The delulu economy: How feminine fantasies are shaping marketing

Let’s be real for a second here girlies: We may not have affordable housing, but we do have five types of lip liner/gloss combos and an emotional support water bottle in every pastel shade.

Welcome to the delulu economy, where identity is curated through girl trends, burnout is aestheticized on TikTok, and brands are cashing in on our low-stakes daydreams. You’ve definitely seen her. She’s spiral-bound journaling in an overpriced café, hair clawed, lips glazed, telling her followers it's a "soft life" day, even though her inbox has 88 unread emails and she hasn't taken annual leave since 2022. She’s not lying, she’s not fake. She’s just a little... delulu. And she’s not alone.

Across TikTok, Pinterest, and every dopamine-drenched “Sunday reset” reel, we're watching a new kind of consumer emerge: the main character of her own low-budget fantasy film. And where there’s a fantasy? There’s a cart full of vibes.

The rise of the delulu consumer

This isn’t even about self-care anymore. It’s not merely treated culture, or wellness, or burnout relief. It’s about spending as world-building. Buying products not because they’re practical, but because they help us play the role we want to be living. And all roles are all retail-ready.

We’re not buying "moisturiser", we’re buying skin that looks like it’s never been stressed. We’re not buying "luggage", we’re buying a life where we’re constantly jetting off (even if it’s just the group chat planning Bali 2026).

And brands are selling the vibe.

Smart marketers aren’t dropping product anymore. They’re dropping personas. Casting shoppers into fully aestheticized characters with set design, moodboards, and matching affiliate links. And it works, because it makes the purchase feel like a step toward something aspirational, even if it’s irrational. Logic says "I probably don’t need this", while Delulu says "But the (X aesthetic) version of me does". This is the marketing sweet spot: not features or benefit, just vibes.

But, it’s a delicate dance. 

Get it right, and you become part of someone’s emotional ecosystem (see: Glossier, OSEA, Laneige, Reformation). Get it wrong, and you’re just another brand using the word “girl” as a lazy grab for Gen Z attention.

Delulu culture might sound unserious, but it’s built on very real economic pressure. People feel priced out of stability. So, they spend on the feeling of control, softness, and identity. And that’s where the opportunity is: if you show up with care, not caricature.

Here’s your cheat sheet:

• Speak to the ritual, not the product.

• Match the fantasy, but ground it in real value.

• Don’t mock the delulu. Understand what it’s helping your customer cope with.

You're so welcome x

-Sophie Randell, Writer