It’s finally cool to still wear the clothes you bought in middle school and show off your studio apartment with no art on the walls. Don’t call it bankruptcy, Gen Z says; it’s “core underconsumption.”
Viral hashtags on TikTok are full of ways for young people to show off their choice not to buy new products in favor of existing ones. From limiting themselves to a worn-out Stanley water bottle to choosing not to get their nails done or buy art for their homes, Gen Z has shied away from buying new items and instead tried to appreciate what they have.
Adeline Um, a 27-year-old Boston musician, has recommitted to using every ounce of skin care in the bottle, continues to use worn-out but functional makeup brushes, and wears clothes from 15 years ago . She was tired of watching influencers and content creators hawk the latest merchandise on TikTok that would only be popular for a few days before shiny new items took center stage.
“It’s not bad to want to buy something,” Um told wealth. “But I just feel like right now we’re oversaturated and people feel like they have to buy the latest thing to keep up.”
Underconsumationcore is a close cousin of TikTok’s de-influencer movement, in which users convince viewers not to buy the most popular items promoted to them by mass content creators through brand deals. Although the influencer market is expected to surge to $50 million by 2028, some young people are denouncing the rampant consumerism it breeds.
For a generation filled with anxiety about their financial future and the environment, these trends are powerful and achievable. According to Bank of America’s 2024 Gen Z Financial Health Report released this month, more than 50% of 1,091 Gen Z adults surveyed between April and May cited the cost of living as their biggest financial concern. The biggest obstacle to challenge and success.
“They’re feeling the high cost of living,” said Holly O’Neill, president of retail banking at Bank of America. wealth. “They know they need to budget, they know they need to find ways to make cuts, and they’re going to look at those budgets … to meet those priorities.”
No need for shiny new things
While underconsumption at its core is based on financial savvy, it transcends socioeconomic status and the mere need to save money. Um and her husband have stayed financially stable during career changes and the pandemic, but continue to be frugal when it comes to purchases.
“It’s so exhausting watching people tell me this is the latest thing I have to buy,” she said.
For Um, the purpose of the payout is to provide some respite from the trend cycles that dominate the web. As addiction to screens fuels anxiety and depression among young people, Gen Z has become increasingly sensitive to screen time, turning to flip phones as a detox.
But after spending a year in her husband’s native England, Um developed an appreciation for the tranquility of the countryside. Um’s parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea, where food was scarce. To support her family, Um’s grandmother became adept at cooking anything she could find. Um spent time at her parents’ and grandparents’ homes, and she had a deep appreciation for the joy of harvesting food from a small backyard garden.
“I’ve learned how to do that, too,” she said. “I really don’t like throwing away food and I don’t like food rotting. I just feel really guilty about it.
For Sabrina Pare, a 31-year-old content creator in Detroit, guilt also prompts her to watch her spending. Underconsumption is not a new concept in the world of sustainability, and Pare’s TikTok is built around this concept. For her, it’s a continuation of upcycling, or repurposing items that could easily be thrown away but given a new life. While these trends have helped Parr make a living creating online content, she admits they can only take her further in her fight against climate change.
“The planet continues to warm, and it’s clear that engaging in underconsumption core programs is not going to solve the problem,” she said. “But it does help me at least feel more in control of the actions I’m taking.”
O’Neill believes that even if participating in underconsumption is not financially necessary for participants, it is still consistent with the idea that younger generations have a deep understanding of their financial situation. The trend is consistent with O’Neill’s observations of this generation’s financial patterns, which include lower discretionary spending and methodical doling out of dollars, preferring store-bought or bargain-branded items over luxury goods.
“You don’t want to waste something you’ve invested in or purchased; you want to optimize it,” she says. “It all has an impact on budgets and sustainability. I mean, we all know the satisfaction of using everything you buy and not wasting it. Gen Z can’t relate to that.
Although underconsumption has gone viral, it may not fundamentally change consumer trends, she said. These online trends exist because of a generation’s broader views on the economy, but they may not affect them.
Well will be the first to admit that she is not immune to the repercussions and will not make any promises not to purchase specific items. But TikTok trends around spending and personal finance remain popular on her For You page.
“You don’t need to buy a new set of straighteners just because your current ones are stiff,” she says. “If it still works, it still works. To me, that’s actually a good reminder.
