Influencer sparks outrage with 'disturbing' video inside of shower: 'I hate it so much'

Keeping your shower stocked with essential hygiene products is one thing. Having so many products that you can barely see your bathroom wall is another.

A Redditor sparked a discussion about the overconsumption of beauty products by sharing an excessively full shower shelf.

The image was a screenshot taken from a TikTok video touting self care. The creator's shower featured dozens of personal care items, more resembling a beauty store display than the necessities in a typical shower.

It sparked a visceral reaction from some observers.

One wrote: "I imagine showering in that shower, and everywhere I turn there's plastic bottles. … I wouldn't even know how to wash myself, because it would be so overwhelming. I hate this shower."

While individual needs vary, having 100-plus personal items is excessive. It's also wasteful and bad for the planet, especially because of all the plastic packaging on display.

As The Guardian notes, the beauty industry annually produces over 120 billion packaging units, many of which are not recyclable. Even plastics with recycling symbols often end up incinerated, in landfills, or in oceans harming wildlife. 

The inefficiency of plastic recycling contributes to environmental issues, and considering the scale of the products on display here it's hard to imagine they are maximized. Excessive purchasing can lead to this kind of clutter and wasted or expired items.

There are steps consumers can take to reduce their contribution to plastic packaging waste, including finding ways to repurpose old containers. Some product alternatives — shampoo and conditioner bars, for example — don't need plastic at all. There are also promising plastic alternatives on the horizon that could lower plastic reliance in conventional products.

In the meantime, companies such as The Body Shop are taking steps for eco-conscious consumers, instituting refill programs and making changes packaging to greatly cut down on plastic use. 

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While those moves will make a big dent in the beauty industry's plastic problem, the creator's arsenal of products unnerved Redditors. While self care is important, broadcasting or endorsing the overconsumption of beauty products isn't the answer.

"I'm not normally claustrophobic, but this pic makes me feel like the plastic has teamed up with the fragrances and I won't make it out alive," one declared.

"This is disturbing. I hate it so much," another user wrote.

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