I just saw Anna’s comment about it too! WOW. That is an incredible strategy. Do you think, if replicated by other companies over and over again, it’ll continue to work? Or will people start catching on?
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We all try to do it, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
For a more cynical version, check out the current craze around GLP-1s (Ozempic and Wegovy)
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What do you mean by “we”?
There might actually be something interesting/understudied here
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That’s an interesting trend for sure. Because the user can’t really get the same level of appetite-killing effects anywhere else. It’s uniquely functional, but the risks are insane.
I’m always a little surprised by people who trust new pharmaceutical products when even the old ones aren’t consequence-free.
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I think this is a “shiny object syndrome” thing. People think that the new product is better just because it is new
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I could just stare at that picture all day. I want to roll around in a field of monsteras. Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness, wait a minute. There was a plant craze during Covid!
There’s an example of jumping on a trend. I totally got swept up in the plant craze. 
But the difference here is that I had about 5-10 plants before it really took off. And then all the beautiful pictures on instagram, and the youtube channels with plant-influencers came out, and I was absolutely influenced to get more.
It was a real obsession for a couple years.
And while I’m still all over the idea of “biophilic interior design” I’ve been pairing down a lot and figuring out which ones are worth really investing time in.
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I think you’re onto something there. That’s the best explanation for it!
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My better half has been plant crazy for a long time before covid. I’ve lost count of the brain cells I have lost hitting my head on a hanging plant pot.
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HAHA!!! Still worth it! 
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I just meant everyone trying to sell something longs to create that kind of brand craze
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Influencers are called that for a reason, as silly as many of us find the idea at large. I’m sure we are susceptible given the right context and the right product category
Heck I’m sure I bought my fair share of supplements or gym products in my day because the “right person” told me too.
The world of fashion is almost exclusively the realm of influencer and trend chasing. It’s not something I’ve ever understood or cared about but it’s undeniable a part of the culture. Does Kylie Jenner actually sell a superior makeup product or is she just a kardashian and thus everyone buys her product because that’s the in thing to do and she’s attractive?
More specifically the Stanley cup It’s an interesting case study because it’s seems like such a garish and unwieldy product that no one would have touched before 3 weeks ago. I used to get comments on “wow do you really need a SUPER BIG GULP?” And now it’s trendy for 100lb women to carry around what looks to be a gallon bucket with a handle on it
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Caboodles were the shit!! Sometimes I wish I still had mine. lol
Everyone is searching for that “magic bullet”. The easy fix that requires no effort other than swallowing a pill - risk be damned.
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Re: the Stanley trend
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Certainly. Maybe that’s why it’s so important to be intentional about who we’re letting influence us. And if you’re easily influenced, be even more on guard mentally.
The crazy thing about mimetic desire is that those who are influencing you to do something don’t even have to say it outright. A group of people just have to all want the same look, or the same results, or the same objects, or the same lifestyle. Desires and values spread like a contagion; even when there’s no official advertisement.
But like you said, there are beneficial and benign sources of influence that can turn us into better versions of ourselves or just allow us to enjoy life more.
Using a product that solves a problem or improves an aspect of your life is a far more functional influence than many others… unless it didn’t deliver. But I’m glad Chris influenced me to bump up the protein when we first met because now eating for pleasure and for health (body comp) are one in the same. And I’m glad the Mind Pump guys talked about LMNT because now I don’t black out at the gym.
I could think of a dozen more instances like this in (and out) of fitness.
That, plus beauty, and even fitness isn’t guilt-free here, are their own microcosms that can make us obsess over our flaws until we conform to sometimes very unnatural standards. And I say this as someone who once got prosthetic boobs because it was the common thing to do in fitness.
The caterpillar eyelash trend is on its way out, but I bet there’s a high percentage of that crowd now buying the Stanley cups. There has to be some overlap.
Is it the exact same people?
You wonder if the consumers of the biggest/weirdest trends realize that what they’re doing will be considered passé eventually, and some of them will have spent a fortune on it.
Oh that’s pretty funny…
- A big athletic guy drinking a Big Gulp: crazy!
- But a tiny woman drinking out of a barrel: fashionable!
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They were so functional! You could hide all your accessories and lip gloss away in a cute little container.
BINGO. It says a lot about how powerful the appetite is. People are willing to take a pill to kill it. This is so sad because the sustainable and enjoyable solution would be to just reset those preferences and learn to love healthier food.
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That is such a great video!! We have a Hydroflask or two among our bottles, but I can’t remember ever looking at the brand and caring.
I have to show you guys one of my favorite bottles. It’s this huge pink one on the right. I’m not trying to influence you to do anything because Target doesn’t give me a kickback, but this bottle is really handy.
The water fountain at our gym keeps breaking, and I kept showing up with just a standard sized bottle that needed to be refilled after the second exercise. So I’d be parched for most of the workout!
The only solution was to get a huge 40-oz jug. This may be Target’s off-brand, but Chris found it in the camping section, not the bottle section. It was surprisingly cheaper than the other big bottles!
Anyway, the lid is amazing because there aren’t a million little parts where mold can accumulate (Stanley cup has that problem) and the handle is spacious and part of the lid. So it’s super easy to clean and easy to drop your own stainless steel straw in it. They have it in black.
I won’t benefit if you get it or not; just trying to be helpful if the water fountain in your gym keeps breaking too.
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I think Hydroflasks had the Stanley-experience around 2017 or something. Like towards the end of high school (for me). It was part of a look - girls who had them wore black leggings with white Nike socks over the legs and white Crocs. It was a whole thing.
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Wow that sounds… creative. 