Amanda Mull
Before joining the magazine in 2018, Amanda wrote for publications including New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Vox, and Elle. At The Atlantic, Amanda covers health—in the broadest possible sense of the word—and writes “Material World,” a regular column on American consumerism.
-
![]()
Alamy Tupperware Is in Trouble
We’re in a golden age for food storage. So why is America’s paradigmatic container brand failing?
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Neyya / Getty. Why Rich Shoppers Get So Angry About Hermès
This is what happens when wealthy consumers run headlong into actual scarcity.
-
![]()
Maddie Malhotra / Boston Red Sox / Getty What Happened to Baseball Jerseys?
Fans are doomed to keep paying more for merchandise they want less.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Florence Lo / … Temu Is Speedrunning American Familiarity
The company’s ad strategy: bludgeon you into knowing its name.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: H. Armstrong Roberts; … Lab Diamonds Are Too Perfect for Their Own Good
The traditional diamond industry is thought to be under threat from lab-grown stones. But that’s not how luxury works.
-
![]()
Kayana Szymczak / The New York Times / … It’s Just a Water Bottle
No one can truly explain the Stanley cup.
-
![]()
lllustration by The Atlantic. Source: Jennifer J Taylor … Home Influencers Will Not Rest Until Everything Has Been Put in a Clear Plastic Storage Bin
Restocking season is getting out of hand.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: The Asahi Shimbun … The Golden Age of Gadgets for Girlies
They never died. They just became beauty products.
-
![]()
Matteo Giuseppe Pani; Source: Getty Is This How Amazon Ends?
An open embrace of cheap foreign products has helped Amazon take over the world. It also might guarantee Amazon’s eventual obsolescence.
-
![]()
Jim Young / Bloomberg / Getty This Is What Happens to All the Stuff You Don’t Want
I ventured into the belly of the holiday-returns beast.
-
![]()
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani. Source: Getty. Diamonds Aren’t Rare. Why Are They So in Demand?
The diamond industry achieved what is arguably the most successful corporate-marketing campaign of all time.
-
![]()
Getty It’s Too Easy to Buy Stuff You Don’t Want
Online shopping is too fast for good decisions.
-
![]()
Jared Bartman / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The Junk Is Winning
TikTok’s experiment in shopping has quickly become another place to hawk products.
-
![]()
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Sources: … Self-Checkout Is a Failed Experiment
Please, not another “unexpected item in the bagging area.”
-
![]()
Photo-illustration by Jared Bartman / The Atlantic. Source: … Your Sweaters Are Garbage
The quality of knitwear has cratered. Even expensive sweaters have lost their hefty, lush glory.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic Millennials Have Lost Their Grip on Fashion
Ballet flats are back. Are you old enough to know better?
-
![]()
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: … The Only Productivity Hack That Works on Me
Never underestimate the power of a to-do list.
-
![]()
Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Raymond Boyd / … Retailers Bet Wrong on America’s Feelings About Stores
The internet was supposed to kill in-person shopping. But have you been to a Bass Pro?
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic; Sources: Getty; Shutterstock. Bama Rush Is a Strange, Sparkly Window Into How America Shops
Here’s my cute $20 Shein dress. And here are all of my $400 David Yurman bracelets.
-
![]()
Illustration by Jared Bartman / The Atlantic. Sources: … Make the Collabs Stop
The world does not need Blue Bottle sneakers or Harry Potter spatulas.
