Latest TikTok Trend Might Actually Be a Good Thing
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new TikTok trend sees Gen Z embracing a minimal lifestyle, from thrifting clothes to saving and reusing things like plastic containers.
“Underconsumption core” is currently taking off on the video-sharing app, with young people showing off how they minimize purchases and take care of the items they already have.
“Underconsumption core is a social media trend that is being hailed as the new response to fast fashion and overconsumption,” Hanushka Toni, founder and CEO of Sellier, a fashion resale company, explained. “TikTokers especially are promoting the concept of only buying what you strictly need, and then using it up, or wearing and re-wearing it until it needs to be mended or replaced.”
When it comes to fashion, underconsumption core promotes cutting back on buying new clothing items, repairing old items when they wear out and shopping at thrift stores.
“It aligns with a broader movement toward sustainability and responsible consumer behavior, aiming to create a more balanced, conscious approach to fashion consumption,” Toni continued. “The rise of conscious consumerism, supported by greater transparency and accountability from brands, has also encouraged people to adopt more mindful consumption habits, thus fuelling the popularity of the trend.”
Holly O’Neill, Bank of America’s president of retail banking, gave her own take on underconsumption core.
“You don’t want to waste the thing that you’ve already invested in or purchased; you want to optimize that,” she shared. “That both has a budget and a sustainability impact. I mean, we all know the satisfaction of using everything that you purchase and not wasting it. Gen Z is very attuned to that.”
Underconsumption core is also being seen as a response to years of TikTok trends that promoted buying the latest piece of clothing, makeup item or must-have gadget.
“There’s an element of relatability to it,” Jessica Parr, director at Space Doctors, a creative consultancy that works with global beauty conglomerates such as L’Oreal and Coty, said. “Many young people can’t afford to buy thousands of products, but are happy that they can actually participate in the underconsumption trend.”
Movieguide® previously reported on another economical TikTok trend, called “loud budgeting”:
A financial trend called “loud budgeting” is taking over TikTok. What is it, and what should you know before adopting the practice?
“Loud budgeting [is] the concept of sharing your financial boundaries with friends and discussing them openly as you’re deciding where to spend your money,” TODAY reported.
The term was coined by comedian and writer Lukas Battle on TikTok. Although it started as a joke, Battle — and others — now see it as a real financial plan.
“Having financial autonomy and being confident and kind of being transparent about your money situation can be just as cool as flexing it and trying to buy all these expensive items,” Battle told CNN.
Joyce Marter, LCPC, financial therapist and author of “The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life,” explained that loud budgeting “separates worth from the ability to afford material possessions or costly experiences.”
Marter added that by communicating your financial boundaries with the people in your life, you can avoid the stress and other mental health issues that can come from dealing with tricky financial issues.
She shared the steps for loud budgeting: open-mindedness, self-awareness, empathy and holding yourself accountable.
“The intention is for loud budgeting to be rooted in self-worth, self-love, an abundant mindset and conscious collaboration,” Marter concluded.
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