When you browse the social media of an eyewear brand, you would expect to see content related to glasses, right? For reasons I don’t yet know, one eyewear brand went viral for its astoundingly odd video targeting “summer moms.” What made it so weird? Well, probably the fact the Massachusetts company is showing off what is virtually just a flask filled with the recreational drug “lean.” Yes, you’re absolutely hearing that correctly.
Night Shift Glasses, a brand popularized on social media (especially Instagram), typically posts content related to its line of sunglasses. In a post, they decided to switch things up a bit and featured a video that was slightly out of character. It showed an ice cube tray that can be used as a flask. The caption on the video reads, “Every summer mom needs one of these” and shows a woman adding ingredients into the flask to make a summer drink.
But the drink isn’t what you would probably expect. It’s a mix of Sprite, Jolly Ranchers, and cough syrup. In other words, she made lean. This drink originated in Houston in the 60s and h as roots in the south. There is a high risk of addiction associated with the drug and becomes even more dangerous when people mix it with alcohol at parties. So, why would the eyewear brand decide this was the best content to share on their feed?
Those who caught the video on social media were baffled. One commenter said, “Karens have gentrified lean,” as white suburban moms are not lean’s typical consumer. In the 60s, blues musicians popularized lean by mixing cough syrup with beer, and the drug later became further accepted in the 80s and 90s by hip-hop singers and rappers who started to mix it with soda. Its ties to rebellion and status also don’t mix with the Karen lifestyle.
Another user pointed out that white moms are taking it further than being your average “wine moms” these days. They quipped, “What, they moved on from weed & bottles of wine already?? Damn.” Another hilariously stated, “Karens will call it Klean.”
The connection between the eyewear brand’s products and the flask is not currently clear. It certainly got my attention. It’s not the first time a company shared weird viral bait getting people to talk. It won’t be the last!
