Video Description

#overconsumption #consumerism #genz Why can’t Gen Z stop shopping? In this video, I dive into how shopping has become a coping mechanism for an entire generation facing economic precarity, debt, housing insecurity, and low wages. From self-care products to hauls and TikTok fads, Gen Z has been sold the idea that you can buy your way to wellness. But retail therapy is not a solution. It is self-soothing in a system that has abandoned collective care. I break down how self-care was commodified, why trends like Labubu dolls, Stanley cups, Squishmallows, Hello Kitty nostalgia, and the “I’m just a girl” aesthetic trap Gen Z in cycles of mindless consumption. Sources: Millennial Homeownership Lagging Behind https://www.investopedia.com/millennial-homeownership-still-lagging-behind-previous-generations-7510642#:~:text=Average%20New%20Home%20Prices%20Have,sold%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20median%20cost,being%20built%20are%20more%20expensive. College Tuition Exploded https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/16/investing/curious-consumer-college-cost#:~:text=And%20between%201980%20and%202020,That%20far%20outpaces%20wage%20increases. Labor Unions Decline https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy#:~:text=Union%20membership%20peaked%20in%20the,and%20was%20continuing%20to%20fall. Pensions Decline https://dev-rlc-public-site.netlify.app/resources/the-golden-age-of-pensions-another-fairy-tale/ https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/15-percent-of-private-industry-workers-had-access-to-a-defined-benefit-retirement-plan.htm Productivity Gap https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ Dr. Gabor Mate on Trauma and Addiction + Hungry Ghosts https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_are_so_many_adults_today_haunted_by_trauma https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/ Rental Housing Unaffordability https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/rental-housing-unaffordability-how-did-we-get-here The High Cost of Homeownership https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/13/how-much-more-expensive-homes-are-since-1965.html Follow me on my socials: https://instagram.com/ashleyaviola https://x.com/ashleyaviola Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AshleyAViola *Disclaimer: Information presented in this video is my opinion and mine alone. Business inquiries: [email protected] Keywords for the algo: Gen Z shopping addiction, Gen Z overconsumption, TikTok hauls, haul culture, influencer hauls, Gen Z trends, Labubu dolls, Stanley cups, Squishmallows, Hello Kitty nostalgia, I’m just a girl trend, clean girl aesthetic, coquette aesthetic, soft girl aesthetic, Y2K fashion, TikTok consumerism, TikTok Shop, retail therapy, shopping as coping mechanism, self-care capitalism, commodified self-care, Gen Z debt, shopping addiction, TikTok shop trends, Gen Z consumerism, third spaces, nostalgia marketing, dopamine shopping, impulse buying, mindless consumption, girlhood aesthetic, aesthetic consumerism, TikTok aesthetic trends.