Traditionally, advent calendars have offered a nostalgic and spiritual way to count down the days until Christmas, with little surprises behind numbered doors. However, TikTok influencers have adopted this beloved tradition to celebrate consumerism, excess, and waste instead.
In a viral post to r/Anticonsumption, one person shared their frustration about influencers' unboxing makeup advent calendars. These "calendars" are filled with overpriced single-use makeup samples from various cosmetics brands.
"They were clearly made for companies to sell their leftover samples from earlier in the year in a shiny, repackaged way," the original poster wrote. "Now I'm just wondering what they're going to do with the empty packaging."
Cosmetics waste is a massive problem for people's spending habits and the environment.
Many makeup products are wrapped in excess packaging and accompanied by unwanted freebies that get tossed into the trash.
Social media influencers regularly receive large quantities of promotional products that they never use. However, their devoted fans become inspired to needlessly spend their money on costly beauty products that may not even benefit their skin types or styles.
Meanwhile, the plastic packaging of most beauty products ends up in landfills, where they take hundreds of years to break down.
Instead of focusing on single-use products and wasteful spending this holiday season, consider supporting sustainable beauty brands that prioritize both your style and the environment.
Brands such as MAC Cosmetics and Sephora offer cosmetics recycling programs, some with valuable incentives including discounts and free products. Walmart and Summer Fridays also have beauty product recycling programs to help you feel good about looking great.
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Choosing clean beauty is one of the best gifts you can give yourself at any time of the year.
Reddit users responded to the OP's sentiment about advent calendars and shared their own experiences and opinions.
"The problem is not advent calendars," one wrote. "It's the hyper-consumerism of TikTok."
Another user said, "They are such an overblown scam now!"
"What an epic waste of money," someone else commented.
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