Stanley Cup drinking bottle: A giant cup as a status symbol

Style criticism

In the world of those who want to stay forever young and beautiful, there is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular: the drinking bottle. It looks like the hot water bottle that men are given in hospital to urinate in. But this monster is not designed to relieve themselves on the go, but to drink from.

Drinking a lot of water has become a status symbol. The problem is that status symbols exist to be seen. Drinking water, however, is something that often happens casually and unnoticed. So there is only one way to show the public how perfectly hydrated your body is: by carrying your bottle around with you in plain sight and sucking on it every now and then like a giant baby.

Stars are leading the way. Actress Fantasia Barrino even had her Stanley bottle with her on the red carpet in Los Angeles. Stanley Cups are the most sought-after bottle creations. Many celebrities and influencers demonstratively carry the giant cup with handle. Reason enough for some Americans to camp in front of supermarkets for the quickly sold-out stainless steel monsters, as excited as if Taylor Swift herself were rolling them down the checkout conveyor belt.

Water as a panacea – this benefits Stanley

Stanley has been designing drinking bottles since 1913, but they are only now experiencing their hype. One reason is a video that went viral on Tiktok in 2023. It showed American Danielle Faudree after a traffic accident. Her car was completely burned out, only one thing remained intact: the Stanley Cup. The brand couldn’t have come up with a better advertising clip. They must have noticed, because they gave Faudree a new car – complete with the Stanley Cup, of course.

The obsession with youth also benefits Stanley. Attractive celebrities repeat it like a mantra: their secret, or at least many of them say so, is drinking lots of water. An answer that may not be authentic, but is very clever, and is intended to show their naturalness and down-to-earthness. It is not Botox, hyaluronic acid or simply good genes that are the reason for smooth, ironed skin in their mid-50s, no. It is water. And water is not a luxury item that everyone can afford. At the same time, they convey the message between the lines: it is in your own hands. You too can look as young and beautiful as we do. All you have to do is drink water.

Water as a promise

Water becomes a promise, a synonym for youth. Water makes you beautiful. Water keeps the skin plump and firm. Water prolongs life. Because someone who carries a large water bottle around with them takes care of themselves. They eat healthily and are sure to spontaneously do downward dog at the bus stop or abs-legs-bottom on the park bench.

The fact that, especially in the USA, Stanley Cups often contain more than just water is irrelevant. Fortunately, the bottles are not transparent, so it is not noticeable if the water has turned a Barbie pink or woodruff green because of the added fizzy powder. What counts is the look.

And with a huge water bottle in your hand, you look like you’ve just jumped out of the gym. If you move a lot, you have to drink a lot. Which shows the further absurdity of the Stanley Cup. Because those who carry it around in public are not the construction workers, farmers or roofers who spend almost all their time outside and sweat a lot at work – and therefore have to drink more. It’s the office workers, the students, the 15-minute pug walkers.

The accessory is therefore a status symbol par excellence: something that the wearer wants to boast about, but that they don’t actually need. What bottles.