They were once a purely functional purchase, used solely to carry water while on the move.
However, the humble water bottle has now become the latest status symbol for Generation Z, with young adults spending staggering amounts to look cool while hydrating.
Last winter, the rise in popularity of Stanley Cups – an insulated beverage container – created such a furore in the United States that children revealed they were being bullied at school for having knockoff versions.
The UK was also hit by a trendy bottle storm, with people shunning basic bottles for those with higher prices. Content creator Phoebe, 22, from Manchester, said she adopted a new attitude after buying three Stanley mugs.
Now the brand, founded in the US in 1913, has launched a new portable bottle in the UK. Dubbed the Stanley Cross Bottle, it is likely to spread the trend further. Complete with an adjustable strap, the bottle costs a staggering £75, around £30 more than its standard version.
Water bottles have become Gen Z’s latest status symbol, with content creators including New Zealand’s Georgia Pemberton (pictured) turning to TikTok to share their collections.
Some have linked the rise of people opting for expensive water bottles, including Lululemon’s version and Chilly bottles, to the success of Stanley mugs in the United States, and videos emerged on TikTok last year of people fighting over shades. specific color.
“Everyone else had one, so I feel like I needed to have one to fit in,” one student said. The cut.
Madalyn, a nine-year-old student from Kentucky who owns five Stanley Cups, insisted that owning a Stanley is now a prerequisite for social acceptance at her school.
“I’m a little more popular now and I’ve made more friends because of it,” she told the publication.
Dhalia, a 13-year-old girl from Dallas, said her classmates “only talk to me in the morning when I’m holding my Stanley.”
Jamie Sherman said her 11-year-old niece was bullied by her classmates for bringing an unbranded version of the cup to her New Hampshire high school.
“When girls walk past her in the hallway, they laugh and point at her and say, ‘That’s not real,'” Sherman said.
In other places, in The Wall Street JournalOne teenager detailed how her parents spent more than £2,320 ($3,000) on her Stanley Cup fixation.
She revealed that so far her family has footed the bill for 37 of the cult Quenchers, each of which cost around £45.
Content creator Lily Bayliss (pictured) from the UK told her followers about her “love” for her water bottle.
Manchester-based influencer Phoebe (pictured) bought three Stanley mugs, which would cost more than £100.
Calling the collection an “obsession,” the Alabama teen went on to explain how she, like so many others, first became captivated after seeing the containers online.
A year later, she started her own influencer account, where she proudly flaunts the fruits of her parents’ efforts to her followers.
Claiming that he uses every cup he receives, he told the newspaper how he decides what clothes to wear depending on which bottle he plans to use that day.
Fast forward to this week and the brand launched its new portable bottle, priced at a staggering £75, in the UK for British fans.
After a successful launch in the United States, the brand decided to launch the 0.68 liter bottle in the United Kingdom, stating that it is the brand’s most elegant and innovative creation yet.
The bottle, which comes in three shades and keeps water cold for 12 hours, is said to be an improved version of the original glasses, due to it being leak-proof.
The latest portable Stanley Cross bottle (pictured) is said to be an improved version of the Stanley Cup.
Ben James, global commercial vice president and EMEA general manager at Stanley 1913, said: “We have a lot to carry – phone, keys, wallet, laptop, sports bag, shopping bags – and the Stanley Cross bottle is the embodiment of How Stanley 1913 makes people’s lives easier through intelligent design.
“Even the size has been carefully considered as the sweet spot in terms of providing enough water for our consumers to carry with them while maintaining the integrity of its appearance.”
Elsewhere on TikTok, Gen Z has dubbed the accessories “emotional support water bottles.”
Talking about your bottles, content creator. Georgia Pemberton from New Zealand said: ‘I love you with all my heart (sip lids only) #emotionalsupportwaterbottle.’
The video began with the question: ‘Are you addicted?’ To which she indicated yes by holding up her “expensive” collection of water bottles.
British content creator Lily Bayliss told her followers: “Buy a Stanley, trust me,” and added in the clip: “Yes, I need a water bottle three times the size of my head and I love it.”
Content creator Phoebe, 22, from Manchester, said she adopted a new attitude after buying three Stanley mugs, saying: “My attitude now is that I have three Stanley glasses in the UK”, a collection that would have cost her approximately £135.
Acknowledging the hype around water bottles, You Magazine’s Francesca Hornak revealed what a water bottle says about its owner.
She said of Gen Z: “Your water bottle functions as a social media accessory, a real-life accessory, and a sort of adult pet.” The bigger the better, preferably a 2.2 liter flask with motivational reminders to “drink” on the side.’
Meanwhile, for millennials, he said, “You’re happy with a moderate-sized bottle, though, because you have a lot more to carry with you (sanitizer, YoYo Bears, water wipes, your kids’ untouched water bottles).”
And for Gen
