What do Hydroflasks, Labubus, and PR packages all have in common? Yes, they were once, or still are, trendy and highly sought after commodities. However, they are also stark examples of the epidemic of overconsumption infiltrating our culture and environment.
Collectible trinkets end up discarded in landfills and once desirable clothing plastered all over fashion magazines becomes obsolete. In chasing the trends, people are unwittingly trading art and connection for corporation and greed.
In a world where fast fashion is all the rage and million dollar clothing corporations hide behind the terms “sustainable” and “eco-friendly,” people not only buy poorly-made clothes but also the new trendy “uniform.” Knitting is replaced by Nike and sewing with Shein. Clothing designs have sacrificed uniqueness for efficiency and mass production, and our society has fallen for it.
Behind the facade of trendy “fit checks” online and buzzword collections is a society grappling with bleakness.
Furthermore, the history behind desired commodities is lost in trendy turnover. While everyone knows the word “Labubu” that has been endlessly memed or seen the dolls on everyone’s bag, there is a greater story behind the infamous charms. Created by Hong-Kong artist Kasing Lung, Labubu was meant to be a character representation of the monster from the children’s story Where the Wild Things Grow. Among the brainrot memes and frenzied greed for the charms is a story that connects to culture.
What can be said about a society whose culture is filled with trend chasing and no regard for individuality and backstory?
Along with the cultural threat overconsumption poses is an increasing threat to the environment.
Nothing mass-produced can be sustainable nor resourceful no matter how hard companies try and persuade consumers. Corporations swimming in billions of dollars are too distracted by the riches to concern themselves with the environment because their strategy is working. Why become environmentally conscious when your target consumers do not seem to?
There is a pile of clothes in the Atacama Desert in Chile called the “Desert of Clothes” and the infamous “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is now three times the size of France. It is no secret that our planet is struggling under the weight of our selfish materialism. The Hydroflasks and Stanleys of yesterday are accumulating in the landfills at a rapid rate and the Labubus are next. The impending doom of current trending trinkets foreshadows the demise of our planet. At the rate of our current overconsumption, environmental and social crises are inevitable.
Thankfully, there are remedies for widespread overconsumption. As a society we must refrain from buying into persuasive advertisements and personal greed. The influencers you see online gushing about their new products are being paid for their partnership. The celebrity advertisements on TV are nothing more than collective cooperation for personal economic gain. When consumer health is pitted against wealth, money and power will always prevail for corporations. Recognizing collaboration for the benefit of wealth is the first step to halting the masses of overconsumption and mending our culture and environment.
While we parade around boasting our new hot commodities, do we truly know their impact?
