In the late 1970s and early 1980s, anyone who was anyone had a pet rock. They were low-maintenance (obviously) and cute (in the sort of way that only inanimate objects can be). Today’s generation of college students has the same affinity for low-maintenance, quirky “pets,” but this time, they aren’t completely inanimate.
Nowadays, it’s succulents. Everybody with a heart has a succulent. They’re much easier to maintain than regular houseplants, so if you forget to water it one or two days or maybe a whole week, don’t worry. Your succulent won’t die on you, because succulents are accustomed to dry weather.
The most popular succulent is, of course, the cactus. They’re both edgy and cute. Their spikes provide the perfect edge to their innocence. Nearly everyone who has multiple pet succulents has a pet cactus.
So what exactly has caused this trend of calling these adorable plants “pet” succulents? For starters, it’s extremely common to name them. Giving your plant, or any inanimate object, for that matter, a name is the first step to personifying it. It’s almost second nature to refer to your plant with human pronouns such as “him” or “her.” Once someone has started referring to their plant as a him or her, it’s over. There’s no going back. From that point forward, they will assign a personality to the succulent.
Because college students are all so busy with school, extracurricular activities and, of course, parties, other low maintenance pets such as goldfish aren’t always an option. Succulents are the perfect combination of easy and alive. You still feel the responsibility of caring for something the way pet rock owners didn’t, but it’s far from a full time job to own one.