Enter The Age of Hyper Hygiene
I wrote about the Swine Flu hysteria a couple of weeks ago when it first broke out. Now that time has passed, I wanted to revisit it and share a couple of observations I made as a few trends have emerged in the wake of it all.
For starters, “hyper hygiene” has become the rage. People are now armed with hand sanitizers, washing their hands more frequently. For brands that make these products, they are experiencing a huge boom in business. This will probably lead to new products being pushed on the market in food, personal, and household hygiene.
For me, hygiene evokes the sense of “sterility” and with that, comes an overwhelming need to strive for perfection. With that logic, the “everyone’s a winner” ethos that Millenials have experienced will be replaced with “looking out for Number One.” Looking through some parenting discussion boards and blogs, I noticed that many parents are not allowing their kids to share toys, as germs spread and kids tend to put things in their mouth. Playgroup sessions have been canceled, and coughing in public gets you the evil eye. In addition to personal hygiene, we are becoming more concerned with our living environment. Expect to see more cleaning products introduced on the market and media promoting a “clean” environment. Dusting will become huge, and having homes “sterilized” will not be uncommon after a family member is sick.
Other things that hyper-hygiene will spark a new era in the workplace. Once where it was expected to come into the office unless you were “really” sick, will now change. Employers now want employees to be productive, and if you are coughing, expect to be sent home. Since most people have the capability to work from home, this will become the norm - too sick to commute, but expected to “check in” at the office.
Even though it seems as if the hysteria of a couple of weeks ago has simmered down, I think we are only at the beginning of this era of cleanliness.
Body Care and Grooming 1948 - Part 1
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