As a victim of mainstream trends, I have become a Stanley Cup owner and can confidently say these products are overhyped.
Even though Stanley Cups have been in supply since 2016, it wasn’t until last year that they became a trend. Media apps like TikTok and Instagram benefitted the company, marketing these cups as the new “IT” girl need. I watched so many videos of “Pilates” girls and “clean” girls having pastel-colored Stanleys and immediately knew that I had to have one. Next thing I knew I was walking out of Target on a random Tuesday night with a green Stanley in one hand and a receipt in another; and yes I paid $45 for a cup!
Just like every other trend that surfaced on the internet, people have moved on from the hype of Stanleys and now are left with an oddly shaped cup that gets kind of annoying to carry. The shape of the cup is very interesting, to say the least, and even though it comfortably sits in cup holders of cars without any hassle, it constantly falls over from any undistributed weight caused by the handle. As an athlete hydration is key and I will admit that having a cute bottle makes it more enjoyable to drink water. But in the past months that I have been using my Stanley, I would say it has fallen over too many times at practice and now the bottom portion of my cup is quite dented. Compared to my Yeti cup which holds almost the same amount of water, I would rather leave my Stanley in my cupboard than lug it around campus.
Keeping the cup squeaky clean is also an issue. Many Tik Toker’s and influencers have posted video hacks on “how to properly clean your Stanley Cup.” It turns out that Stanley Cup lids can be broken down into multiple pieces to wash away any mold that has accumulated between uses. When I found out that the lid collected mold, I took my lid apart and started scrubbing. However, the simple task of washing a lid turned into a 10-minute Lego set where I had to break the lid and scrub each piece then put it all back together.
Without a doubt, Stanley Cups are great but everything has a downside and for $45 and a lot of washing time, it just doesn’t seem worth it to buy the cup.
