Things That Are Overrated

In today's world, some things have received praise, leading them to be considered superior. Overrated things are products that do not deserve the hype they are given and, under normal circumstances, would be regarded as ordinary. These things can be places, people, or even products. Although many people call them trends, it is far more than a short-term activity. Overrated things tend to go beyond preferences and increase the meaning of a place, person, or product so that non-essential items appear essential to the general population, which puts pressure on individuals as they strive to achieve what many call a 'luxury life'. In our current environment, examples of overrated things include celebrities, consumerism, and fast fashion.

One of the most common overrated things is celebrities. The impact that celebrities have on society is quite complicated. Despite many celebrities being exposed for inhumane activities, people continue to consider them as their idols and role models. People overemphasize the importance that celebrities have in society, considering there are individuals who bring more value to society than the said celebrities (Ling, 2024). For example, a paediatric doctor who works daily to save children's lives often receives less recognition than a TikTok model who spends their entire time dancing on the internet. Dancing is a great activity, and people are not underestimating the role that dancing plays both for individuals’ exercise and entertainment, but in this case, the additional importance placed on it. The influence that celebrities have is mind-blowing, and at some point, this influence turns into idolization, as can be seen with some celebrity fans, such as those of K-pop musicians (Ling, 2024). Thus, celebrities are essential, but their importance is overemphasized since the role they play in society does not warrant the praise they receive.

Instead of idolizing celebrities, people should give this recognition to more impactful individuals. They can redirect their attention to specialists in different spheres, such as those who support human rights activists or promote environmental conservation. The fame and attention that celebrities receive are more than the benefits they provide to society. Throughout history, humans have placed religious leaders and royalty on a pedestal as gods, and now it is celebrities. Some celebrities' positive influence cannot be seen as they promote drug and substance abuse, which the youth and teens indulge in to appear cool because a celebrity did it. The society should not allow this new trend to engulf its standards. Therefore, obsession with celebrities is complicated and lacks a clear meaning, as being human matters more than being known by the entire world

Consumerism is another overrated thing in today's world. It is the belief that increased consumption of goods and services benefits the economy and brings happiness. Capitalist economies depend on consumerism as a driver of economic growth (MasterClass, 2020). These economies encourage individuals to overindulge in spending on goods and services, harming their finances and the environment. Consumerism is evident today in the purchase of new phones every year and in fast fashion. Most people will upgrade their devices every year, even though they do not need to. Moreover, buying new phones every year has been advertised as a necessity by public figures, especially celebrities. This leads to environmental pollution when people dispose of their phones in large numbers. It also results in the overexploitation of natural resources by phone manufacturers as they are used to meet the growing demand for new phones each year. Obviously, buying new phones is the easiest example of a consumeristic tendency that has been overrated and meaningless.

Fast fashion is another overrated thing under consumerism. Every year, mass producers introduce new trends and styles that they promote as the latest trend or style. These products are of low quality and low cost, which encourages mass purchase (McKinsey & Company, 2025). Consequently, the clothes are overpurchased within a short period, only to lose their importance after several months and end up in landfills. These also cause producers to overexploit their workers as they strive to meet market demand for their customers. Moreover, a 2018 US Department of Labor report presented “evidence of forced and child labour in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and others” (Maiti, 2025). This fact makes fast fashion not only unsustainable and harmful for the environment, but also dangerous for workers in developing countries who are exploited to satisfy the artificially created demand for buying the latest collections. Therefore, buying new clothes each season is overrated because this activity has a short-term impact on the economy, negatively influences the environment, and workers.

Overall, people tend to overrate things such as celebrities, consumerism, and fast fashion nowadays. Although due to the development of social media, the number of individuals who overrate the mentioned things will only increase in the future, people should evaluate both sides. While it is entertaining to follow celebrities and buy new trendy things, the first can negatively influence the psychological state of a person, and the second significantly damages the environment and puts many individuals in unbearable conditions.