Food and Beverage
Why eating cheap chocolate can feel embarrassing – even though no one else cares
Cheap Chocolates: The concept of “consumption stigma” describes how societal judgments influence individuals’ everyday consumption choices, leading to feelings of embarrassment and anxiety. People may alter their behaviors to avoid stigma, sometimes opting for more expensive products. Reclaiming the narrative around consumption can help reduce stigma, fostering a more accepting marketplace.
Last Updated on March 10, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Siti Nuraisyah Suwanda, West Virginia University; Emily Tanner, West Virginia University, and M. Paula Fitzgerald, West Virginia University
It’s February, and you grab a box of cheap Valentine’s chocolate from the grocery store on your lunch break. Later, you’re eating it at your office desk when you realize someone else is watching. Suddenly, you feel a flicker of embarrassment. You hide the box away, make a joke or quietly wish they hadn’t noticed – not because the chocolate tastes bad, but because you don’t want to be judged for choosing it.
If the scenario above feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many people experience subtle embarrassment or self-consciousness about everyday consumption choices, from eating cheap Valentine’s chocolate to accepting free lunch from a school food program or having visible tattoos.
We are social marketing researchers who study stigma in marketing. In our research, we coined the term “consumption stigma” to describe how people can be judged or looked down on by others, or by themselves, simply for using certain products – even when there’s nothing objectively wrong with them.
Living with consumption stigma
When people feel judged for what they consume, or choose not to consume, the effects can be mentally exhausting. Feeling stigmatized can quietly erode self-esteem, increase anxiety and change how people behave in everyday settings. What starts as a small moment of embarrassment can grow into a persistent concern about being seen the “wrong” way.
In reviewing 50 studies about stigma in marketing, we found that people respond to consumption stigma along a continuum. Some try to avoid stigma altogether by hiding their consumption or staying away from certain products. Others adjust their behavior to reduce the risk of being judged. At the far end of the spectrum, some people actively push back, helping to destigmatize certain forms of consumption for themselves and for others.
The research we reviewed found that to avoid stigma, people may deliberately consume more expensive or socially approved alternatives, even when those choices strain their finances. Imagine someone who switches to a premium chocolate brand at the office, not because she prefers the taste, but because she wants to avoid feeling embarrassed.
Over time, this kind of adjustment could pull people into spending patterns that are beyond their means, feeding a cycle of consumption driven more by social pressure than genuine need or enjoyment. We suggest that the ramifications can be even more stark in other contexts – for example, when a child skips a free school lunch to avoid being teased, or when a veteran turns down mental health support because they fear being judged by others.
From a business perspective, when consumers avoid or abandon products to escape stigma, companies may see declining demand that has little to do with quality or value. We suggest that if consumption stigma spreads at scale, the cumulative effect can translate into lost revenue and weakened brand value.
Understanding consumption stigma, then, isn’t just about consumer well-being; it’s also critical for businesses trying to understand why people buy, hide or walk away from certain products.
Take back the narrative
Stigma often feels powerful because it masquerades as reality. But at its core, consumption stigma is a social judgment, a shared story people tell about what certain choices supposedly say about someone. When that story goes unchallenged, stigma sticks. When it’s questioned, its power starts to fade.
One way people reduce stigma is by reclaiming the narrative around their consumption. Instead of hiding, explaining or compensating, they openly own their choices. This shift from avoidance to acceptance can strip stigma of its force.
Imagine a shopper who embraces buying cheaper store brands at the grocery store, seeing it not as a compromise but as a sign of being savvy to pay less for the same thing. When people wear their choices like armor, whether it’s cheap chocolate, secondhand clothing or specialized physical or mental health services, those choices lose their sting. When a behavior is no longer treated as something shameful, it becomes harder for others to use it as a basis for judging or looking down on people.
Of course, stigma doesn’t disappear overnight. But research shows that when enough people stop treating a behavior as something to hide, the social meaning around it begins to change. What feels embarrassing in one moment can become normalized in the next. For example, research on fashion consumption has shown how wearing a veil, once widely stigmatized in urban and secular settings, gradually became seen as ordinary and even fashionable as more women openly adopted it.
Enjoying cheap chocolate shouldn’t require justification. Cold water tastes just as good out of an unbranded travel mug as it does from a Stanley tumbler. A generic sweatshirt keeps you just as cozy as Aritzia. And yet, many people feel the need to explain, deflect or upgrade their choices to avoid being judged. Understanding consumption stigma helps explain why and underscores that these feelings aren’t personal failures, but social constructions.
Sometimes, the most effective response isn’t to consume differently, but to think differently. When people stop treating everyday choices as moral signals, they make room for a more humane – and hopefully honest – marketplace.
Siti Nuraisyah Suwanda, Doctoral Student and Graduate Researcher in Marketing, West Virginia University; Emily Tanner, Associate Professor of Marketing, West Virginia University, and M. Paula Fitzgerald, Professor of Business Administration, West Virginia University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Food and Beverage
Serve Up Smiles with Favorite Holiday Sides
Turkey and ham may sit centerstage, but classic holiday sides can make the season truly special. You can bring smiles to your loved ones’ faces by dishing out those favorite recipes everyone asks for year after year.
(Family Features) Turkey and ham may sit centerstage, but classic holiday sides can make the season truly special. You can bring smiles to your loved ones’ faces by dishing out those favorite recipes everyone asks for year after year.
Made with a delicious combination of rice, cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup and broccoli florets, this quick and easy version of Broccoli and Cheese Rice Casserole is an ideal one-pot dish to keep the holidays simple. With three easy steps and everyday ingredients, it comes together with minimal effort for traditional casserole taste.
When it comes to feeding a crowd, it’s often best to let your oven do the work. This Brussels Sprouts and Ham Rice Gratin recipe allows you to serve up a filling favorite with little effort using pantry staples. Plus, it’s a kid-friendly way to encourage veggies at this year’s holiday meal with gooey cheese providing tempting taste bud motivation.
These seasonal classics and more are made quick and easy with an option like Success Boil-in-Bag Rice, a pre-measured, mess-free way to make fluffy, high-quality rice. It’s cooked by simply dropping a bag of rice in a pot of water or broth then boiling it for 10 minutes. BPA-free and FDA-approved, the bags are safe to use and made to withstand high temperatures.
An added bonus: If you’re aiming to achieve a particular flavor, just season the rice by cooking in water infused with herbs, spices, broth, coconut milk or other liquids like juice for sweeter recipes.
Visit SuccessRice.com to find more holiday recipe inspiration.
Brussels Sprouts and Ham Rice Gratin
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
- 1 bag Success White Rice
- 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1/3 cup diced ham
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Prepare rice according to package directions.
- In large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, ham, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on parchment paper-lined baking tray and roast 12-15 minutes, or until caramelized. Decrease oven temperature to 425 F.
- In large bowl, toss rice, Brussels sprouts mixture, cream, chives, Dijon mustard, remaining salt and remaining pepper. Stir in cheddar and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Transfer mixture to greased, 2-quart baking dish.
- In small bowl, stir breadcrumbs, remaining Parmesan and melted butter. Sprinkle over rice mixture.
- Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.
Broccoli and Cheese Rice Casserole
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6
- 1 bag Success White Rice or Brown Rice
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Prepare rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Coat 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine soup, broccoli, 1 cup cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, butter, onion, salt and pepper. Fold in rice.
- Pour mixture into prepared dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes.
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Success Rice
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(Feature Impact) Out with the ordinary, in with the weird – that’s what the Halloween season is all about. These Halloween Monster Burgers give a ghoulishly fun twist on burger night, featuring all your favorite toppings transformed into olive eyes, cheese fangs and a pickle tongue.
Whether you reach for a traditional hamburger patty or switch it up with chicken, turkey, bean or veggie options, the effect is the same: a dinner that looks like it escaped from a mad scientist’s lab. It’s a good way to get some protein and veggies into kids before the trick-or-treating sugar rush, and you can even make it interactive by inviting them to decorate their own monsters and come up with creative variations.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for some spooky hors d’oeuvres to impress at this year’s Halloween party, these burgers are easy to size down into slider form. Serve a whole tray of mini monsters ready to devour – or be devoured by – hungry guests.
Find more Halloween recipe inspiration at Culinary.net.
Halloween Monster Burgers
Recipe adapted from Happy Foods Tube
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 18 minutes
Servings: 4
- 4 hamburger, chicken or veggie patties
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons ketchup, plus additional, to taste, divided
- 4 hamburger buns
- 8 leaves baby romaine lettuce
- 4 slices dill pickles, sliced lengthwise
- 4 cheese slices
- 8 large green olives, pits removed
- Cook burger patties until they reach desired doneness.
- In small bowl, combine mayonnaise and 4 teaspoons ketchup. Spread each bun base with about 1 tablespoon mayo sauce then add two lettuce leaves and cooked burger patty.
- Add pickle slice as monster “tongue.” Take each cheese slice and cut triangles into one side to resemble teeth; add to burger then cover with ketchup “blood,” to taste.
- Stick olives on toothpicks and add two to each top bun as “eyeballs.”
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
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Food and Beverage
4 Ways to Enjoy Fresher Foods at Home
Fresher Foods at Home: Knowing your food was grown from the earth and nurtured by the sun and rain can add a whole new dimension of enjoyment to your meals, which processed foods often can’t replicate. Recipes like these Chicken and Avocado Rollups can be an easy solution for putting fresh foods like avocados on the menu.
4 Ways to Enjoy Fresher Foods at Home
(Feature Impact) Fresh fruits and vegetables add color, nourishment and satisfaction to life. Knowing your food was grown from the earth and nurtured by the sun and rain can add a whole new dimension of enjoyment to your meals, which processed foods often can’t replicate.
However, if you’ve ever bought a cart full of produce with the best intentions – only to watch as half of it goes bad before you’ve managed to use it – you aren’t alone. Eating fresh foods is often easier in your healthy-eating dreams than in reality. With small habit changes, though, you can transform your household into a place where fresh, whole-food ingredients are at the center of your daily routines.
Consider these suggestions from the fresh produce experts at Avocados from Colombia.
Shop with a Plan
Meal-planning before you shop can help ensure every ingredient you buy has a purpose within its shelf life. Instead of picking out fruits and vegetables with vague aspirations of figuring out something to do with them later, you can simply consult your list and remember you need peppers, onions and avocados for that breakfast burrito recipe you want to try.
Pay Attention to Where Food Comes From
The source of your food can make a big difference in its freshness. When produce is grown and harvested with care then shipped quickly to its destination, it preserves quality and simplifies the journey from the farm to your table.
Consider fresh fruits like Avocados from Colombia, which aren’t just grown but raised at high altitude in rich volcanic soil, nourished by mountain rain and harvested by the hands of growers who care about their land and their craft. The fruit reaches U.S. shipping ports in as little as 3-5 days, so you can confidently choose flavorful produce that arrives as fresh as possible from beautiful Colombian orchards.
With two harvest seasons across nine growing regions, fresh Colombian avocados can be enjoyed throughout the entire year, whether you want to serve bright guacamole or dice an avocado as a cool, creamy topping for a warm winter chili.
Use Fresh Ingredients in a Variety of Ways
It’s always easier to use fresh ingredients when you’re brimming with ideas of things to do with them. For instance, avocados can be transformed into guacamole, creamy salad dressing or flavorful sauces; sliced for use in grain bowls, salads or avocado toast; or frozen to blend into smoothies. This also makes it easier to buy produce in bulk or take advantage of sales.
Find Inspiration Online
Recipes like these Chicken and Avocado Rollups can be an easy solution for putting fresh avocados on the menu, offering the type of everyday joy the growers behind Avocados from Colombia hope you taste. Their new “Raised by Colombia” short film puts faces to that idea, following Don Hernando, a grower of 40 harvests, and his granddaughter Camila, who brought the science of growing home. It ends where your avocado does: at a family table, where the grandmother of the house serves it in a kitchen like yours.
To watch the film and discover more recipe ideas, visit AvocadosColombia.com/RaisedByColombia.
Chicken and Avocado Rollups
Recipe courtesy of Avocados from Colombia
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 5-6
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 large flour tortillas, warmed
- 1 large avocado, smashed
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- In small bowl, mix mayo, sour cream and lime juice.
- Place tortilla on flat service and spread with lime crema followed by smashed avocado.
- Layer with tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, chicken and bacon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Roll tortilla into tube shape and cut into pieces. Repeat with remaining tortillas and fillings.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (avocado on cutting board)
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