A coffee cup gives us a sense of productivity and power (Picture: Getty Images)
There’s something innately powerful about strutting around the streets with a takeaway coffee in hand. The manicure is done, the sunglasses match, and the outfit is slaying.
Over the years, we’ve seen countless characters take their favourite hot beverages on a walk through the streets of iconic cities like New York City, from The Devil Wears Prada’s Andy Sachs to Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw.
Yes, there’s nothing better than sitting down with a friend and actually stopping to enjoy the drink you’ve just spent the best part of £5 on, but that’s beside the point.
The coffee cup – whether a branded one or poured in a more environmentally friendly reusable cup – has increasingly become a symbol of empowerment, productivity, and even belonging, as a piece penned in Grazia this week noted.
And it’s shaped our consumption habits so much that, as TikTokers @thelauraandbeckyshow shared in a recent video, they’re now unable to drink their favourite caffeinated drinks in anything but a takeaway cup, even if they’re not actually taking it away. The mind boggles.
The likes of Carrie Bradshaw have been depicted carrying takeaway coffees over the years (Picture: HBO)
‘We can’t sit with it in a mug…I always ask for a takeaway cup. It tastes better,’ they shared.
‘Went for a walk with a mug of coffee from home to see how weird it would feel and it was awesome,’ @lilybeacg shared in a separate video. ‘Big yes, can’t recommend it enough. You’re welcome.’
‘Going for a random coffee walk in the middle of the day is my hobby,’ @rebeckaslife added.
So, what is it about strutting down the streets armed with an iced latte that gives us so much power? Metro chatted to a psychologist and a coffee expert to decipher exactly what gives us that je ne sais quoi.
Why does carrying a takeaway coffee make us feel so powerful?
As psychologist and RoutineBase co-founder Aristotle Paulides tells Metro, carrying a cup of takeaway coffee isn’t always just about getting a caffeine fix. In his view, it taps into our goals and the way we want society to see us.
‘It’s not just about the coffee but what the act of holding that cup represents. For many, it symbolises a busy, purposeful lifestyle. The simple act of walking down the street with a branded coffee cup projects an image of being engaged, productive, and on the move,’ Aristotle explains.
‘That association can make people feel more confident or empowered, almost like they’re participating in a cultural ritual that highlights modern efficiency and urban sophistication.’
And, as the coffee consumption market is largely dominated by a handful of chains, buying into the brand also feeds into a sense of collective consciousness. If we’re buying the cool thing (even at the expense of smaller, local businesses), then we’re in with the trends.
Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada was also pictured with them (Picture: 20th Century …read more
Source:: Metro