The Stanley socket accessory trend is out of control

Okay, I admit it: I understand the appeal of the Stanley 40 oz QuencherObjectively, it’s a nice mug that holds a ton of water and keeps it cold for hours. What I don’t understand, however, is the consumerist compulsion to embellish these massive drinking vessels with an increasingly insane array of mug accessories.

You have probably seen he videos. They usually go something like this: “Carry my Stanley with me,” reads the text overlaid on a TikTok video in which a young woman straps a small backpack onto her cup. She fills the backpack with individually wrapped lip balm and sanitary wipes, then places a teddy bear-shaped lid over the cup’s straw opening. From her freezer, she pulls out a three-part ice mold designed specifically for the Stanley cup and pours the frozen cylinders into the cup. She then places two vitamin tablets into a small plastic pillbox that snaps right onto the handle. Maybe it fits a tray of appetizers Designed to fit around the outside of the cup at the top. Only then are you ready to take your “sexy girl walk.”

This moment seems to be a turning point in the Stanley accessories trend. A search for “Stanley cup accessories” on Amazon yields around 8,000 results, including Decorative silicone “boots” To protect the bottom of the cup, Countless designs of thatched roofs, Slings and backpacks designed specifically to accommodate the cupand Decorative carrying strapsIn total, it’s easy to spend around $100 (or more than double the original price of the mug) to decorate your Stanley.

Cups, and before them, bottles of water, They have long been a way to express ourselves.That’s what you did when you decorated your college-era Nalgene with stickers, and it’s what you do now when you buy a Hydro Flask or Yeti to match your bag. What’s different about Stanley cups, though, is that they’ve spawned a whole cottage industry of accessories that don’t really seem to make the cup any more functional. straw covers They are not airtight, Uncovered appetizer trays spill, and ice works the same no matter what form it’s in.

However, on Instagram, it doesn’t really matter if these accessories work (or work well) as long as they contribute to the desired look.

Presumably there are some people who watch these videos and are interested in actually buying these things. The “accessories for my Stanley” trend is accessible to the aspiring influencer, or even the person who wants everything they own to be “aesthetic” (it’s much easier to buy a couple of Stanley accessories for $30 on Amazon). But I wouldn’t be surprised if the negative reaction to this genre of video was fueling its popularity in equal measure. The vast majority of comments are disapproving, with many highlighting the blatant glorification of consumerism on display. On some level, the creators of “Pack My Stanley” are leaning into hate, refusing to acknowledge their critics while piling ever more trash into their cups. “Rage-mongering” is A decidedly effective way to boost engagement on social media platforms.after all.

But consumerism and waste aside, the Stanley Cup accessory trend is depressing because it’s not visually interesting. It’s not designer sneakers or a handbag (both items that could be considered wearable art), but mass-produced trash that sticks to the side of your cup. At least when you used to stick stickers on your water bottle, you could choose designs from local artists that were cute or made a point. Now, it’s an endless array of very similar-looking silicone and plastic accessories sold through Amazon and Temu that will end up in a landfill when the Owala Free Sip or some other cup comes along to dethrone Stanley from the drinking throne.