Youth flaunt ‘underconsumption core’ on social media. What’s this new trend?

Young people on social media are showing off their 12-year-old water bottles, sweaters from high school with patched holes and dish rags made from cut up old T-shirts.

It’s all part of a trend that has taken social media by storm in recent months called “underconsumption core,” where users boast about how they’re continuing to make use of the things they already own and repurpose household items instead of buying new ones, all while saving money along the way.

“The underconsumption core is really refreshing to see because it’s just making the best out of what you have,” said Christine Lan, a Montreal-based content creator who showcases her lifestyle focused on underconsumption and being environmentally sustainable.

“(I like) appreciating everything that I have to the fullest and making sure when I do buy something, that it’s made of good quality and will last.”

Lan initially found success on social media when she posted about how she made her own makeup instead of dropping serious cash at cosmetics retailers.

Experts say this trend of underconsuming is essentially a rebrand of minimalism, which has some roots in the current economic conditions and high joblessness that has particularly affected young people.

“If you don’t have a job or if you’re facing economic pressure, then certainly it’s difficult to overconsume,” said François Côté, CEO of online lender Fig Financial.

Côté said many Canadians have been practicing the underconsumption trend for a while but social media has amplified and normalized the behaviour.

Canada’s unemployment rate has been steadily rising, hitting 6.4 per cent in July, data from Statistics Canada shows, as high interest rates slow the economy. However, young people have been hit particularly hard,