Water Bottle Craze

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

What is it about water bottles that makes them so trendy? Is it the cute and aesthetically pleasing packaging? Is it because they save money and water by being reusable? Or is it because of our desire to fit in with the world around us? Let’s take a look at how reusable water bottles became such a long-lasting trend. 

Before trends could be swapped out within the span of a week thanks to the (in)convenience of social media, fads used to last for years. Reusable water bottles, for example, have been trending for decades. After the Nalgene Water Bottle was released in the 1970s, it stayed popular for almost 30 years. However, in 2008, Camelbak water bottles started to become all the rage. During the 2000s and 2010s, colored plastic reusable water bottles were everywhere. From designs with flowers and inspirational quotes to vibrant decals of popular characters, these water bottles were stocked on every Target and Walmart shelf.

This brings us to 2019, when VSCO girls and TikTok introduced the world to Hydro Flasks. Despite water bottles trending for decades at this point, there was a shift in how popularity spread and shaped culture and society. Thanks to the rise of social media and PR opportunities, it quickly became easy to see how many people were walking around with Hydro Flasks. The simplistic but appealing design had every tween girl begging their parents for a bottle. While some complained about this “annoying” and infamous VSCO girl trend, this was the beginning of a new generation loving the convenience of having a water bottle that kept them hydrated during the school day.

The same can be said for the craze that followed, when Stanleys started accompanying people to work after we returned to in-person activity when the pandemic was over. Like the Hydro Flask, barely a decade old when it went viral, the Stanley Quencher tumbler also rose to fame around its 10th anniversary. But this time, one might say that this continuous water bottle trend took a turn for the worse. These tumblers, designed for truck drivers for their 12-hour routes, started flying off shelves faster than they should’ve. Unlike other water bottle trends, Stanleys became a collector’s item rather than a simple, cute reusable cup. The overconsumption of the product became extremely evident after the release of the limited edition Valentine’s Day tumblers, with people lining up overnight at Target. Videos of people fighting tooth and nail over these products instantly went viral.

Thankfully, after that intense season of competition over who owned the most Stanleys, we are brought to our most current trending water bottles: Owalas. These water bottles differ from Hydro Flasks and Stanleys because of their more affordable pricing and their innovative ‘FreeSip’ lid. Every student’s backpack is decorated with these multicolored bottles, the obsession even leading to pop-up events at select universities. So far, these bottles haven’t been tied to a certain aesthetic or fallen victim to collecting culture. Not only do they sell at a good price while looking cute, but they’re great for the environment. 

The love for reusable water bottles has been around for decades. Whether one purchases a bottle for its innovation or its packaging, the importance of it centers around people being happy and hydrated throughout the day.