This side exhibit was put together by Group A: Julia, Carrie, John, Khadyajah, and Lizzie
One of the newest crazes in school-age children is the Stanley water bottles. The cups are large and colorful, and they’re popping up all over schools across much of the country. These cups cost about $45. There are many reports on the internet and news sites about how these Stanley cups have led to exclusion, bullying, and some level of consumerism.
There are many reports across the internet – on sites like Tik Tok or Instagram or even news sites- that catalog the way that these Stanley cups have been used to target or bully kids who either don’t have the cup, don’t have the right color or design, etc. Kids/students also may take this cup up a notch by adding on accessories like charms, trays, straw covers, etc. I’m sure anyone who has spent time in schools could see how this practice may start off as fun, cute, even celebratory- but has the potential to turn into something exclusionary.
“The Stanley Cup: A 40-Ounce Bully?” article outlines many instances of kids being bullied for not having the viral cup or using a ‘fake’ version of the Stanley. There are even a few districts acorss the country that are asking parents and families to keep these cups at home due to the amount of exclusion or bullying they’re seeing as a result. Do you think schools should be asking this? How do you see how this may or may not help solve the problem?
The article also states “Many of these obsessives can’t even really tell you why they want one. “I asked one student, ‘Why did you want to get a Stanley?’” said Walker. “And she said, ‘Because everybody else had one, so I just feel like I needed to have one to fit in.’” Stanley’s are famous because of their colors, their ability to fit into cupholders, and the longevity in maintaining cold temperatures. But lots of water bottles have all three of those features- some brand names (like Hydroflask) and some more generic/less expensive companies! So why do you think this Stanley cup is at the center of this consumerism trend?
According to Buckingham, “As children get older, what they wear, what they eat, what they play with – or refuse to wear or at or play with – is increasingly subject to negotiation with their peers” (Buckingham, p. 164). I think we all have stories about playing with toys, wearing certain clothes, or participating in certain activities so we could fit in. According to Holland, peer pressure can also lead to pressure to fit into established gender roles to “include toy preferences, pink/blue colour discrimination, hair length, play styles, and emotional displays” (Holland, p. 21). If children feel pressured to fit in, they may make choices they wouldn’t normally make, or they may feel left out if they don’t fit in the correct way.
For instance, I remember growing up and starter jackets were all the rage. I wanted one more than anything since all the other kids had one, but they were very expensive. My mom couldn’t afford it as a single parent working full time, but my dad had a union job, and I knew he would be able to get me one for Christmas. All the kids had North Carolina starter jackets, but because we lived in West Virginia, my dad bought me a WVU starter jacket that was way too big. He said because it was so expensive, I should get one that was big so I could grow into it. Not only was it the wrong team, but I looked ridiculous wearing it due to the size. Something that should have helped me fit in, made me stand out in all the wrong ways. Not having a jacket at all would have been better—I did it all wrong, but no one was going to buy me a different coat after the expensive purchase, so I had to wear it or be cold. Buckingham brings up this phenomenon, stating “Children who failed to wear the correct branded clothing were marginalized, teased or harassed” (Buckingham, p. 176). If popular kids harass students that don’t fit in because they can’t (financially) or the won’t (wanting to rebel), how much does that lead to low self-esteem and lack of connection? What can be done to counter these reactions?
We still see how peer pressure leads to fads for children. My son often wants toys because his friends have the same toys and bring them to school. My children ask for phones because their friends have phones. They want to be part of social media because their friends use social media. I spend a lot of my time explaining to them why they don’t need everything their friends have, while trying to make sure they don’t feel left out. It’s a delicate balance. With children living in an online environment as well, how does peer pressure present itself? Does it lead to group think and hinder critical thinking? How does online commercialism influence our children? Is it any different than the television commercialism we grew up with?
Peer Pressure, Parents & Candy
Peer pressure is not a foreign topic, yet it is one that has been prevalent for centuries. Furthermore, “peer pressure is a well-known psychological effect. People adjust their opinions and behaviors to fit within the group. The origin of this effect can be found in prehistory when fitting within the herd was necessary to survive” (Schram ,2018). Acknowledging the longstanding notion that peer pressure holds does not exempt children from its wrath. As Buckingham in chapter nine used the term “token of identity”, “peer group norms – in terms of dress and appearance, but also media, toys and other consumer goods- are often seen to override the wishes and values of parents; and of course for many parents this is an exasperating reminder of the limitations of their own power and authority” (Buckingham, 2024, p.164) The images above reference an old childhood candy that was resemblant of a cigarette. Although in actuality the “cartoons” were filled with white chalky candy sticks. The second image shows how children could be like their parents with this synthetic version of their parents’ hobby. Perhaps this goes beyond closed doors and into a classroom setting in which students are mimicking the behavior of a smoker as they indulge in this candy treat. This is one example of the beginning markings of peer group norms and parental battles. How do you think the effects of peer pressure can be reversed in modern-day society?
Peer pressure is noted as being a contributor to adolescent delinquency (Sullivan, 2006). Among all of the stressors that can lead to a problematic adolescent after childhood, being peer pressured can be one of the greatest predictors of those issues. Familial influence can negate the deleterious effects of peer pressure, or in the inverse, can negatively reinforce them.
Transitioning to the intersections of social media, peer pressure, and the affects of overconsumption CNN states “A lot of teens describe the experience of going on TikTok and intending to spend 15 minutes and then they spend two hours and or more. That’s problematic because the more time a teen spends on social media, the more likely he or she is to be depressed.”
Experts are constantly conducting research and drawing attention to the affects of social media in the lives of teenagers particularly. One these same apps another conversation is being fueled which is the affects of overconsumption. Everyone has 10x of the same product in their homes, and teenagers are feeling the pressure to buy, shop, and stash up on the next new fad. From Influencing to De-Influencing Vogue Business released a article earlier this year discussing the anti-overconsumption movement stating “In a hyper-consumerist era of social media, flooded with product reviews and shopping haul videos, a backlash to overconsumption is brewing. More consumers are joining pledges such as the “Rule of 5” (where you limit fashion purchases to five items a year), conducting wardrobe inventories, or challenging themselves to buy nothing new in 2024 and shop their closets instead. “TikTok made me buy it” has become a common refrain for users influenced to make purchases from or on the app. Now, the hashtag #deinfluencing has been used more than 26,000 times, full of content creators working to undo some of that impulsive behaviour“
This generation of children are being to face a unique problem: What happens when everything is simply a click or a button away? What happens to the relationship that children have with each other?
References:
https://www.thecut.com/2024/01/stanley-cup-bullying-middle-school.html
https://images.app.goo.gl/NvhGwccmEWxXgKkDA
Social Pressure on Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUyD-L4JDYw
Holland, P., “Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Will Sit Nicely” (pp. 15-29).
Buckingham, The Material Child, chap 9 “Beyond Peer Pressure.”
Schram, M. (2018). “The Psychology of Scrum-Peer Pressure”. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/psychology-scrum-peer-pressure-martijn-schram. LinkedIn.
Buckingham, D. (2011). The material child: Growing up in consumer culture. Malden, MA: Polity. Chapter 9.
Bing Images.(2020). https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=t7WKZDQ4&id=8FB8906E15A762570E64B14F9E67410F2FE2CCBD&thid=OIP.t7WKZDQ4D3MTtnVP3ek-8wHaEK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fucarecdn.com%2f74225f8b-1775-4656-b328-c66d4d687610%2f&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.b7b58a6434380f7313b6754fdde93ef3%3frik%3dvcziLw9BZ55PsQ%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d732%26srw%3d1300&exph=366&expw=650&q=candy+cigarettes&simid=608039877975561055&FORM=IRPRST&ck=C410F3FDDA905E8B4EE2A3275211AB32&selectedIndex=47&itb=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
Bing Images. (2009). https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=ZVcc89UR&id=D36FDA8CAA413F4BD9F1BF32155D7162E7DD8462&thid=OIP.ZVcc89URNDfjmdWKPrTn2gHaNK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fexternal-preview.redd.it%2fst9hDDfFUiOFfnIXJlX1GpZU-uODndgdOKPbshwh6cs.jpg%3fauto%3dwebp%26s%3d93bdfbae453847df0d6469798f76f0e2a269f9a6&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.65571cf3d5113437e399d58a3eb4e7da%3frik%3dYoTd52JxXRUyvw%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=3264&expw=1836&q=candy+cigarettes&simid=608047797930034475&FORM=IRPRST&ck=0984D701AA4BB3584E824F3ADAC76DD4&selectedIndex=10&itb=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
Oh the Starter jacket! I was part of that generation too.
I finally got one at the tail end of the craze, when they were on clearance.
Mine was Georgetown Hoyas with the big bulldog on the back. I lived nowhere near Washington, DC and had no connection at all with the school or with bulldogs in general. I got that one solely because it was the one available in my size on the clearance rack!
I’m sorry that you didn’t get to have the moment of coolness that a well-fitted North Carolina jacket would have offered. That stinks! But, hopefully there’s still a good memory for you in there somewhere. As long as it’s not something painful for you, your story is interesting from an academic standpoint for sure. It really illustrates how the objects and materials that we assign social meaning to have to be used in particular ways for those meanings to be conveyed. Fascinating!
I enjoyed reading your exhibit and connected with the Stanley Cup craze! I think about half of my class has them at this point of the school year, and quite frankly, they drive me crazy! They are huge and every kid wants to put it up on their desk where everyone can see them. I have always had them keep their water bottles in the pocket of their bookbag, or set them on the floor beside their desk where they are out of the way and less likely to fall over and ruin their work. I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around parents spending $50 or more for these cups and giving them to their children to take to school. Until reading your post, I didn’t think much about the peer pressure students encounter for not having one, but it makes sense. Students are constantly comparing them and talking about the other colors they have at home. As I was looking through your exhibit, I noticed you had included a news report in your references, so I clicked on it. It was a very informative piece about bullying and the reasons why parents feel the need to purchase the cups. I think it would be wonderful if you included the video in your exhibit! It was interesting how the news report mentions that schools are banning cups because of peer pressure and bullying issues.
Hi Everyone!
I loved reading your exhibit! I connected with the Stanley Cup phenomena and when I tell you the students (primarily girls) in my school are obsessed with theirs. I am still trying to grasp the hype because in reality its just a metal water bottle. When I stop by my mailbox at work I see Stanleys in the lost and found. Imagine. A $45 water bottle sitting in your child’s lost and found at school. If I was a parent, I would be so mad. I have actually heard a student talking with her friend in the hallway how her mother wont buy her a limited edition Valentine’s Stanley and she is mad at her mother because of it. Seriously? Again this falls back on to the parent don’t get me wrong but also social media for enabling kids to have these wants without realizing that these items cost their parents money. Thanks for a great exhibit!
I enjoyed this exhibit! The Stanley Cup section caught my eye, mainly because we are seeing and hearing about these water bottles, what feels like, constantly. I find it interesting that students are allowed to bring these to school. I remember when I was in middle and high school, we were only allowed to bring see-through water bottles to ensure no one was sneaking anything they shouldn’t be. Furthermore, the Stanley Cup reminds me of the UGG Boot. Students had the real ones, fake ones, or none at all. That was a big conversation in my life that I realized people started making distinctions of what group you were in. While the pricing is different between a Stanley Cup and an UGG Boot, it sounds as though people are making distinctions of whether you have one, have a fake one, or none at all. I often wonder what the next fad will be when the Stanley Cup is on its way out.
I am drawn to that first question about why the Stanley cup is the one everyone has latched onto. I actually got a new cup that looks a lot like a Stanley but was far less expensive. I think it was the brand Crave (off Amazon). But when I had it sitting on the counter the other day, my youngest son (14 and in 9th grade at a fairly rich high school) asked, “Who got a Stanley?” I quickly told him it was mine but was not a Stanley as they are too expensive for us. But that incident also got me thinking about your question. Why the Stanley? I have to think it’s because of it’s availability and now its wide-spread ownership. The pink Stanley cup was all over the news, and those who got one were somehow better than those who didn’t, according to social media. I couldn’t figure out the obsession with that cup when I first heard about it. But now that I have a similar one? I really love that it holds 5 cups of water (my dr is urging far more water drinking for me in order to help with a health issue I’ve been dealing with). I needed something that wouldn’t spill as well. This one doesn’t. And, since I’m on campus all day three days a week this semester, I really needed it to keep my water cold all day too. This one does that for cheaper than the Stanley. Of course, I wouldn’t be opposed to having one, just buying one. Lol. And that’s probably a good thing because, I was looking through our cabinets a few weeks ago and came across my husband’s old thermos. He never really used it and has had it for more than 10 years now. The brand? Stanley. He had Stanley before it was cool. Haha.
When my youngest son was in high school, he informed me that he would not wear any shirt that had a logo on it. He wanted plain, one-colored t-shirts, no logos whatsoever. Finding no-logo t-shirts was harder than I anticipated (I accept that I am not a good shopper…this was also before the ease of internet shopping.) Buckingham notes that “…consumers actively create and express individual identity through their consumer choices and practices.” (Buckingham, 167) My son was one of those who was going against what everyone else was wearing. He was choosing to go against conforming, and he was happy with his choice. It was interesting for me to watch how his identity as someone who doesn’t have to conform was strengthened by these types of decisions. As an adult, he is still thoughtful about whether he will conform to popular choices. What we choose to buy or not to buy says something about who we are.
Team, I thought this exhibit was a really interesting take on children’s toys and playthings. Something that resonated with me is the connection you made between play and consumerism, namely, how toys and play have a way to make others feel excluded (as you point out with the Stanley cup section). I wouldn’t necessarily consider this ‘play’ but rather how children and teenagers aim to fit in, and the steps they’ll take to do so.
I had a conversation today with my fourth grade reading group about the Stanley mug fad. They come to me after lunch and each of them had one. Here’s a sampling of the conversation:
Me – So what’s the big deal with these mugs?
Student 1 – They’re cool.
Student 2 – They come in lots of different colors (as she modeled one like Vanna White).
Me – Aren’t they just like Yetis?
Student 1 – My mom threw out all our Yetis.
Student 3 (to Student 1) – What??!!! Yetis are expensive! (Student 1 just shrugged)
Me – I know Yetis are expensive. I’ve never bought one, but I did get one as a gift last Xmas.
I noticed Student 3 had a ducky straw topper and bangles on her Stanley handle.
Me – Where did you get the extra stuff?
Student 3 – I bought the duck on Amazon and the jewelry at Claire’s (a local mall boutique store).
Me – Yiu bought them just to put on your mug? Why?
Student 1 – So I know this one is mine.
They asked me why I was asking so many questions and I said, “I don’t understand the fad, that’s all.” One replied, “You need to get with the times.” We all chuckled.
Hey there Diane! I really appreciate you sharing the narrative that occurred between you and your students. It’s admirable the close connection you make with your class. I also think it’s interesting how popular this trend is, that one of your students felt they needed to have something specific to their cup in order to avoid confusion. I think this really helps support the topic and lesson for the week!
Oh the Stanley cup! I can’t judge because I have one too. I actually have a huge Stanley jug because I am taking in a lot of water a day, but it is funny how some of my middle school students have commented on it. I’ve heard, “Oh Miss, you are aesthetic” and “Oh Miss, you are preppy.” There has become a sort of stigma to having one. Is this a result of a trend gone viral on Tic Tok? It amazes me how fast trends on a smaller level quickly expand to become nation-wide with the use of social media and our addiction to knowing what the next big thing is. Are kids being brought into this consumer culture too young?
I love that you bring up peer pressure in regards to child consumers because with our growing media platforms, we know our children are being exposed to products and must-have trends on a daily basis. I admit, it is hard to avoid them as an adult. Is this something that needs to be addressed as part of media literacy?
Thank you for sharing! I love your ideas that really got a fun conversation going.
Great job on your exhibit! You raised some thought-provoking questions. In particular, your question about what can be done to minimize kids bullying kids for their clothes sparked my interest. The thought of school uniforms came to mind. I moved many times as a young child and none of my schools ever had a uniform. I remember thinking it would be so cool to have a uniform, but it never happened. I wonder if uniforms would actually minimize kids’ perceptions of who fits in and who doesn’t. It is likely the students would find another way to signal their status and build “in-groups” and “out-groups.” Uniforms also tend to reflect a gender binary, so it could be difficult for students questioning their gender identity to feel comfortable in their clothes. Thanks again for your interesting side exhibit!
Hi Julia, Carrie, Jack, Khadyajah, and Lizzie! Y’all were inspired! I appreciate your thoughtfulness in selecting such engaging examples and telling us your stories. For the Stanley Cup craze, I was curious to browse the Stanley website and notice the term “drinkware,” which signals we’re talking about a lot more than a thermos-style water bottle. And the variety of colors with imaginative names such as “Tigerlily Plum” and “Pomelo” bring a lot of style and interest, too.
In your discussion about Starter jackets, it’s powerful to read “Not having a jacket at all would have been better…” This insight is such a great example of how the product needs to be just right or it’s totally off. I was interested to see information online about the history of Starter and the role of nostalgia in plans for its comeback.
The peer pressure on social media video is engaging! The fast-paced commentary makes some great points about how social media is built to keep us logged in, and there can be a hamster-wheel effect in seeking likes. I was especially struck by the comment about it not being easy to be yourself in this environment.
Your candy cigarettes example is vivid! I can taste that chalky candy stick. “Retro Candy Cigarettes” (True Treats website) says, “Why do we love candy cigarettes? Why do they have such a unique part in our memories, if not our palette? Maybe because they are so daring. So nervy. So delightfully… wrong” (https://truetreatscandy.com/product/candy-cigarettes/).
On the topic of fast fashion, it’s fascinating to read about ThreadUp’s confessional hotline in Rachel Cernansky’s piece. I saw in Jackie Mallon’s (August 16, 2022) “ThredUp debuts resources to support Gen Z hooked on fast fashion” an important reminder about Gen Z: “…it is worth remembering that Gen Z is the only generation to grow up with the combined onslaught of fast fashion and social media as a feature of their lives” (https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/thredup-debuts-resources-to-support-gen-z-hooked-on-fast-fashion/2022081649195)
Thanks for your thought-provoking exhibit!
When children interact with their peers, they become more aware of expensive products and are pressured to ask their parents to purchase expensive items in order to be accepted into their circle of friends. By owning expensive items, children have the concept that it makes them appear cool and they can be accepted by their friends while enhancing their social status. Peer pressure impacts children perception as labeling certain products as undesirable by their social group. With such materialistic personality, children tend to mirror the purchasing behavior of their friends which leads into consumption habits that makes financial situations difficult for their parents.