Capitalism's Effect on American Culture
Note from 8/30/2025: Clearing out my old documents, found this essay I wrote in 2016 for school, condemning capitalism and consumerism while actively taking part in it like the hypocrite I am.
Here in the United States we live within a capitalist system, which affects our everyday culture and set of values. Capitalism is defined as an economic system in which “the distribution of goods…[is] determined mainly by competition in a free market” (Merriam Webster). It is characterized by competition and the idea that continual growth makes for a stable economy. Capitalism creates consumer culture in direct ways, affecting our morals and habits in negative ways by pushing us to constantly consume and ignore important issues (unless it becomes fashionable to support a specific issue). In these ways, people in the United States are being negatively impacted by the massive role capitalism plays in all of our lives.
Consumerism plays a major role in the way United States citizens view ourselves and one another. Malls have been the subject of controversy ever since opening their doors. Malls are specifically engineered for the people within them to consume the most, carefully architectured so as to produce maximum consumption. The creator of the modern mall, Victor Gruen, “used architecture to socially engineer our patterns of consumption” (Dery 113). Gruen’s intention was to “design an environment in which ‘shoppers will be so bedazzled by a store’s surroundings that they will be drawn --unconsciously, continually-- to shop” (Dery 113). This practice became so common, eventually entire careers became based upon this concept; Paco Underhill makes his living studying store camera footage to look for patterns in the way people shop. He studies everything from how fast people walk, to the way they navigate the stores, and from the data he collects, he determines the most effective way to set up displays and layouts of stores and malls. One such example of the work Underhill does is determine how wide aisles in stores should be, because of his theory that “the likelihood of a woman’s being converted from a browser to a buyer is inversely proportional to the likelihood of her being brushed on her behind while she’s examining merchandise” (Gladwell 99). This leads to the widening of aisles in certain store locations to prevent women from leaving without buying anything. Entire stores are planned down to the smallest details to encourage constant consumption. It got to the point where, when Victor Gruen saw the eventual outcome of his creation, he was disgusted by the culture of greed it had seemed to create, speaking of “‘the ugliness...of the land-wasting seas of parking’ around it, and the soul-killing spread beyond” (Dery 113-114). Even the man who pioneered the new wave of American shopping habits became disgusted by the level of consumption and waste created.
We as Americans are constantly pushed to consume products, and purchase more items. Advertisements aimed at groups of people can perpetuate stereotypes, and make people feel like they are inadequate compared to their peers. People are grouped into categories based on their personalities and how they can be advertised to. Marketers use these categories to make mass-ads aimed at stereotypes, because the “object of advertising is not just to brand parity objects but also to brand consumers” (Twitchell 182). Advertisers position certain products to push to a certain type of person, to make people feel like they are who they want to be. An example of positioning would be “...if Anheuser-Busch wants to maximize its sales, the soccer mom driving the shiny Chevy Suburban must feel she drinks a different Budweiser than the roustabout in the rusted-out Chevy pickup” (Twitchell 183). The products people consume contribute towards the identity they build for themselves. Advertisements are positioned in such a way as to attract the type of person who wants to be associated with the product to better project their image. These ads compel people to go out and consume products that might make them seem cooler, more attractive, or more popular. Often times, they contain subliminal messages that seem to suggest that not partaking in this product will make you an outcast or uncool. One frequent example is the portrayal of women in advertisements. When they are not being objectified within alcohol advertisements, they appear in commercials aimed to make women feel unease in their own bodies, such as Weight Watchers commercials. The focus on a woman’s appearance becomes the only way they are judged. Women in America have knowledge that “appearance is perhaps the crucial way by which men form opinions of women. For that reason, feelings about self-image get mixed up with feelings about security and comfort...it sometimes appears to women that the whole possibility of being loved and comforted hangs on how their appearance will be received” (Craig 194-195). The constant negative messages within advertisements can and do have significantly negative effects on the mental health of the nation, especially the female population.
In order for Americans to continually purchase products, they must earn the money for such items. Productivity as a virtue is a major factor in our society, because it fuels our capitalist economy. People have to work to earn a living, and are always striving for growth, or improvement of living. Businesses themselves are always pushing for growth, and consistent sales are not seen as good enough. Combined with these everyday pressures, advertisements are telling people, especially women, that they are not good enough, and that if they just purchase these products, they might finally catch up to their peers. Campaigns such as Dove’s “Real Beauty” attempt to play to women’s emotions by being accepting of different body types, but still sell products that defy the heart of that message, leaving a sour taste in Jennifer Pozner’s mouth. Pozner says, “Dove’s attempts are profoundly limited by a product line that comes with its own underlying philosophy: cellulite is unsightly, women’s natural aging process is shameful, and flabby thighs are flawed and must be fixed...oh, so conveniently by Dove’s newest lotion” (Pozner 219). The women in these advertisements are celebrating their body types while still pushing Dove’s product, contradictory to the campaign’s message of accepting and celebrating unique body types. People are being pushed to constantly improve, and pressured to keep up with their peers and attain perfection. The push to earn matched with the push to consume creates a frenzied Ouroboros of consumption. This constant consumption distracts us from important issues and experiences we should be paying more attention to.
Being manipulated by advertisements and stressed by the pressures and fears of not being productive enough to effectively stay afloat in this economy can take its toll on people. These distractions lead us as Americans to be greedy, morally corrupt, and have more concern for money and status symbols than for other people. For example, homelessness in the United States is viewed as the failing of the individual, rather than a tragedy. People look down upon unemployed people because they are being unproductive, or not contributing anything to society. It is this obsessive focus on productivity and consumption within our culture that leads to people caring less about the things that truly matter, such as other people. This also takes a political toll on our country, as people who hold these views have a skewed notion of how to treat other people. There is no such thing as a perfect system, but there are definitely ways we as people can analyze our own culture within capitalism and recognize its toxicity. While we all live within the confines of our current system, the least we can do as individuals is try our best to improve it for the wellbeing of everyone.
Works Cited
"Capitalism." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Craig, Steve. “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”. Signs of Life. 7th Ed. Adam Whitehurst.
Boston: Bedford’s / St. Martin, 2012. 187-198. Print.
Dery, Mark. “Dawn of the Dead Mall”. Signs of Life. 7th Ed. Adam Whitehurst.
Boston: Bedford’s / St. Martin, 2012. 111-115. Print.
Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping”. Signs of Life. 7th Ed. Adam Whitehurst.
Boston: Bedford’s / St. Martin, 2012. 97-103. Print.
Pozner, Jennifer L. “Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ Backlash”. Signs of Life. 7th Ed. Adam Whitehurst.
Boston: Bedford’s / St. Martin, 2012. 219-221. Print.
Twitchell, James B. “What We Are to Advertisers”. Signs of Life. 7th Ed. Adam Whitehurst.
Boston: Bedford’s / St. Martin, 2012. 182-186. Print.