But when you have a bunch of family or friends over who aren’t smart about water usage, you need a bunch of water bottles on hand to distribute around so that everybody has one…
…and so the cats can’t knock a dozen partly-used pint glasses off of every surface in the house.
My partner makes a point of purchasing only from leaping bunny or other cruelty-free brands to increase awareness about them. We’re privileged enough to be able to afford to seek out locally-produced or humanely raised foodstuffs and other products where we can because we feel we have an obligation to be responsible. In a way, we’re “crafting our identity “ this way. We don’t talk about it often because we’re not trying to flaunt our choices but we do make a point of discussing them whenever relevant because we staunchly believe in educating others about the topics of buying local and animal welfare, especially given how many “trendy” fads in these regards are often just greenwashing or “for show”, and we like to suggest well-researched alternatives.
So, yes, IMHO, crafting one’s identity through consumption does not automatically have to be inherently bad.
This is the same Stanley that made my thermos flask? The one I bought for $20 in 2001 and is still going strong?
A lot of reusable water bottles end up at the thrift, actually. No need to buy new!
You make a good, if extremely rarely encountered, point - sadly many people’s identity via consumerism is late-stage exploitative capitalist brand oriented.
ETA I might characterise what you describe more generally as ‘buying for the qualities of the product’, not the brand. Many people buy the brand almost irrespective of the sustainability or suitability (or ethics) of the product carrying said brand/logo.
I do the same - try to buy ethically - and it is not the brand I’m interested in, primarily. But the ethical brand does deserve to be promoted and if I am identified with it (corollary of my identity being crafted by it) that’s great.
And on the road after people drive off with them on their roofs. My last three bottles/cups I got this way.
Edit - I check for yellowish liquids before I handle them further.
Indeed.
If anyone needs to buy a coke for another in this discussion, I’ll shout.
screengrab from designswan. com
(This one has Coca-Cola in it.)
Also. Remember that the whole “stay hydrated” thing is bogus. Drink something if you are thirsty.
If you really want to weep for humanity, here’s a recent commentary video that also includes tons more footage of folks getting into fights, cutting line, trampling other people, and reselling the cups for hundreds of dollars. Make it stop, please! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Qp9eugrHc
Center of gravity-wise they look less than ideal unless they’re perpetually in vehicle cup holders.
Our daughter just posted something on Facebook about people being mean to people who have every right to spend their money on any kind of cup they want to.
I’m going out on a limb and guessing she recently spent silly money on a cup.
I now must tease her until she swears at me or gets me a cup.
Stanley does make nice stuff, and they were great about sending me a replacement stopper for the big thermos I got from them. As I got more stuff from them I’ve noticed the aesthetic glimmery paint that’s made them so popular starts chipping with only moderate abuse. Looking forward to picking up some of these in thrift shops once the shine wears off (literally).
"Road Kill, an’ Stanley Cups, thangs ah find by th’road."
Welp, I’ve got mah chorus right there.
maybe it’s like pyrex, where there’s two different products one written uppercase and one written lowercase - one that’s shatterproof and one that’s not?
I don’t think that’s what you are doing, though. You have developed your own identity already, and you are tailoring your consumption to fit it.
When you discuss your choices with others, you are not being a trend follower but an “influencer”, which also does not automatically have to be inherently bad (like “moderator” 
).
We use reusable water bottles in my family, but teens being teens, the kiddos lose theirs about once a month. I can’t help but think with all of the lost bottles the wasted plastic and resources are more than if we had just been using single use plastic bottles for all of our drinking.
