It depends on where you live on your type of water quality in places that have bad or toxic water. Then buying water bottles is a safer cleaner alternative because it might be coming from a cleaner tap. And also different water brands taste different. Some may taste the same but generally they taste at least slightly different like Fiji. For example, it’s got a clear taste that anything you eat around the time you drink the Fiji water will alter the taste or if you have plaque or bad teeth are going Rotten those will affect the taste of Fiji water and the type of container that it is provided in affects the taste of the water. If you have a plastic water bottle that’s been in the sun for a while then you refrigerated some of those plastic chemicals to make the water can leach into the water bottle. That’s why there’s expiry dates on plastic water bottles, meanwhile, glass is in the way it’s made and in the way it affects the water including taste
I dread the inevitability of all these people discarding/ donating once the trend is over. $750 million waste of a perfectly good resource, as if natural resources aren't finite and landfills aren't filling up.
@@purplepotato8849I work at apartament mantinence and the amount of these I find all the time is incredible... I do take nice ones home since they are free and trash the rest
Just talked about this with my sister recently, all that came to mind when someone was explaining the Stanley cup craze to me was that episode of We Bare Bears where they keep buying all the tote bags
Once I was a live thing, struggling to contain water. Now what's left is fully dehydrated in ash form. It is time. Make me one with the water bottle at last.
I personally think it’s cool to see my hydroflask have so many little dents, dings, scratches, stickers because it shows that I used the hell out of it.
Right?? I have a water bottle that must be all of 13 years old by now, and it has a dink on the bottom. I dropped it because my best friend surprised me by showing up unexpectedly when I was having a hard time. We're all a bit dinked up, let your water bottles be dinked up too.
Haha that's my confusion with the Stanley. I do use a car, but I need to work in various environments and carry a lot of stuff with me. Having to carry a cup like that around is silly.
It’s their ugliest product, they have lots of nice ones but unfortunately this Franken-cup will probably destroy the company when demand eventually tails off and they still crave those profits.
I mean...yes, it's American, and the design is car oriented because that is what's useful here. I live in a city with no sidewalks, no bike lanes, no streetlights, no public transport, and businesses that are miles away from any homes. It is functionally impossible to even go to the store without getting in a car, let alone commute to your job. This is the norm outside of a handful of major cities. A large cup that you can fit into your cupholder just makes sense for most Americans because we are forced into cars even for short trips since walking conditions are basically engineered to be hazardous to pedestrians, not because we are all lazy and just loooove cars.
I can understand wanting a nice quality water bottle and at a glance the Stanley cups look like they are quality (minus the lead content in them). But buying multiple ones just to match with your outfits is just so unbelievably stupid.
I'm so mad I can't get a Stanley now because it's really rare for a cup that holds that much water to actually fit in a cup holder. Plus I'm not spending $50 on a water bottle.
@@karendover6001yeah i agree. I have my dads hand me down hunter green old school Stanley soup thermos and i find it ridiculous people are rushing to get Stanley cups.
This is definitely one of the best Stanley videos I’ve seen. I’ve started to get bored of Stanley and ‘Sephora kids’ videos as I feel some of them just turn into mean-spirited rants rather than actually examining history, marketing, consumer behaviour etc. Glad I chose to watch your video!
This! Omg yes, even some people in my personal life boil it down to "dumb middle schoolers/ gen alpha". It's just such an insane oversight to me, to blame kids for a feature that is built into our economic system and reinforced by our normalization of overconsumption. This is really not new, but it is indicative of the patterns that we've been seeing and will continue to see in the future.
😂😂😂😂 😢 it is also a sporting event, don't know what sport. I have a Stanley thermos and it's fantastic, we have had it for over a decade, it was pricey, but it is excellent quality. Having said that I would not buy the cup, it's huge and looks bulky and cumbersome.
It's less about the cup in particular, but more about desire for belonging. The cup represents social belonging. which to a teenager, is like life-and-death
i used to collect kpop albums so i developed a habit of measuring costs by how many albums it equaled. i cannot believe one stanley is the price of two albums
"history is a long and continuous story, one, in which, we are not in the final chapter" didn't expect to get hit with an existential crises in a video about a water bottle trend
I'm still using the hydro flask I bought in 2016 and it's beyond me why I'd need more than 1 reusable drinking container. Tiktok has truly melted our minds
I wanted a hydroflask or a yeti so bad in high school. I tried and tried to buy one and it never lined up with my other expenses. I'm glad I didn't cause I found two dupes at Walmart that work so fking good. My coffee cup stays warm for my entire 13 hour shift. My water bottle is so solid and tough I ran it over and it just rolled to the side of my garage 😂
@@izzyha6173😂😂😂 brilliant. Keep using them until they truly die! My husband looses water bottles 🤦, I have one that lives in the car and a smaller one for hiking and travel, the smaller one also generally lives on my bedside table so that if I get thirsty during the night I have a closed water container. The rest of the time, give me a glass please 😊
This has to be an American trend because where I live, I've never seen anyone with a water bottle like that. It's just so weird, seeing those people run in the store, almost pushing each other out of the way to get a water bottle.... It's just a water bottle.... It just holds water. (And I have heard some arguments online that those Stanley Cups aren't the best at holding the water.) I think the weirdest thing for me is seeing those people with 20 waterbottles at home.... One or two should be enough I think.
Yeah, Stanley cups leak ._. Better to just get a normal water bottle you can actually use, put in a bag, etc instead of taking up a hand to carry a heavy cup I'm glad some people have sense
@brooklynsbaby4367 Any water bottle? Like... at all? Look, maybe it is because I live in a tropical country, but Brazilians all keep a water bottle, be it a used PET soda bottle or an AliEx-bought thermos, but having a source of water on you at all times can and did prevent me and friends from being dehydrated. I am not even asking for a fancy or expensive bottle, but not having one (and not knowing anyone who does) is interesting!
@@NothingXemnas Yes, at least in my experience. Most people buy small plastic water bottles on the go. At home we use drinking jars(quite popular) or just plain water glasses. The closest thing to a water bottle is maybe a thermos? Some people own a thermos, but it's mainly used for tea. I myself have a Strabucks thermos, I use it from time to time for coffee or any iced drink, but not water. Here you mainly see children or athletes carrying water bottles.
@@brooklynsbaby4367 As a fellow Eastern European, same! I got a pepco dupe of Stanley cup and I already hate it. I mean it is big and you can use it around your house like I do. But my thermos from the supermaket is way better because it is not so heavy and can be carried in your backpack. We are so used to buying plastic water bottles
I love it how we call them reusable waterbottles meaning that we we're supposed to buy one and reuse it so we don't have to buy more but nonono, we get 100 different colours of that same waterbottle and defeat the whole reusable/low consumerism point ps: you're hair and makeup look so cute in this video!
Last time I bough a water bottle was in 2021, the very same week I dropped my old one and it exploded into a million pieces. RIP Purple nalgene, your successor is still going strong
The Stanley Cup trend is a symptom of a much bigger problem that we have in society; which is that we are using our collections or the things that we buy to establish and embolden our identity. We have a loneliness epidemic right now, and people are trying to find a sense of community by getting caught up in water bottle culture/tote bag culture/funko pop culture/ whatever and engaging in retail therapy. I think that while people may be impressed with your collection, but they'll never know about your quirks, your values, or who you are _truly_ outside of that so you triple down on the overconsumption to make yourself feel better. We have to focus on not letting marketers, influencers, and brands dictate who we are before we can make any real changes.
To add to the fleeting trend- I used to teach at an affluent middle school. The last year I was there, I watched HUNDREDS of hydroflasks go to the lost and found. I have about 15 of them that I took on the last day of school. Give it another 2 years and I could have done the same with Stanley and Owala
Apparently consumerism is deeply ingrained in US mentalities as something positive and patriotic that support the economy. It's very different here in Europe...
I drink a lot of coffee, tea, and water and I wake up early and work long days so a solid thermos is absolutely necessary for me. However! I had ONE bottle that I used daily for over 10 years that was some off brand thermos which cost me like $10 at the time and the only reason I had to throw it out was because the inside was rusting as it was made of stainless steel. So once I sadly threw it out, I went to walmart to buy a solid $20 off brand one only because, like I said, I use it daily. This Stanley craze is just insane to me lol no one needs 40 frikken water bottles.
I hate the fact that there are children at school got bullied because they don't have Stanley's or if their parents can't afford the real one so they bought the dupes. So their child won't get bullied. 😢
A story as old as school itself. Clothes, phones, cars, now water bottles. Kids only repeat what their parents say and do. Look at the bad kids parents and you'll see what I mean.
@@izzyha6173just ignore the troll, they will go away faster that way. Besides their head is probably so far up their own @ss that it's too clogged up with s@#t to understand your point of view.
The more I dive into this topic, the more I see how brands aka rich people fool everyone, including me: with $45 from each buyer and businessmen becoming millionaires, while you are left with a cup that you no longer care about in a year and continue to live from paycheck to paycheck
I’m a Canadian living in Europe and I honestly was blown away by this trend. Meaning, I couldn’t believe it was real. True, when visiting back home I do see people I know with water bottles but I didn’t realize how large the trend had become. I do have water bottle I use for yoga and workouts but it’s a very rare thing to see here. It’s often remarked by my euro friends that you can spot an American because of their water bottle. I wouldn’t say we are less hydrated either, it’s just a very odd “consumption” trend that hasn’t yet hit this market. That being said, one must buy water everywhere they go- Restaurants etc., and bottled still or carbonated water is more often purchased for home use, but it is in glass bottles that everyone religiously returns for refunds. It might be interesting to make a little side video showing how different cultures view “water”. As an essential and part of culture. Love you videos always, you keep my accountable and always curious! Thanks so much!
gotta wait for people to get rid of the collection they have by pushing the new It bottle trend so that after, you can sell em more of the old brand all over again...
@@gustavus0013 How can it break, I bought my hydro flask years ago, threads on the lid wore out but I just bought a new wide mouth lid and its as good as new.
You can’t really drink tap water safely where I live and for me personally the taste difference is noticeable enough that anything but bottled water is truly unpleasant so we go to a water store like once a week to refill our gallon bottles with the purified water from the dispensers.
I used to live in a city like this, I got some great stainless steel gallon containers. I tried glass but they were heavy, and kept breaking. I bought the stainless steel ones over two years ago and am still able to sanitize and use them to this day.
Sounds like when I lived in Phoenix. I was a water tester, carbon filters that you put on your tap or the pitchers work just as well. Water stores use reverse osmosis which removes everything including minerals you need.
I once lived in an apartment where the tap water actually have rust molecules in it. Because I used to boil water straight from tap back home, I thought I could do the same there. What I don't realize then was that my parents filtered the tap water using two different filters to get the water quality we have at home. Rust accumulates in the water container after a while and I got stomach ache lol. I then used the RO water dispenser where you can fill up bottles for home use after that, or just straight up bought bottled water. Definitely got leery of any taps not in my parents' home after that.
I grew up in a house with just well water so we did this too! I was so confused at people buying the tiny water bottles when you can just do that and reuse it plenty of times.
I buy water bottles for functionality. I am not a fan of straws, so i get ones that twist open. I need a tall skinny water bottle that fits in my backpack side pocket and i like having a handle, so i can lazily carry my bottle on walks or hikes. Not gonna lie though I have a preference for pastels. ❤
I'm Filipino and here in the Philippines water tumblers (mostly known brand here was Aquaflask, some of its rival were Hydroflask sold in the malls here) has also been a part of almost everyone's life from students, athletes, office workers like me, travelers or even people who prefer water over milkteas or iced coffees. Actually, the good thing on having a tumbler on hand made me save money and prevent myself making a purchase of water bottles on the go. 😊💙
So do you mean everyone gets this tumbler form factor with the straw? I looked up aquaflask and I could only see bottles with a screw off cap, no tumblers. Also, do some people bring their tea in a reusable container from home?
@@SnakeKillsDumbledorf im confused with your comment but ill explain haha. Aquaflasks are reusable water bottles usually bought with the screw off cap and are very popular here in the philippines
@@SnakeKillsDumbledorf"Milk tea" in Philippine English actually refers to what American English calls "boba tea." I believe the commenter is referring to the drinks one can buy at boba tea shops, which they transfer to their water bottles. I suppose it's possible to prepare it at home, but I imagine most would simply purchase them at stalls. I personally don't know of anyone who does this, but it's definitely not unlikely.
Great video. I also appreciate how your voice volume is constant throughout the video. Very pleasing to the ears to watch. I got one reusable water bottle as a gift 6 years or so ago. Still using it. Never bought one myself. This Stanley craze just seems to be a way for all those people to feel like they "belong" to something that's trendy
I can definitely see that, it's a very heavy cup designed to fit in a car cupholder It makes sense that they'd be a lot more popular with people living in the suburbs who have to drive through half an hour of sprawl to get anywhere than with people living in a more walkable city neighborhood
I can’t really make a comment on this trend because I sport multiple Yeti’s, from 1 gallon water jug for work, small and medium coffee mugs etc, around 10 of them but every single one serves a purpose, they have been acquired over the last 8 years and they all have scratches, dents and character. They definitely aren’t status symbols but have a place in my daily life. I also do not own glasses and drinkware due to always being out camping, travelling and working. Having one for an outfit is kinda nuts.
I'm with you there. In Australia, Frank Green is the big popular water bottle, and for good reason - because they're fantastic, and they have replaceable parts so you can keep using it. I have one of those, and other water bottles, but they're all different sizes - one I keep in my bag for shopping trips, another is for work, another is to keep by my bedside to take my medication, another I bought for a physically demanding show where I needed to be super hydrated, etc etc. Even if I don't take them out, I still keep them in the fridge as a reserve of cold water.
I have 2 sizes of coffee cups (I usually get smaller milk based hot drinks, but larger cold brews) and 2 water bottles (a 500ml for every day, 1l for days out) and that's it. They fit my needs, are leakproof and mean I rarely have to use a takeout cup or buy a drink when I am out. I think there's a difference between having multiple versions for practicality and different versions of the exact same thing but with a different colour etc for the hype.
Hi :) I'm a Vietnamese living in Germany and I think its very interesting to see how different trends are depending on the country. In Germany you can purchase a Stanley online but I have never seen someone with a Stanley here 😅. I just bought a thermos flask from Stanley as a christmas present because of the positive review about the quality. Just the imagination of people actually going crazy about a water bottle is so weird. Like what are they going to do if its not trendy anymore?🙃 I really love your videos and enjoy listening to your calm voice
seeing people with their massive stanley cup collections and knowing that 2 to 3 years from now, they wont be in trend anymore... hopefully they end up in thrift stores instead of in the landfill
The thrift store is often just a stop on the way to the landfill. It makes people feel good to donate, but they’re going to trash what doesn’t sell or what they get too much of. My local thrift stores were full of LuLaRoe at one point and I very much doubt every one of those ugly fabrics actually sold and wasn’t just trashed a month later to make room.
I actually have a few bottles, but they are all have different capacitys. As a 22 y/o without a car, this is actually practical for me. No bottle is newer than 2 years. For tote bags, I have a little collection, but I only bought two of them since I get a lot at fairs. Why peope buy so much is beyond me.
Honestly, I didn't know about Stanley till my little cousin mentioned it. I looked into them and was happy about the cup holder aspect of it. I purchased just ONE because that's all I needed. I just needed one good water bottle with a straw and I work from home so I don't care about impressing other people, I just wanted a good big water bottle because my other one (RTIC) was clunky and big to hold. These people buying everything freaking color and all the new releases are nuts.
According to what I’ve seen, Stanley cups are already “out” the new bottle to have is the Owala bottle. Water bottles have truly become the next victim of fast fashion. Makes me think that fast fashion will just become fast consumerism :/
personally, i bought an owala because my previous water bottle was moldy and leaking. i waited TWO YEARS for owala to restock the color i wanted so i could buy my favorite one instead of compromising, buying a « temporary one » and end up buying my favorite as a second one anyway. personally i love it! but i don’t need more than one, and i intend to keep mine for many many years to come
I wonder if they are becoming less of a status symbol and more of a clutter symbol like mugs. So many people have an overflowing cabinet of mugs they've gotten as souvenirs or gifts. Personally, the only thing I care about in a water bottle is how easy it is to wash!
Thought I needed to point out that Stanley cups have been one of the biggest trends for years now where I come from. I'm from rural Brazil, (midwest, in this state called Mato Grosso do Sul, 1 hour from Paraguay) and the countryside subculture in Brazil has been absolutely obsessed by these since 2018 I believe, so it's crazy to see how much it has blown out of proportion since the Crocs guy came in. But I have this vivid image in my mind of people smuggling counterfeit Stanley's across the Paraguay-Brazil border, and bringing home a Stanley for each one of their family members (Just so you know, they weren't obsessed by these big ass Stanleys, but more so the ones that resemble a regular cup + lid + bottle opener)
@@shadow_shine3578I don't have exact numbers but recently a Stanley kiosk has opened in one of the malls close to where I live and they seem to be getting a lot of business. Also, yes, instead of selling the bottles in other stores they opened up a kiosk *just* to sell Stanley cups, an insane business proposition that's *somehow* working
I’ve been using my flask for almost 3 years now and it’s basically good as new. No dents (I have a rubber that protects half of the flask) and no foul smell inside of it. You don’t always need the newest or grandest things for basic stuff such as drinking water. As long as it caters your need, helps the environment and overall motivates you to drink water then that’s good.
owned my first metal waterbottle for 5 years. I'd wanted one so long and my mum bought it for me as a surprise gift, which for us at the time was a big deal, since they were expensive. I loved it so much even as it got scratched up, but unfortunately last year I lost the lid somehow. I kept it as a vase for a while but then when I moved I decided it was time to let it go. Was genuinely upsetting to have to do so ! While it seems ridiculous to have a connection to a waterbottle of all things, having one item from more purposeful consumption is so much more rewarding than having hundreds of different colours of the same thing. While we seek personal actualisation from buying many kinds to reflect our personalities, ultimately that kind of connection to your possessions can't be bought. it happens randomly when the item is connected to a memory or a person who gave it as a gift, and then develops over time. It's hard to remember this sometimes - I do have a replacement that I am not nearly as fond of and have been considering swapping out. but who knows, one day it too might have a nostalgic affect. thanks for the thoughtful video! (I will caveat that I think it's interesting that consumption mania of women is so widely critiqued and ridiculed, when as you said, it so closely parallels generally men's attitude towards shoes and shoe drops, which is taken far more seriously. but that's another topic.)
@HamazingKayliee I had the same thought. Some brands offer quite a lot of spare parts for their products. But sometimes things are out of production for too long and - I know that's not an actual point but our brains work like that - it just feels good to unbox something brand new.
Hi Cara, love your content! Have you considered getting or doing professional closed captions so the Deaf and hard of hearing audience (including myself) can gain full access to your videos?
The worst part is that specific model (design) is not even that good at it's only function, holding water! because it leaks if tipped over! And the cap tend to gather mold if you don't wash it very often!
This is why (not only) this stanleys almost got canceled xd it overall was not Perfect cup xd but Then they did marketing and people are buying this...
I live in the Netherlands and have just spotted the first one in real life - a direct colleague of mine has one and told me she had to go on an online queue and just about was able to order one and they were sold out within minutes. I really hope those cups won't take over here as well, as so many people here already have reusable bottles :pp
What type or brand of bottle is popular in the Netherlands? Is it because of the cycling culture? Wondering since I saw another comment that in another part of Europe they don't carry water bottles.
@@SnakeKillsDumbledorf from my experience, most of Europe has people that carry water bottles, only they're usually far smaller and inside of bags and backpacks.
As always, great video, Cara! Your perspective on water bottles becoming an accessory, a way to tell the world what kind of person you are, left me thinking. I'm from Argentina, and at least in the place where I live, we tend to reuse normal plastic bottles to take on the go. Of course, there are people who own stainless steel bottles too (I own one myself), but generally we only own one or two. On the other hand, Stanley has become a popular brand here, but not because of the water cups, but because of the thermoses instead. As we drink mate, we usually take our hot water with us in a thermos, and while Stanley is genuinely a good brand in terms of keeping your water temperature for long periods of time, I feel like too many people here got it because it's trendy and they saw it on TikTok. I genuinely hope the trend of owning 300 different colored water bottles doesn't spread here. We don't have the money for it anyways.
I knew those Stanley bottles were trendy, but I had no idea people would have multiples, I feel out of touch, haha. I still have my old trusty Nalgene from 15 years ago. If I’m going to be away for more than 2 hours, I always pack a water bottle as I refuse to play for water. In Eastern Canada, a lot of grocery stores stopped carrying plastic bags. I normally would use those plastic bags for smaller trash cans in the house. I now use other single use plastics (usually packaging from toilet tissue/paper towel) for the smaller trash. Any paper bags we get, we use for taking out the compost. I’m a big fan of reusing and reducing when possible.
When I worked at UPS it was next to impossible to stay hydrated. What changed the game for me was buying a $25, 64oz stainless steel water bottle from Walmart and to go along with it, a water bottle “bag” by Sun Cube for $20. This water bottle/holder combo has lasted me YEARS through hell and back! UPS, the gym, hiking, conservation corps, even walking around festivals and the store. I’ve even taken it to bars. Then when it’s time to refill I like taking it to a gas station for icy fresh water, or use the leftover water/ice I didn’t drink while eating out. I always have water that stays nice and cold and the pockets to keep my essentials in. I don’t usually carry a purse/backpack anymore when I go out casually because this water bottle set up is so handy. It’s also decked out with my teenage sticker collection, so when I want to reminisce it’s instant nostalgia on my water bottle. Long story short, I wouldn’t trade my big beastly babe for anything ❤️
8:52 Just a note the rush to buy the Starbucks collab was 1000% the resell market. I think they were reselling for upwards for $300 at some point so that’s why they were grabbing them by the fistful
Every time you kept mentioning Stanley Cup I kept thinking, “what does the Hockey championship have to do with water bottles?” 😂❤. Yes I’m old and have no clue about this water bottle craze.
French student here! Honestly I discovered this trend with your video, nobody really cares about water bottle where I live… I mean, ofc we do have water bottles, but half of us use plastic bottles, and the other half just pick whatever brand not too expensive nor too big. Also, being a student having to carry a heavy backpack, I would never buy such a huge and unconvenient Stanley cup… 😳 And if I need more water, I just refill my bottle when I go to the bathroom, like everyone else! So I guess you’re right, It must be a success thanks to marketing in America… 🤔
I was thinking of getting either a Hydroflask or a Stanley for home use. But then I came across a nondescript brand called Ozark at the supermarket, and their tumblers are a fraction of the big names. And from my experience in the past few months, it’s an excellent tumbler and I don’t need anything better.I’ve put some cool stickers on the brushed natural stainless steel finish, making it more unique than those colourful, overpriced tumblers. I’m good with this.
the comparison between fandom subcultures and the water bottle craze is a bit too far of a leap in my opinion. i understand the thought process there, but fandoms and other subcultures form *outside* of the need to buy commercial goods. you can be a member of a fandom or a subculture without adhering to the aesthetics, fashion trends, or merchandise collecting, because the connection members of that community share is based on a story, a piece of media, love for music and art, and even personal values. with the water bottle "culture", all of these things have been artificially manufactured - there's no genuine message, morale, or story that stanley girlies share. the only thing they share is the love for a commercial product, and that's not the case with fandoms and other subcultures.
People criticize trends that women like way more and much harsher than trends that men like. Having 1,000+ funko pops and running out of room to display them is definitely just as bad as owning 1,000+ Stanley Cups (and is probably just as bad for the environment on the manufacturing side).
If they didn’t lead to more overconsumption I like the idea of accessories to change the look/functionality of the waterbottle b/c changing the stickers or adding a strap to a waterbottle is better than buying a new one. But realistically people will just do both and then throw them out in a few years for a new trend. Also the comparison of water bottle culture to fandoms is really funny. Let the water bottle shipping wars commence
Great video. I replaced my 12+ years old Nalgene with a stainless steel bottle (not a big brand just a generic one) in 2023, when I was pregnant, extremely thirsty, and wanted to get away from drinking out of plastic. I really like and appreciate my new water bottle and wonder how long it will be around. Ironically about Stanley products, my husband takes along his daily work lunch using a Stanley thermos that my mom bought me when I was in IN MIDDLE SCHOOL in the early 00s. These objects are durable goods, their hyper-consumption these days is disturbing. If you just get something that works well and that you like and take good care of, it becomes like a little friend that accompanies you through your day.
my favorite bottle is a bottle i got from my college book store. it is insulated metal and quite big and says "COUGARS". some of my other favorites are plastic or metal bottles i got for free.
I don't have a hydroflask, I have *just* a flask. Made from aluminium, all in scratches and with Soviet hammer and sickle on the bottom. That's my grandpa's flask, it's seen the WWII. I also have my own flask - a newer one, made from stainless steel. I may seem like an alcoholic while drinking from it, but it's really just the most convenient type of water container for me. And it's also everything I need, as I don't have to match it with outfits or something like that. Of course, that's also not very normal, but I think that people should purchase things with understanding if it's *REALLY* so important and is going to be with them for a decent amount of time. Not like in my and my grandpa's cases, but still just last for a while and not be thrown in a box after a few months. Reusable water bottles is a very good trend, so *reuse* these God damn bottles!
I have been using the same backpack for 13 years. This thing has survived to hell and back. Getting one durable, high quality bag is prolly the best option. And are so much more practical than totes
I stopped by a Homegoods and a Nordstrom Rack last week. Both had big water bottle/thermos sections… and took up a big portion of their clearance sections. Cups with missing lids or straws, dents, broken off handles… all damaged before being used.
The funny thing with tote bags is that I don't ever remember buying one, I just kind of keep acquiring them over time. But I *never* throw any of them out because they always become useful eventually. For whatever I need to bag. Sometimes I need to bag multiple different things.
This was great! I'm in the UK, where Stanley cups are available online and in a few shops, but not places like our equivalent of Target or Walmart. (Those shops have the dupes). They're £45 here, which is *insane*. Mostly, though, I just wonder whether people really fill them up and drink them, and how they don't spend all day in the loo 🙂
So glad someone said this. The Stanley cup has lead in it, leaks like crazy, is super heavy, and a lot of people are just buying dozens of them and then throwing them out or selling them when they want a new one. I have had the same "reduce" coffee travel mug since I was like 15, and it's still kicking to this day. I've got 2 nalgene's for long distance hikes, a hydro flask for school, and a giant fifty/fifty insulated water bottle for when i was a lifeguard and now for beach days and road trips. Get a few good water carriers to use for different purposes and be done with it.
I bottled water's defense, some people live in places where they face conflict with their local and state government about the safety and regulation of their water sources. And even if you don't have that problem, placing a filter on your pipe will show you that there are small anomalies in your water that would turn people off from drinking them, like tiny bits of rust from pipes. And if you don't have THAT problem, tap water has a particular TASTE that can really turn people off and away from drinking from the pipe. I may across as a water snob, but I only drink filtered or bottled water. However, when I need water for hot chocolate or tea I'll take it from the pipe. Yes, I'm a hypocrite, I know. But I have less than 5 bottles and they all serve very different purposes. I can accessorize with anything else in my wardrobe instead of buying another bottle.
"People have a sense of community if" -- that phrase is so interesting to me, because I feel like there's been no actual sense of community anywhere lately, and matching your the products you carry around to strangers on tiktok is probably just the next best thing.
I'm a dude and for the life of me I couldn't understand the crazy. I have a water bottle that I received through a business event. been using it for 2 years now. I must say you did a great job breaking this entire thing down and explaining the reasons why it got out of hand. Great video
I'm an American that's been living overseas for some years now. And over time I have felt myself slowly drifting away from the current cultural shifts and emerging trends from my home country. That said, seeing this particular trend develop and observing it from afar via the internet is truly a bizarre phenomenon. I can see these cultural developments through the lens of a "foreigner" and see just how distinctly American and weirdly niche it is. No one in Europe would put so much value on a drinking vessel and make it part of their "identity".
I grew up with people buying an entire closet for their many shoes. Now it's water bottles. I think fashion and trends and overconsumption will always be around. It might be shoes or bottles or hair clips. But humans be humaning. Since the dawn of man.
I just finished Byung Chul-Han's essay, "The Disappearance of Ritual". I am still trying to process its content but I think what's written there relates really hard with one of these fast moving cultures. Anyway, thank you for your very well made video! It really widen my horizons
I recently learned that Maslow's hierarchy of needs was heavily taken from Blackfoot beliefs and they were obviously not given any credit. Also, it is a theory, not a fact, so be careful how strongly you identify with it.
I've had this conversation several times in the last few months as Owala bottles started to overtake Stanley cups. It is the wildest trend to me. I have a cabinet full of Yetis, Nalgene, and now a hydro flask without ever having bought one. They seemingly just appear. I wonder if I will get an Owala in a few months when the next brand takes over, and people disregard their Owalas.
This is the kind of media I enjoy consuming because I know I am actively engaging with it! I actually paused the video, went to my kitchen, and counted my reusable water bottles haha!
You can never clean it properly, after few months.. they wearing out in their parts, so you will need to throw them away eventually. You can’t use it for 10, 30, or 50 years like my favourite classic design glass… these cups are ugly, not transparent (which I personally hate to drink from), heavy, stupid. God bless everyone who chooses their own trends, not spending and carrying a weird heavy junk..❤
I have two beverage bottles: 1 skyrex (emotional support) water bottle I've had for 2 year, and 1 glass bottle I got from Superstore to drink iced coffee from (I don't wash the water bottle as often as I should, hence I NEEDED a seperate one if I wanted to store dairy in it), so watching people have 20-30 of the same waterbottle is really surreal for me. I can hardly imagine swapping my water bottle to wash it, much less swapping EVERY DAY
That trend is fascinating and thanks for your analysis of those topics! I would love to see the culture behind expensive makeup and skin care. Because other than fashion or water bottles, the brand name does no appear on the skin. No one can see if the skin care just is 4€/50 mL or the makeup is a cheap, but good working one for that person. Or if its expensive and good working. But so many people spend >100€/month for expensive skin care and makeup. I dont understand that, but maybe you have the perfect answer.
The only thing I disagree with is the comparison of the environmental impact of paper bags vs. plastic bags. This kind of calculation is always making people think plastic might be a better option after all, but it usually goes by one parameter like CO2 emissions during production. This is relevant, yes, but environmental impact also spans a products disposal and plastic is a material that stays forever and breaks down into smaller and smaller microplastics that are everywhere, including our bodies. The impact of that is something we can hardly grasp yet, so the whole calculation is bogus, sorry. When paper breaks down it's organic material and can be used to grew new raw materials. So 100 years from now the view of what was less impactful might be VERY different.
When the Stanley trend picked up I was immediately like "...why? Why would you buy a water bottle that you can't close and can't keep in a bag?" I admit I see its appeal for either smoothies or drinking water around the house. But I already had something I could use for that, and I bought it at the supermarket before this even took off. P.S I'm watching while I sip at my water bottle that I got for free at a hens weekend. I have multiple water bottles but they're all different sizes for different purposes, and they all get used.
That article thats like "people still buy bottle water even as faucet water remains free" for who?? Not americans lol, unless maybe theyre refilling their water bottle only at public water fountains. Everyone i know pays a water bill thats based on usage, maybe thats different somewhere else but the article specifically is talking about americans. Also just weird that it mentions americans buying both reusable and single use water bottles but fails to consider most individuals arent buying both at the same time, they serve different needs/wants.
Invested in a hydroflask a year ago and its so beat up but I love it. I take it everywhere with me. I also invested in 5 heavy duty, extra large canvas tote bags and I’ve been really good about not purchasing plastic or paper bags. If I forget them I will just load the things in my trunk without a bag. I still have quite a few uses to go before the investment pays off but I absolutely love them. My hydroflask and fridge filters have for sure gotten their return on investment though :)
I get you talking about the environment but let’s be real, companies greenwash shit and it’s the same shit. It’s more expensive and people can’t afford it. Instead of blaming the consumer, let’s talk about corporate responsibility. Also it’s stupid to say water is free…it’s literally not. You get a water bill every month from whatever county you live in.
Thanks for watching and commenting! To your comment, there is greenwashing out there, but there are also companies doing great work to be more environmentally friendly and ethical. I don't think we as consumers can nor should shirk all responsibility here, because companies create their strategy based on our consumer demands. Like I mention in the video, if we're buying in excess, we could instead buy less and use that saved money to buy more ethically and environmentally conscious. That would then steer more companies to offer more ethical and sustainable products/services in order to stay competitive. Obviously doesn't apply to everyone, but certainly for those buying in excess. Also, I know everywhere is different, but personally my water bill is like $4/month - not free, but certainly not expensive.
This was so surprisingly insightful. It gave me a lot to think about. Specifically I cannot, cannot, cannot wrap my head around the amount of time and money women spend on getting their nails done. I cannot. But I recognize it as someone’s self expression. That’s the entire story, that’s the means and the end. And when you said that about picking out the water bottle at the beginning of the day…. I never ever would have made that connection.
It fills me with sadness that many people are so out of touch with their own identity (and the process of forming one for yourself) that they make a water bottle their whole identity. What happens, when the Stanley goes inevitably out of style? Who are you then? Also, I cringe at people who describe themselves as "(brand name) girl". What does that even mean, and why do you promote some random brand like this for free???
