Consumer Culture

One of the main themes in Gary Shteyngart’s novel, Super Sad True Love Story, is the exaggeration of consumer culture and how its identity is being completely reshaped as time continues to progress. The idea that as a society, Americans are going down a path of superficial consumerism and economic downfall is a point Shteyngart continues to stress throughout the novel.

For example, when Eunice is GlobalTeening with her friend, she says, “And then he dresses awful…but next week we’re going shopping for stuff actually made out of ANIMAL PRODUCTS like cotton and wool and ca$hmere and all that good stuff” (p. 113). Eunice describes Lenny’s style as “old-school hipster from the 70s” and that it is awful. This demonstrates how important clothing and exterior image is within society. The identity of a person is mostly shown through what they wear. The “good” stuff that Eunice values and wishes to see Lenny wear, such as “ca$hmere,” basically screams consumerism. With the dollar sign as a substitute for the letter s only proves that this new change of consumer identity has a direct relation to the economic crisis that America is facing in the novel.

Another excerpt that highlights on this idea states, “ ‘I think she shops…So fucking racist” (p. 162-163). Here, we see another relationship between consumerism and the economy. The idea that the “ant” saves too much and therefore the government is encouraging them to spend shows a new identity forming amongst the public. People no longer have the freedom to spend and save as they choose without the government telling them what to do with their money. It almost seems as if the free nation of America is turning into the communistic system of Russia or China.

Lastly, the novel states from Eunice Park’s point of view, “So I had lunch and went Real Time Shopping with Sally…” (p. 145). This shows a completely new identity for consuming. “Real Time Shopping” is known for actively going out and shopping, rather than just doing so from a handy apparat. This shows how shopping doesn’t even require moving anymore, and that it is a rare occasion when someone actually performs the act of shopping. This stands out because our world today is on this track and it can be seen. Online shopping and Netflix make it so easy to just sit on our butts all day without getting up.