With the increase of trendy “must-have” items; online stores such as TikTok Shop, Temu, Shein, Amazon and regular fast fashion stores like Zara and H&M are at an all time high in popularity. There is always a new something– a new trend, a new scent, a new styling brush or a new clothing item. This is constantly pushed by influencers to buy the latest and greatest because there will always be a new amazing product that they swear by. While the product may be great, it’s important to remember that the majority of influencers are getting paid to say specific enticing things about it, and in return make money off of the people buying it. For example, TikTok star Mikayla Nogueira having several drawers of just one product, and an entire room dedicated to PR packages.
TikTok is one of the most impressionable apps out right now. You see someone using a product–you want to buy it. TikTok shop viral hourglass bodysuit? MUST HAVE! New Stanley cup colorway? There’s a line out of the door at Target waiting to fight over it. Super soft buttery shirt that goes with everything? LET’S BUY THREE! Just because it’s on sale does not mean that you need to purchase it. These pieces are often made with extremely cheap materials and unethically sourced from other countries. Suppliers are using child labor, ignoring health and safety laws, and focusing on quantity over the livelihood of their employees.
The mindset behind carelessly following influencer trends is so destructive, not only to the environment, but also to easily influenced, younger children. There is no such thing as “must have items.” These are micro trends–fashion crazes that go through a surge in popularity before falling off just as quickly. Most don’t last more than a few months. Social media influencers with larger platforms as well as companies sending out PR packages need to be held accountable for glorifying overconsumption. It’s not normal to own 12 different shampoos and six concealers that you either won’t use at all nor finish by the time they expire. The videos of people owning fifty to sixty Stanley cups in different colors or the Starbucks cups to “match your outfit” completely defeats the purpose of owning reusable water bottles.
Does competition with other women drive collecting and overconsumption?
The root of the problem stems from the competition amongst ourselves. The obsession with status, wealth and materialism is not new to the 20th century; Juliet Schor, American Economist who studies consumerism, suggested a shift in our values occurred to where our responsibilities as citizens have taken a backseat from our desires as consumers (1999). Why do we always feel the need to have more or better things than someone else? When thinking about the type of people we want to be and who we compare ourselves to, it relates back to the type of things that people buy. Material goods are unfortunately now seen as one of the strongest measures of success.
So, next time you’re browsing online or see influencers promoting something appealing, try asking yourself these questions:
- Do I truly need it?
- Has this caught my attention because another person has it?
- Can you see yourself using this next year? What about the years that follow?
- How will this affect the environment?
- What corporation am I giving my money to?