Quick, try to guess! Are we talking about 18th century France, or the United States in the 21st century? Imagine a bouquet of flowers, decorated with artfully arranged orange slices in the midst of a national shortage, and a tablescape from a dinner party consisting of red roses and off-season grapes and berries — all of these to look at, to admire, and fawn over, but not to eat. Already made your guess? It wasn’t Marie Antoinette, though she was known to use off-season fruit as a centerpiece during royal festivities, and pretend to eat during lavish banquets as a sign of her opulence — it was the Kardashians, who last year garnered significant criticism for flaunting their wealth via fruits.
The creator kfesteryga was the one to initially call out the Kardashians.
Source: kfesteryga
Unfortunately, circumstances haven’t improved since late 2024. Grocery prices continue to rise, especially considering the labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and a myriad of other issues that have wracked the market as of late. Take eggs, for example, which are the staple of any breakfast dish. Even after a recent drop in wholesale costs, retail egg prices remain at near historic highs, averaging at about $6 per dozen — roughly double what people paid a year ago. And yet, even while the average American spent around 11.2% of their disposable income on food, some have begun to shop at luxury shops, where a singular strawberry is priced at $20.
Current research has only made more apparent this trend in spending habits from Gen Z. Reporter Dianna Shen mentioned, in a recent article for Delish, a McKinsey study in which “groceries topped the list of categories that Gen Z and millennials plan to splurge on, surpassing even dining out and travel.” Health, wellness, and sustainability are all things that younger generations are now more likely to prioritize when buying food. Meaning, a preference for organic options often results in higher grocery prices.
Erewhon is a luxury grocery store in Los Angeles which has become the center of this phenomenon. As stated in Dianna Shen’s article for Delish, about $200 a week are being funneled into high-end groceries by Gen Zers who are also working two or three jobs in order to afford trips to Erewhon.
Gaze upon Erewhon’s famed $20 strawberry.
Source: Pinterest
Spencer, a 23-year-old self-described Erewhon addict who is sharing an un-airconditioned apartment told The Cut, “I’ve made jokes about how no matter what, it’ll always be in my budget, even though I’m a starving artist.” She adds, “It’s become my identity.” Spencer’s comments seem to be representative of Gen Z’s thoughts on the whole trend. According to Dianna Shen of Delish, splurging on premium groceries isn’t just about nourishment — it’s about signaling identity. They’re turning everyday grocery trips into opportunities for social media engagement or trying to find new people to date!Â
More than that, it’s the new form of affordable influence, of rubbing shoulders with people who can dish out $20 for a banana smoothie and afford $300 monthly memberships to the gym without flinching. It’s food not as a basic need, but as a luxury. It forms part of a larger cultural tapestry of recent years, as absurd as it seems. We associate aesthetics such as That Girl with green smoothies, matcha lattes, and cut fruits mixed with protein yogurt and overnight oats. We have influencers, like Nara Smith, who boast of using only organic and locally sourced ingredients for her recipes and making everything from scratch. Having the time to cook, the space — especially when the United States is in the middle of a housing crisis — and, more importantly, the resources to buy the variety of expensive ingredients is the new wealth signal. Adding to the equation the growing emphasis on skincare, as well as the stress of using as little makeup as possible (think of the Clean Girl aesthetic), the food one eats reflects on their overall health.
Food is part of the aesthetic.
Source: Pinterest
Much like everything else, the crux of the matter lies with social media, the obsession with appearances, and superficiality. It’s the desire for our lives to be perfectly curated for our feeds, down to the most intimate of things such as sharing a meal. Forming part of a trend now isn’t just buying the clothes, using the skincare, or mimicking the makeup; it’s buying the food, making the recipes, and buying in the same places that they shop. Yet, who is they? Who is this performance for? Would people continue to shop at Erewhon if there wasn’t a chance to post the meticulously organized color-coded vegetable stalls? Those questions don’t hold very clear answers, but it’s clear Gen Z will continue to redefine what luxury means for them in the coming years.