2 December 2022
author’s note: I wrote this essay for my Writing 150 final at the end of my first semester of college. I am pretty proud of this essay and put a lot of effort into it, so I hope you enjoy it!
As a child, I remember opening my grandma’s kitchen cabinets to discover shelves of containers—but they were not Tupperware. Instead, I would find old yogurt containers, take-out boxes, and pasta sauce jars. Throughout my childhood, my family would continue this “tradition” by repurposing old containers and jars for other things in our house. A brief Google search could easily tell you the benefits of reusing containers. Reduce, reuse, recycle—these days, we repeat the famous tenets of sustainability, yet in mainstream American culture, we are often reluctant to put the reuse into practice. The general American consumer is unlikely to put it into practice, and if they do practice, they are still unlikely to feel proud about it. Consumers implicitly consider the reuse of single-use containers tacky due to the clash of the intersections between class and culture. To truly value the reuse of containers, the consumer must understand how the underlying values they hold shape their thinking and interactions with a simple container.
The activity of reusing single-use containers has an implicit sense of tackiness associated with it, even though reusing is generally considered a positive thing. A post on Reddit queries the wider internet whether “reusing the plastic to-go containers from Chinese restaurants as Tupperware” is “tacky” (@yaybuttons).
Although the replies defend the use of this practice, assuring the original poster that the practice is not tacky and is in fact the valued practice of “upcycling”, this post still reflects the subconscious anxiety over it being considered tacky. Despite reuse’s widespread practice, people are generally reluctant to showcase reused containers in their homes—these plastic containers are often found tucked into fridges away from view.
A desirable kitchen usually does not include reused containers, especially those kitchens showcased by home decor “experts” such as the ones on HGTV. Joanna Gaines, a popular HGTV figure who owns her own home decor line, Magnolia Hearth & Hand, prominently features kitchenware. Despite the variety of items offered, the search term “magnolia hearth & hand food storage containers” only results in a variety of earthenware, metal, glass, and wood jars (“Magnolia Hearth & Hand”).
No classic plastic storage containers, such as Tupperware, appear anywhere in this collection. Additionally, in Kim Kardashian’s viral pantry, only glass jars fill the shelves, without a single sighting of plastic anywhere (Poosh). The significance of stoneware or glass, versus plastic, illustrates the acceptable image of the household. Stoneware and glass are sturdy, permanent, and dependable, attributes that suggest quality, which plastic does not have. Plastic is something disposable and cheap, and therefore undesirable.
There is an inherent sense that plastic is at the lower end of the food chain of home decor—unlike other materials, it is both an extremely easy-to-manufacture and common material. We often associate tackiness with commonness—because it is common, our participation in the activity is not special. It is something “everyone does”. Even worse, common activities are associated with commoners—something “low-class”.
In 2003, the internet derided the late queen of England when leaked pictures surfaced of her breakfast setup.
“That Tupperware and plastic yoghurt pot on Her Majesty’s breakfast table!” an article exclaimed, referring to the idea of the queen of England using plastic containers as “fuddy-duddy”, meaning old-fashioned, unimaginative, or conservative (Barr). Interestingly, a footman with faked credentials took the above photo, infiltrating the palace to capture candid shots of royal life. In contrast, the following photo contains an image of the queen having breakfast when actually expecting guests. Notice the lack of store-bought packaging—all the condiments have been carefully replaced in matching, blank, white glass dishes.
The public found the concept of royalty using Tupperware and plastic as inappropriate. They expected certain behaviors—nicer containers, perhaps—from the Queen because she was royalty. They expected her to perform the idea of luxury, something set apart, something that is above a common plastic tub that “anyone” could buy from a store. Likely, the Queen also acknowledged this, judging from the clear difference in her breakfast display depending on when she planned to be publicly observed or not.
When it comes to reusing the particular type of plastic containers that once carried something else, they are often branded with images or words from the original product, marking them clearly as having had a previous use. According to HGTV, this is a no-go in home organizing. When people actually buy plastic storage containers, even if made out of plastic, at least they do not have the wrappers or labels on them from wherever they originally came from. An article from HGTV on “tips for organizing your fridge” contains this first helpful point:
“Does anyone love looking at plastic bags and cardboard boxes? I think not. Go ahead and remove the packaging around your fruit, eggs, cups of yogurt, cans of sparkling water, etc. Then, use clear matching containers to corral and organize your items by category. This will help your fridge look more uniform and ensure that you can see exactly what’s available.” (Friedman)
The post emphasizes “clear, matching containers” and uniformity, and suggests against “plastic bags and cardboard boxes … packaging”.
Wrappers and labels are things one throws away, which brings a labeled, formerly-used plastic container like a cleaned-out old yogurt container closer towards trash than something to be proud of in one’s kitchen. The thing about reused containers is that they are not clear, matching, or uniform. They come in unpredictable shapes, colors, sizes, and opacity. They are messy and unpredictable, which is not the image most kitchen-owners want to portray about themselves—because not only is this tacky, it is considered trashy, which is worse as trashiness is associated with lack of self-awareness and self-respect.
It is difficult to breach the mindset that something meant to be consumed and discarded, with a limited lifespan, is valuable. These “consumable” objects are, by the common mainstream American’s definition, trash. Even if home decorators claim they are pursuing a “homey” feel for their dream kitchen, they still often draw inspiration from upper class homes, matching containers and all. Repurposing trash brushes up dangerously with trashiness. So, because of this lack of self-respect associated with it, we combat this possible conception by attempting to make “trash” presentable. From another HGTV article, on repurposing kitchen trash into tools, the tips involve turning the process into an arts and crafts activity. Key phrases include “remove labels” and “neatly trim … wrap in pretty paper”, but most importantly, “make them display-worthy” (Phillips). The focus is on the activity of repackaging, and the end-goal of re-presenting, rather than the inherent usefulness of the object by repurposing. In the end, what matters most is one’s “display”—what they are presenting about themselves to the outside world by including a reused article in their home. The object’s inherent worth is not what matters, but how it is presented.
In fact, what matters most is the identity the user presents. This is why the most prominent argument for reusing plastic containers’ value, sustainability and frugality, often does not hold up against the inherent belief that the action is tacky. As clearly concluded in the Sustainable Development journal, “selling a product on … functionality alone was a losing strategy … advertising has come to focus less on the properties of goods, and more on the social and human qualities they embody as part of our ‘extended selves’” (Soron). Today’s advertising sells not a product, but a lifestyle. Watch any drug commercial on TV and notice how it presents not just that users will be cured from their ailment, but that they will live a desirable lifestyle as an elevated, ideal persona, whether that be someone who is fun, free, brave, happy, peaceful, relational, loved, et cetera. Advertising works because it appeals to who we want to be and who we want to be seen as. This phenomenon explains why we buy certain things, as well as why we act certain ways.
Frankly, reusing containers is not an easily advertisable practice, at least not in a marketable way. In fact, it is anti-market—it is anti-consumerist—because the consumption has already occurred, and the action of reuse is one less action of consumption (which in this case, consumption means buying) in future. Capitalist society, which has shaped the mindset of anyone growing up in it, directly opposes the practice of reuse, although we may acknowledge reuse’s functionality.
When someone keeps reused containers, they play their own preconceived advertisement in their head. Given its associations with frugality (and in extension, the lower class), reusing containers does not match contemporary societal expectations of what a home should look like. This hypothetical person may question whether guests of their home will think that they cannot afford sturdier containers, and in extension, that they are poor, or cheap, or worse, have no taste. This issue becomes a matter of status and personal dignity.
Even if the reuser attempts to sell themselves on an alternative identity—that they are sustainable and care about the environment, and therefore a good person—it does not change the fact that the reused container is still sitting in their home, looking tacky. Frugality, conscientious use, stewardship, and charitability, are noble values, but whether this matters enough to the individual depends on what they hold highest in regard. Inherently, sustainability is performative: it is an image-based decision, based on internal values.
In the end, sustainability is limited by the initial premise that selling functionality cannot compete with selling an identity. As for those who consider this action tacky, versus those who do not, they may have similar values at heart, but what affects actions greatest is which values are individually ranked higher than others. These values determine what kind of identity the person holds.
Our relationship with reusing plastic containers is a nuanced one. The answer to why we should value reusing plastic containers is simple, but also complicated because of conflicting values. Learning to reuse and recycle is a shift of perspective from the usual consumerist culture we encounter today in mainstream American society, such as with American individualism. Returning to the initial idea of the HGTV image, viewer demographics speak of the kind of audience that subscribes to this home ideal. Based on the traffic statistics on HGTV during the month of September 2022, around 99% of its viewers were Americans, and 62% were female (“HGTV.com Traffic Analytics”). Additionally, 75% of HGTV’s viewers are homeowners ages 25-54 with an average income of $83K (Knelson). Although this is a very small sample size of time (extending the time sample was a feature hidden behind a paywall), this already tells us what kind of audience watches HGTV: young, decently well-off middle class Americans. The thing is, not everyone identifies as this demographic.
We can find value in reusing containers not just in spite of its tackiness, but because of its tackiness. The associations that make this practice tacky—associations with the low-class, non-American culture, and “tasteless” decor—are valuable in themselves.
For one to truly value the practice of reusing plastic containers requires an underlying shift in values—they must look at this practice outside of the mindset of consumerism and HGTV home decor. Some, however, are given no choice but to have a different value mindset in this regard.
Not everyone can afford matching, non-plastic containers. As evidenced in the opening anecdote, my grandparents’ and my own family’s reuse of plastic containers is greatly tied to our roots in poverty and immigrant identities. Because my grandparents did not have the luxury of buying matching container sets (which would be an extravagance, but also, simply unnecessary), they had to conserve everything. To immigrant cultures, particularly those from collectivist societies as I am, sustainability is not a burden or obligation, it is as natural as breathing. Trying to save money is not a sacrifice, it is the only option. But it’s also highly respected—we use what we are given with care. This mindset carried on even when they became well-off in their later years.
Additionally, not everyone buys into—nor should they—the American expectations for what a home should look like. If homes reflect ourselves and our identities, an alternative value we can hold is that our homes should reflect the diversity of expressions we represent. Not every family fits into the HGTV cookie-cutter dream home, nor would that be considered all of our dreams. When even the smallest things in a household, like a container, reflect our histories and have meaning in their reuse, that container becomes an enriched article of self-expression. Although it may not look conventionally attractive, the deeper meaning behind it gives it appeal that is beyond visual. Not everything has to be display-worthy, because outside of HGTV and popular culture, we have our own diverse, valid definitions of a worthy display.
Works Cited
@yaybuttons. “Is reusing the plastic to-go containers from Chinese restaurants as Tupperware tacky?” Reddit, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/internetparents/comments/sbz98z/is_reusing_the_plastic_togo_containers_from/
Anwar, Hussein. “Queen photographed eating a meal.” The List, Static Media, n.d. Lane, https://www.thelist.com/242717/heres-what-queen-elizabeth-typically-eats-in-a-day/. 2 Dec. 2022
Barr, Robert. “Royal Decor Prompts Shock the Undercover Reports about Buckingham Palace Have Britons Talking — and an Injunction in Effect.” News and Record, Greensboro News and Record, 20 Nov. 2003, https://greensboro.com/royal-decor-prompts-shock-the-undercover-reports-about-buckingham-palace/article_a81994a8-6039-550f-a369-d5b1891766a3.html.
Friedman, Katie. “How to Successfully Organize Your Refrigerator and Keep It Neat All Year.” HGTV, Warner Bros, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/how-to-organize-the-refrigerator.
“HGTV.com Traffic Analytics & Market Share.” Similarweb, Similarweb LTD, Sept. 2022, https://www.similarweb.com/website/hgtv.com/.
“Inside Kim Kardashian’s Pantry.” Poosh, Poosh, LLC, 8 Apr. 2022, https://poosh.com/inside-kim-kardashian-wests-pantry/.
Knelson. “Sales Strategies in the Age of HGTV.” Keyword Connects, EverConnect Direct, 10 Dec. 2019, https://keywordconnects.com/sales-strategies-in-the-age-of-hgtv/.
“Magnolia Hearth and Hand Food Storage Container.” Target.com, Target Brands, Inc., https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=magnolia+hearth+and+hand+food+storage+container
Parry, Ryan. “The Queen’s breakfast table in 2003 laid with silver spoons, embroidered linen and tupperware containing cornflakes and porridge oats.” Mirror, 19 Nov. 2003, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/buckingham-palace-queen-tupperware-philip-13663437. 2 Dec. 2022
Phillips, Shannon. “50 Ways to Get Organized with Items You Already Have.” HGTV, Warner Bros, 13 Oct. 2020, https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/ways-to-get-organized-with-repurposed-items-pictures.
Soron, Dennis. “Sustainability, Self-Identity and the Sociology of Consumption.” Sustainable Development, vol. 18, no. 3, 14 May 2010, pp. 172–181., https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.457.
In the Silence Between 
Wild, weird, tacky.
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