1 week Ago By BuzzFeed
Recently, people on Reddit shared things we've all been "brainwashed" into thinking that we need, and it led to a pretty eye-opening conversation. Here are some of the top replies: 1. "A 12-step skin care routine.
" — business_socksss "I am convinced that 'skin care routines' are just a game of drying out your skin, so you need a moisturizer. Then it's too oily, so you need to scrub it off, then add it again. My skin is so much better from just washing my face with water, gentle soap when I'm gross, and a light moisturizer afterward.
" — upfjords "I have a 12-step skincare routine. I walk 12 steps to my bathroom and wash my fucking face." — jmatt9080 2.
"Social media." — marcellabp "I’m a teacher and I talk to my students a lot about how I don’t have Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc. They look at me like I am CRAZY.
" — Waltgrace83 3. "An endless stream of clothes and accessories to follow every trend. Overconsumption of clothing is a huge issue.
" — awholedamngarden "I hate that the clothes you can find in popular stores are mostly paper towel thin. You can wear a basic shirt approximately five times, and then it will have holes and look weird." — Which-Article-2467 "I have more shirts survive from 10 years ago than from the last three years.
" — Extension-Repair1012 4. "Expensive weddings." — alangbas "Hell yeah.
My wife and I got married for less than $1,000 and spent all our savings on a 5-week backpacking trip through Europe. Best decision we ever made." — MWMWMMWWM 5.
"A new car as soon as the old car is paid off." — Hohenmeyer2 "I don't get people like this — now you have a pristine car that you don't need to make payments on!" — JuanaBlanca 6. "A four-year degree for jobs that pay you $18/hr and ask if you’re 'passionate about Excel.
'" — LornaWhirl "I got a four-year degree. I also went on to get a two-year master’s. Granted, I had scholarships that paid for most of it, but I had jobs in the field of my degree that had mid pay and very little in terms of benefits.
I currently have a job that only requires a high school diploma. I make more than I did working those jobs, it's in a geographical area that is more affordable, less stressful, and has phenomenal benefits. I don’t regret my six years in college.
I made a lot of good friends, built good relationships, had a lot of fun, and grew as a person. But you’re absolutely right, it is not necessary. Networking and a bit of luck finding the right gig will get you much further than a degree alone.
" — dasHeftinn 7. "The newest phone every year, no matter the price." — ShadyMyLady "What's worse is having to get a new phone because of planned obsolescence.
" — Just-Sir-7327 "I'd honestly keep my phones for years and years if shit didn't go wrong with them, but it always does." — Rich-Pomegranate1679 8. "Climbing the corporate ladder.
You spend years stepping on rungs made of stress and unpaid overtime, only to realize the top floor belongs to someone else — and they just pulled the ladder up behind them." — ajm_usn321 "I rejected a promotion last year. Every single day I see my now boss (who took it instead) having to care about things I can't even pretend to give a single shit about and I'm so thankful I did.
" — momostip 9. "Super white teeth. It doesn’t look weird at all.
" — ovid31 "And it makes people think bright white teeth are natural. Teeth are not naturally white; they are a slight yellow, and there is nothing wrong with your teeth being a little yellow as long as you are maintaining normal oral hygiene." — Crazyguy_123 10.
"Diamond jewelry. It can be made in labs. Chemically and atomically, it's the exact same stuff that gets pulled out of the earth with child and slave labor, then hoarded to artificially inflate the price.
All that blood and misery just for something shiny to look at. 'A wedding ring should be three months' pay,' screw that nonsense the entire and whole way! It's just cut and polished carbon; whoopty-fucking-do." — The_Mr_Wilson "I told my husband before we got engaged that the only way I would say no was if he got me a blood diamond and if it cost more than $1000.
He got me a gorgeous Moissanite ring for like $500, and I adore it. Our wedding bands are simple wood and metal as well." — ArchivistFaerie 11.
"Fabric softener. Just more perfumes and probably micro plastics." — sparkyvt "Yes.
Fabric softener adds a coat to the fabric, which makes it harder to clean and ruins things like towels. It’s also terrible for your washing machine." — waterproof6598 12.
"A million vitamins and supplements every day, like hundreds of dollars a month." — Kajega "You really only need the ones you aren’t getting regularly. Like vitamin D in winter (or if you don’t go outside much because of disability).
If you’re actually curious, blood tests will make it obvious. It’s how I found out I was pretty low on D." — ArcadiaFey 13.
"The belief that everyone needs to have children, which, in my opinion, is a dangerous mindset since you have people who neglect their kids, abuse their kids, murder their kids, etc." — NarrowIntroduction84 "'Who’s going to take care of you when you get old?' That shit is not guaranteed. And for all I know, it could be a robot that takes care of me when I’m old.
" — chocotacogato 14. "Alcohol." — RedRibbonRacer "I do not drink, and instead of 'okay, cool' or some variation, it's always 'Why?' Or 'Is it a religious thing?' Or something because apparently I need a reason not to want to consume poison, shrug.
And hypothetically, what if the reason someone gave was about, like, growing up in an abusive environment due to alcohol? Like, why ask a question that may have a very uncomfortable answer?" — Vedina477 15. "Most people don’t NEED a shower every day. Embrace the ponytail and wear that shirt a third time before washing.
The Earth will thank you. But PLEASE, however funky you get, brush and floss those teeth twice a day." — FoxPuzzled4969 "I think that’s true for most people with their current lifestyles, but I also think most people are entirely too sedentary.
If you’re working out regularly, then you do need to shower daily." — oohshineeobjects 16. "A relationship.
Learn to be happy on your own, and things will fall into place." — WolfGrouchy1953 "I think we do need relationships, but they don't need to be romantic or sexual. Humans obviously need connection, but we're fooling ourselves if we honestly believe our ancestors were madly in love.
Build strong bonds with friends and family. If you find someone who you want to love romantically, even better!" — Any-Outcome-4457 17. "Streaming services.
Oh, I NEED to see my shows. I need my sports. The classics aren’t on most services, and the new stuff is trash.
They jack the prices on these packages, remove content, people cry, and then pay it anyway. I have two services for my wife. I pay $15 for a bundle.
I see people paying $100/mo for streaming, and that's just TV." — ducksucktiddyphuck "We cycle through them. Since each subscription is month to month, every member of the house picks a 'channel.
' If you want a new one, you drop the old one. We're a household of three, so we max out at three at a time, and sometimes we go down to two, because of overlapping interests." — Gr8NonSequitur 18.
"Big trucks, if you're not in the trades. Big SUVs for a family of four. Etc.
etc." — Content-Fudge489 "Big trucks, even if you’re in the trades. The parking lot at my office is full of gigantic trucks.
All of them are new-ish. They almost all belong to the tradesmen. When I visited Japan a couple of years ago, I was reminded that my Honda Civic is actually a big car in most of the world.
" — silasmousehold 19. "Designer anything." — SaltyPopcornKitty "It still amazes me that people actually pay companies to let them use their bodies as a billboard.
You're not even selling out, you're just a sucker." — Melicor 20. "Keurigs.
Making coffee is not that hard or time-consuming." — AdMurky3039 "I had a group of coworkers who literally did not know you could make a smaller amount of coffee with a normal coffee maker. They thought you had to make an entire pot every time.
They didn’t believe me when I told them they could just put a smaller amount of ground coffee and a smaller amount of water into the coffee maker and it would brew a smaller amount of coffee. They were convinced that a $300 Keurig machine was necessary for people who only wanted to brew two to four cups of coffee each day." — ListeningForAnswers 21.
And finally, "Make Up. No one actually needs it, but we've unfortunately brainwashed women into thinking they need it." — jimac20 "Make-up has an advantage: if you put on less or none on one day, all your coworkers will ask if you are sick, and then you can go home easily.
This was the reason I don't wear makeup daily, because, sorry, this is just my face, I don't have another one lol." — corgi_crazy Is there anything else you would add? Tell us about it in the comments or via the anonymous form below:.
