The Ugly American, according to stereotype, is loud, wasteful, and chowing down stereotypes. The loud part is a matter of opinion. The latter two charges, though, are being objectively confirmed by a single piece of economic data:
The price of a branded cowhide has fallen by 95% over five years.
And in this one price is packed plenty of cultural information.
It starts with the paleo or keto diets and their cousins. In short, Americans are moving away from the old superstition that meat is bad for you. Protein and fat are in, and carbs are out. People trying to shed pounds are forgoing carbs instead of meat. Young hipsters are opening artisanal jerky and charcuterie shops instead of vegan diners. Millennials who were vegetarians in college are now carnivores.
Beef consumption was 53.9 pounds per person in 2015, and it’s forecast to hit 58.8 pounds this year — almost a 10% climb.
But as native peoples knew, it’s not just what’s inside the cow that counts. Cowhides of all sorts have been used forever, for shoes, baseball gloves, caps, tools, belts, and so on.
These days, not so much. While high-end leather is still in high demand, everyday leather is increasingly unpopular.
Faux-leather pants are the new thing. Meghan Markle of British royalty was spotted wearing shoes made of plant products, as Bloomberg News reported.
Eating cows is hip. Wearing them is gauche.
The result is a glut of cowhides, thus the plummeting prices.
Socially conscious efforts to wear our sustainability on our sleeves (and feet) is leading, ironically, to waste.
“There are hides with no value,” Joe Brannan of Twin City Hide told Bloomberg. “We’re throwing a natural product in the garbage.”
Given the popularity of “dumpster diving” among millennials, we’re ready to see what young entrepreneur will launch a business around “discarded cowhides,” maybe with the motto: To dress sustainable now, it’s best to wear a cow.
