The frenzy that the Starbucks Bearista Cup caused upon its launch last week was not on my 2025 bingo card to be honest. Sure, when I first saw the cup I thought it was cute, but in all honesty, I had higher expectations for Gen Z’s behavior.
Lately, the trends in reusable water bottles have begun to feel gimmicky and honestly, pointless. However, it’s hard to tell if the fixation behind this peculiar obsession is out of materialistic greed, or if the “emotional support water bottle” label actually holds some truth.
To gain some clarity on this odd Gen Z (and frankly millennial) fascination, I asked various college aged females (aka my closest friends) what their opinion was. What did they think of the Starbucks Bearista frenzy? Have they fallen victim to this consumerist trend? Do they have an emotional support water bottle, or does buying another plastic cup give them an actual sense of joy?
The first friend I interviewed agreed that Starbucks did a great job marketing the Bearista cup, it was festive and cute. However, the price simply wasn’t justifiable – even before it hit ebay for hundreds of dollars.
Her take on Gen Z’s water bottle obsession: ridiculous. While she has gladly accepted reusable water bottles like Hydroflasks and Stanleys as gifts, she proudly has never spent her own money on them.
In fact, her “emotional water bottle” held a sweet story: covered in our university stickers, she picked it up at the bookstore with her family when she realized she’d forgotten to bring one on move-in day, a very justified reason for “emotional support” if I do say so myself.
The reason she loves it? “It’s plain and it works.”
You go glen coco!
The next friend I interviewed had a much different approach, as she’s usually very conscious of the environment and overconsumption. While she firmly believed that products similar to the Bearista cup were a prime example of “another big corporation to encourage consumerism”, she has amazingly not fallen victim to the trend, staying loyal to her favorite water bottle – a hydroflask – “for around 6 years”.
The reason she loves it? “ the design is timeless and sleek”.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve owned just about every type of water bottle to exist. From Nalgene to Yeti, Hydroflask to Stanley, you name it and I’ve probably had it. In all honesty, I think the reason I fall for this marketing strategy time and time again is because I just haven’t found the perfect bottle that handles both hot and cold, fits in the center console of my car, but also the side pocket of my backpack.
With the holiday season upon us, my goal is to avoid gifting bottles. Not only because of the ridiculous Bearista frenzy that has just occurred, but also because the last thing a busy college girl needs is another thing to wash and put away.