Trends on TikTok come and go faster than you can say “brat summer, demure fall” – but some of them tend to have a lasting impact on us, whether it’s a new slang term (remember “cheugy”?) or a way of life. Recently, a wholesome trend appears to have taken over our feeds encouraging us not only to not buy fall’s newest pair of “it” boots, but to consume less. In fact, the trend is trying to influence us to under-consume.
Called “underconsumption core,” the concept has a similar vibe to last year’s de-influencing trend, but instead of aiming to sway you from buying a buzzy product and getting a dupe instead, underconsumption core aims to showcase what it looks like when someone buys and uses only what they actually need.
Most videos are vibey, slow-paced, and set to the tune of “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones. They feature creators showing off their thrifted glassware they’ve had for years, the single pair of sneakers they’ve had for longer, minimalist makeup and skincare routines, and romanticizing their understated spaces.
Underconsumption core feels like the antithesis of everything TikTok stands for, especially since the launch of TikTok Shop in September of 2023 turned the platform into an even bigger tool for overconsumption. It’s in juxtaposition with many other trends on the app, too, like back-to-school hauls or kitchen restocks or Stanley cup adornment videos (because obviously your water bottle needs its own tiny purse) and even massive, often out-of-touch PR hauls from influencers. But compared to these, is this trend really showcasing underconsumption or is it just . . . normal consumption?
“Underconsumption core is kind of just like normal consumption without the added noise and constant push to buy things from the ads we see everyday and the influencers on our For You Pages,” says Shelby Orme, a creator whose content focuses on sustainability. “Underconsumption core is just reclaiming what normal is supposed to look like and reminding us that those of us who don’t spend all day curating our closets or our homes, this is what it looks like.”
It’s also important to note that low-income households have been participating in underconsumption core out of necessity, it just hasn’t been as celebrated on social media to this extent, at least not before.
It’s not a coincidence that this trend comes as the amount of advertisements we’re inundated with continues to grow and the constant news cycle discussing inflation and rising costs takes over our feeds. “People have realized that life is now more permanently expensive and that’s frustrating. It feels like nobody has our back, the corporations don’t have our back, and the government doesn’t have our back,” money expert Kara Perez tells PS.
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Kara Perez is the founder of Bravely Go, a financial education company.
“70 percent of the US economy is consumer spending and there’s roughly 330 million Americans – if 100 million Americans decided to stop going to Target and Walmart, the economy would collapse,” Perez says. “When we say ‘the economy,’ people are thinking of the stock market and big fancy companies and millions of dollars, but actually it’s the small everyday purchases that keeps this country running. I think people are beginning to realize, hey, I love my small purchases that bring me joy, but also it’s keeping me stuck in a financial situation that I don’t want to be in.”
Like Orme says, there’s an invitation for us to consume almost everywhere we look; to have a trend gain traction on social media that encourages the opposite is refreshing, to say the least.
Perez says it can often feel like consumers are surrounded by messaging that wants to separate them from their money. “I think that’s pushing people into underconsumption core, into using what they already have, as kind of a way to reclaim their money and frankly reclaim themselves in a world that is constantly like, ‘You should buy something, give us your money,'” she adds.
Lauren Leavell became an underconsumer back in 2016 – more out of necessity than because of a trend – when she found herself and her partner $120,000 in debt. Fortunately, they were able to pay it off over the course of two and a half years, but it wasn’t easy. “During that 32-month period, we didn’t buy anything. We cut our expenses down to the lowest of the low,” she says in a recent TikTok video discussing her thoughts on underconsumption core. Leavell tells PS that this specific time in her life changed the way she consumes, period – and for the better.
“I’m not someone who participates in consumption trends and needs to buy a new water bottle or a new phone whenever they come out, so I feel like I’m reflecting on this trend from a different level than maybe other people are,” she says. “I think that my experience paying off debt and just not having [the budget] for extra spending have changed the way that I engage with spending in general because I found that a lot of the stuff that I was not buying was also not necessary for me to buy.”
How we spend money is often equated with self worth: do we have the season’s coolest new it-bag, do we use the best mascara and the best skincare routine that we film ourselves doing with the Alix Earle ring light we bought from TikTok Shop? But what underconsumption core aims for us to reckon with is that unlike what we see on the facade of the internet, we really don’t need those things. In fact, all we need is just enough. “To be honest, I think it’s one of the best trends that ever happened on TikTok,” says content creator Bethanny Sudibyo.
Sudibyo says the underconsumption trend “shows there are people living lives normally – people who don’t have ten acrylic [containers] in their fridge to organize everything, people who still have normal-looking spice cabinets, and I think people can relate with normalcy.” She adds, “It just makes them feel less alone.”
If you’re someone who’s been inspired to examine your own spending habits, the best way to start is by simply consuming less. For example, instead of buying a new outfit for an upcoming event, rewear something that’s already in your closet. If you’re dying to try the new Rhode pocket blushes, use up the products you already have before adding to your growing makeup collection. It sounds easy, sure, but it takes a conscious effort to become a better consumer, even when it comes down to something as simple as buying blush.
Orme recommends putting a 24-hour waiting period in place before making a purchase. “I like to recommend seven days, but I think that’s hard for some people. I’ve even waited years for some purchases,” she says. Another tip? Use what you have – like, really use it. “Look around your house, see what you have, and try to use it as much as possible,” Sudibyo says. “Please don’t throw out your things you already have because you want to start over. Look in your apartment, your house, your home, and see what you have and use them until you can’t anymore.”
Perez says it’s important to also recognize the “why” in your own consumption habits and to ask yourself – before you make a purchase – whether or not this is something you actually need (again, one Stanley cup is enough!). Another thing you can do to be a better consumer is to challenge yourself to a “no buy” day. If you can get through that, slowly add in more “no buy” days until you hit a week. Assess your feelings, and move forward from there.
Now, this trend isn’t going to change everything about consumerism as we know it overnight, but that’s not really the goal, anyway. Taking tangible steps towards becoming a mindful consumer is all that proponents of this trend really want – and even then, one small step can do more good than you think.
Elizabeth Gulino is a freelance journalist who specializes in topics relating to wellness, sex, relationships, work, money, lifestyle, and more. She spent four and a half years at Refinery29 as a senior writer and has worked for House Beautiful, Complex, and The Hollywood Reporter.
