Clever Subject Line: Did You Forget Something?
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Ask any friend of yours who’s locked down, working/studying, and doing how we would now describe as “pretty good!”—they definitely have 6-8 tabs open on their laptop and cell phone. Some e-mails, scanned library books, maybe even their favorite study-tuber (okay, just me?), and about 3 different types of shopping tabs. There’s the product search results page, on which they are still browsing for the perfect combination of stars and reviews; there’s the full cart, sitting in anticipation of an uncertain click; and there’s the 10-minute-old shipment racking page, reserved for the more committed procrastinators (or maybe just the daftest).
I’d like to call myself a pretty tame shopper. After recovering from my weekend suburban-mall-trip addiction in middle school, I’ve grown increasingly less and less interested in the shopping experience. And while online window-shopping was the high school distraction I had to conquer next, I’ve never been the type of person with a full cart open in a faraway, pitifully hidden tab.
That’s not to say I haven’t had my fair share of quarantine purchases. Most of mine, however, have been pre-meditated, habitual: the start of a new routine like matcha lattes in the morning or a new candle to burn each month. I’m a stranger to the kind of shopping I’ve been doing in the past few days. A new interest in skincare? Physical devices to extinguish my distress? Gen Z-targeted birth control and liquid blush? Who am I!?
Anyway, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss the uniqueness of our quarantine purchases. It’s not just paints and puzzles anymore; we’ve collectively evolved past March 2020. Our feigning interest in quarantine trends allows us to now ask the question: what do our unique purchases say about us? Are we vapid? Hopeful? … Have we given up? I don’t have the answers, there’s not a lot of those lying around these days. But I can share my own, in an effort to partake in an exposé of ourselves and our habits.
I share this list without much comment because, well, it’s really open for interpretation. Your guess is as good as mine.
Ummmm
You know, just exploring other avenues to express our feelings.
A weighted blanket
But then I was like, wait…my comforter is already pretty heavy and these are… pretty expensive!
A clip-on book light
Still considering. Need to read more physical books to justify. Reminiscent of the old GAMEBOY light attachment. Very chic.
A mug warmer
Honestly, why are there not already a common thing? (You: because we have microwaves...?) Okay, but have you seen the selection? Crazy ones that also charge your phone, smart mugs that keep your drink at a constant temperature, smart coasters, wireless warmers, the list goes on! These range from $12-200, so I’m holding off until I have a more permanent home.
Various The Ordinary products
Youtube rabbit holes and a queue full of Skincare by Hyram. But I can tuck this one under self-care and pre-meditated purchases.
And, finally, some BC refills
Unwilling to brave my OBGYN office, I opted for an online service, having only ever done so in foreign cities. Here, of course, all of the options I found were carefully marketed, cute, and with painfully terrible customer service. My order has been messed up twice already, but I just want that free chocolate.
