The Era of Boom Boom Fruit
Spending a lot on fruit is nothing new – an organic, fair trade, ethically grown heirloom apple at Whole Foods has always been a splurge. But that extra spend was a commitment we were making, in part, to a better world – healthy soil, biodiversity, clean waterways, living wages for workers, a healthy local micro-economy, and plentiful honeybees. The price reflected not just the quality of the fruit, but the quality of our virtue.
The current wave of luxe fruits, though, is something new. Items like the viral $20 Erewhon strawberry are expensive for reasons that would make a bearded organic farmer of the 2010's recoil in terror – it's a newly developed variety of strawberry, not an heirloom, and it's swaddled in layers of luxe non-recyclable packaging before settling into a 10-hour flight from Kyoto to Los Angeles. It's unquestionably a good strawberry – it's aesthetically perfect, flavorful, probably packed with vitamins – and it's all for you.
We think it's just another expression of what futurist Sean Monahan calls the Boom Boom Aesthetic – a new sensibility that has supplanted "quiet luxury" as the vibe du jour. When the world feels, let's just say, a little bit crazy, subtlety is out. The bold, brash aesthetics of the '80s are back (yes, again) and with them come the usual quotes from Gordon Gecko, Margaret Thatcher, Duran Duran et al about putting oneself first and embracing hedonism. Why ferment your own organic sourdough when you could be strutting down Rodeo Drive with an ice cold, neon-pink Hailey Bieber for Erewhon Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie in a giant plastic cup?
Self care has always been a natural reaction to uncertainty. The most famous metric is probably the Lipstick Index, which posits that sales of small luxury items like cosmetics increase during economic downturns. Today, a better term might be the Little Treat Index, as the range of items that might be considered "small luxuries" continues to expand to encompass probiotic sodas, premium olive oils, tinned fish, journaling supplies and AI therapy apps.
A $20 strawberry is self-care, not just in the form of a delicious and healthy fruit, but also as a sort of ego-balm, a moment of TikTok-era self-indulgence that lets consumers feel like part of a cultural phenomenon. In the coming year we expect to see more ostentatiously indulgent Boom Boom products – and experiences, and foods-as-experiences – gaining attention as consumers push the boundaries of what retail therapy can be.