Can Shopping Lead to Self-Fulfillment? Meet the Eat Pray Love Movie Merch

Perhaps you’ve heard of a book-turned-movie called Eat Pray Love? It opens August 13 and marketers are salivating over the chance to get their hands on women aged 30-50 with above average incomes. Cue the Eat Pray Love merch.

Britt mused about this concept back when SATC2 was released. Sex and the City was a series and then a movie and then another really bad movie about shopping and fashion and consumerism. The tie-ins made sense. But Eat Pray Love is a lifestyle movie, a movie about how you don’t need stuff, you just need to find yourself. And eat lots of pasta.



According to Reuters, about 25% of all toy dollars in a typical year are spent on products tied to a licensed or entertainment property. And Star Wars, the grandfather of all movie franchises, has made about $8 billion since 1977. But what about movies for grown ups (and not counting Star Wars here)? Sales figures aren’t as clear.

Are we no better than five-year-old girls who want a Disney princess lunchbox? Apparently not, because this phenomenon of co-branding lady movies and merch doesn’t seem to be going away; in fact, it’s getting more ridiculous.

While we–somewhat shockingly, considering the demographic–couldn’t find the Eat Pray Love equivalent of the Vamp, we found lots of other things you can buy while on your path to happiness and self-fulfillment.

Click through for a peek. And namaste.