Following trends can be fun: it gives you something to talk about, helps you feel like you’re part of something, and makes it easier to relate to others. However, when does following trends turn from a small hobby into a waste of time and money that leads to overconsumption and unoriginality?
Labubus are collectable keychains of about four inches in size with the design of a fuzzy monster with a mischievous face that comes in different colors and expressions. They came out in 2014 but gained a lot more traction in 2024 after K-pop star Lisa from “Blackpink” posted about them on her Instagram in April of last year. Labubus then continued to gain popularity on TikTok.
My question is why? Decorating your keys or your bag with keychains, pins and more is an opportunity for self expression, it should show your interests. When you buy things just because everybody else is, it becomes less about self expression and more about having something just because others want it too. It becomes more about showing off.
Labubus range in price from $30 to $60, and some of the more-rare designs even resell for hundreds. With most of their buyers being college students, that money could be going to something more important to help support themselves, or just a more unique expression of personality.
Lububus are also advertised as collectables with the option to buy them as blind boxes; the excitement of the mystery of which one you’re getting, added with the idea that you should or could be getting them all, supports buying multiple of them, making this an even bigger hole for money to fall into.
Someone who spends money on Labubus would get to be in on the trend until something else comes along that everyone’s attention turns too. It’s an endless cycle of wasting money and overconsuming when people go to buy the next trend and let the last one get pushed to the back of their closets.
If you genuinely like something that is trending, maybe it fits your style or you’ve wanted it for a long time, then go for it. But next time you see countless TikToks trying to sway your opinions, before you give in and decide to spend and consume, really think if it’s for yourself or just because of others.
