What if I told you that some people have over one hundred of the same product? What if I told you that the company making the product multiplied their net worth by ten in only four years? What would you say if I told you that these products were essentially sippy cups for adults?
The Stanley Cup has become almost a status symbol, particularly among young white women.
Why has this glorified cup found such esteem?
It speaks to the nature of ‘trends’ in a capitalist society. I wish I could pinpoint why certain products go viral or become a trend, but I would simply be clutching at straws. It seems they just have to be at the ‘right place at the right time’. When a product becomes a trend, our desire to have it and partake in the trend is immense. We have all seen it – frenzies to get your hands on the latest drop, queueing outside shops for hours or days sometimes escalating into fights with other customers. It is my opinion that many of the people fighting for these products don’t have a genuine interest in them. Sometimes we just think we like something because online media tells us we must. This desire to have the latest product is compounded by some very savvy marketing techniques. These companies with a captive audience often bring out ‘limited edition’ products or ‘collab’ ranges with only a small number of each item. These gimmicks make people panic about not getting access to the product which leads to a frenzy and subsequently more publicity for the company. This is exemplified by the ‘Starbucks X Stanley’ drop on Jan. 3. After selling out quickly in stores, resellers on eBay are charging up to 300 dollars for the cup, about six times the original price
You have undoubtedly seen the iconic Stanley Cup, but what you may not know is where it came from. The Stanley brand launched in 1913 with long-lasting, vacuum-insulated, steel drinkware. These products with their subtle design and dark, muted colours were invariably marketed toward men. The company continued on this trajectory with decent success for over 100 years. In 2016, Stanley released a new cup, one we all know and love, the ‘Quencher’. Believe it or not, Stanley decided to discontinue the quencher in 2019. One blogger – Ashlee LeSueur was passionate that the cup had potential and took the risk of buying 5000 of the discontinued cups to sell from her blog – they were all gone within the week. Stanley then began to push more pastel colours – marketing to Women, this was the beginning of the company as we know it. Stanleys’ net worth went from $73 million in 2019 to more than $750 million in 2023.
In recent years, there has been a big emphasis on a more sustainable lifestyle. On the surface, a reusable drinking bottle like a Stanley seems to be a step in the right direction. If we use a reusable bottle for a long time, it is far more environmentally friendly than using single-use plastic bottles daily. The flaws become apparent when you see the videos of peoples ‘collections’ of Stanley cups, or hear that some people have one to match every outfit/nail colour. There also seems to be a growing market for Stanley Cup accessories such as bags, straw covers and snack bowls – likely all made of non-recyclable plastic. This is a stark example of the uglier side of consumerism. The environmental impact of buying a Stanley is far less positive if you already own multiple steel bottles, each with its own distribution-related environmental footprint. The concept of people buying countless Stanley cups or bottles, in general, is an example of the hyper-consumerism that contributes to the destruction of the planet. We are easily led and influenced by multinational corporations, convincing us that we must have their newest or best product. In saying this the Stanley brand itself is not necessarily to blame for this issue, it is just the latest iteration of a society prone to overconsumption.
Since the rise of the Stanley Cup, they have dominated their chosen demographic. As consumers, we must be more mindful of our shopping habits. We are at a pivotal time in modern history, and we must ask ourselves how we want our future to look.
Will we continue to purchase meaningless objects or will we stop the cycle and place a higher value on our planetary health?