessive spending. While a keychain can easily be found around the house, given away for free at an event, or purchased for just a couple of dollars at a Five Below or on a vacation, people will spend upwards of $50.00 to sport a Lululemon keychain. These keychains are seen a lot in the hallways of SHS. The wristlet with two wallets hanging from the bottom with car keys seems to be the common trend for girls.

“I think it comes in handy a lot. I can fit all my cards and extra coins in there,” Lauren Pozsonyi, junior, said. 

To add on to the Lululemon keychains, the company’s reusable bags are kept and desired based on what colors are pretty and pleasing. Many students use them as lunch boxes, overnight bags, and storage bags. 

“They are reusable, so I keep them,” Maya Parrot, senior, said. Other students reported keeping the bags because they are a status symbol 

In the end overconsumption happens every day at SHS. Whether it is clothing, shoes, water bottles, or simple drinks, teens are inspired to follow one another in getting popular products to fit in. Overconsumption has been deeply ingrained in life. Corporations and social media promise excitement and joy in those who purchase trending products. But overconsumption has negative consequences that require an open mind and reevaluation.