Let’s clarify something: food is political. Whether you recognize it or not, food has always held political significance. It also acts as a social and economic indicator, a fact that has become more evident to many people with the release of FILA X Hailey.
FILA X HAILEY
A few weeks ago, Hailey Bieber and the brand FILA released a collection together. The campaign pictures consisted of Bieber wearing clothes from the collection and notably spilling various food and baby products, as well as one photo where Bieber is seen spilling a cup of coffee.
The campaign images have ignited discussions across social media. Kirajin on X captured the essence of the situation when they wrote, “That one influencer that predicted fresh food would become part of fashion in 2025 because groceries are too expensive, & it’s a status symbol to waste fresh produce ate so bad.”
The campaign has led to an interesting commentary on the relationship between food and fashion, and fashion and the economy.
FROM FOOD TO FASHION ACCESSORIES
Food has recently become included in the fashion industry’s marketing campaigns and magazine editorials. Many people speculate that the recent inclusion of food in fashion is because food has become so expensive that buying an excess amount of groceries and wasting them is something only certain people can afford to do.
People see the wasting of food as a luxury, so when it is connected to fashion and included in fashion images, the items in those images being sold to the public are connected to luxury through that food.
While food as a status symbol has become increasingly integrated into society, it has appeared in various forms over the last few years, almost a sign of what was to come. Food as a status symbol is not so much new, more so just getting more attention.
The most notable examples of this are Trad Wives, more specifically Nara Smith, and Erewhon. Erewhon, for those who might not know, is a high-end grocery store in LA. Their prices for regular groceries are in the 20-30 dollar range or more.
Many celebrities have collaborated with Erewhon on smoothies, including Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and so many more. From the extravagant cost of the food alone, it is obvious that the food at Erewhon is a luxury and not for the general public, but for people wealthy enough to afford $20 pesto.
With Trad Wives, influencers like Nara Smith, Ballerina Farm and Emily Mariko make breads and pastries and even toothpaste from scratch. They appeal to “The American Dream” and make these recipes look easy and fun.
What makes these videos so indicative of food being a status symbol is that the average American would not be able to afford this type of lifestyle or to make these kinds of foods. These influencers are making millions of dollars all while promoting this quaint, homely sort of lifestyle, a lifestyle which used to be achieved by many but now can only be achieved by the wealthy.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see how this trend progresses with time, and what other indicators of food now being a status symbol will appear. As grocery prices surge, luxury foods gain more social clout and become more unreachable. Now, though, prices are so expensive that access to regular food at a grocery store is becoming a wealth signaler.