Unpacking the Latest Celebrity Trend: Selling Personal Memorabilia
Whether it’s an outfit they wore or water from their bath, celebrities are offering fans incredibly personal items. These listings often sell out fast, showing the high demand for celebrity connection.
Supporters call it innovative; skeptics call it odd. But one thing is certain: this trend is reshaping how we think about celebrity merchandise and fan relationships in the digital age.
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The Personal Memorabilia Market Explodes
The celebrity memorabilia industry has undergone a dramatic transformation, moving from traditional autographs and concert merchandise to intensely personal items. According to The Sun, this shift represents a fundamental change in how celebrities monetize their fame and engage with their fanbase.
Sydney Sweeney’s “Bathwater Bliss” soap collaboration with Dr. Squatch exemplifies this trend. The limited edition of 5,000 bars, each containing the actress’s actual bathwater and priced at $8, sold rapidly after launching in June 2025. The partnership emerged organically from fan requests following Sweeney’s provocative advertisement for the soap company.
This trend extends beyond bathwater. Former Page 3 model Katie Price has announced plans to sell framed sets of used underwear for £350 each, while ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona generates substantial income through OnlyFans by selling personal items including used undergarments for up to £100 per set.
Digital Platforms Enable Direct Access
The rise of direct-to-consumer platforms has revolutionized celebrity merchandising by eliminating traditional intermediaries. OnlyFans, Patreon, and personal websites allow stars to sell items directly to fans while maintaining complete control over pricing, production, and distribution.
The Kardashian family launched Kardashian Kloset in 2019, a resale website offering pieces directly from their personal wardrobes. Run by Robert Kardashian Sr.’s first cousin, the platform features collections from each family member with options spanning women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing. Despite some criticism over pricing, the site demonstrates strong demand for celebrity-worn items.
According to BuzzFeed, social media reactions to these ventures have been mixed but predominantly positive, with fans expressing excitement and humor about celebrity personal item sales. The direct engagement possible through social platforms has created new opportunities for stars to gauge and respond to fan interest.
The Authenticity Factor
Authentication has become crucial in the personal memorabilia market. Sweeney’s bathwater soap comes with certificates verifying its authenticity, while other celebrities provide detailed provenance information for their personal items. This documentation helps justify premium pricing and reassures buyers about their purchases’ legitimacy.
Former Baywatch actress Brande Roderick currently sells worn pajamas with autographs on eBay for £110, emphasizing the personal nature of each item. She told Fox News Digital that her online ventures provide financial stability while allowing her to pursue acting and producing projects, describing it as having “total control” over her brand.
The authentication process varies by celebrity and platform. Some stars provide photo documentation of item usage, while others rely on platform verification systems. The most sophisticated offerings include blockchain-based authentication or third-party verification services.
Fan Psychology and Emotional Connection
Relationship expert Dr. Annabelle Knight from Lovehoney explained that celebrity personal item purchases satisfy deep psychological needs for connection and intimacy. She described these transactions as creating “a feeling of intimacy, even if it’s one-sided,” comparing them to keeping meaningful personal mementos from romantic relationships.
The appeal extends beyond sexual motivations to include elements of collector psychology, social status signaling, and parasocial relationship maintenance. Many buyers view these items as ultimate collectibles that represent exclusive access to celebrity lives.
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Social media has amplified these desires by creating illusions of personal relationships between celebrities and fans. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter offer constant glimpses into stars’ private lives, making personal item purchases feel like natural extensions of existing emotional connections.
Historical Context and Modern Innovation
Celebrity personal effects have long held value, but modern technology has transformed their accessibility and scale. Scarlett Johansson’s 2008 auction of a used tissue for over $6,523 (donated to charity) demonstrated early market potential for unusual celebrity items.
According to Blaze Media, Sweeney’s bathwater soap represents a calculated response to fan demand rather than opportunistic exploitation. The actress noticed social media comments requesting bathwater and decided to fulfill that interest through a legitimate business partnership.
British influencer Belle Delphine pioneered the modern bathwater market in 2019, selling “Gamergirl Bath Water” for $30 per jar and earning $18,000 within three days. Her success demonstrated significant demand for unconventional celebrity products and inspired subsequent offerings from mainstream celebrities.
Industry Expert Analysis
Branding expert Nick Ede told The Sun that celebrities like Sweeney demonstrate sophisticated understanding of their public personas and fan relationships. He emphasized that modern celebrity culture revolves around direct fan engagement, making personal item sales strategically sound from marketing perspectives.
Ede compared current trends to historical fan behaviors, noting they represent “a modern progression” of fans seeking intimate connections with celebrities. He referenced Gwyneth Paltrow’s controversial vagina-scented candle, which sold out immediately, as evidence that unusual celebrity products can achieve remarkable commercial success.
The expert suggested that platforms like OnlyFans have normalized intimate celebrity-fan transactions by giving content creators complete control over their offerings. This shift has made celebrity personal item sales feel more empowering and less exploitative than traditional arrangements.
Future Market Developments
As this trend continues evolving, industry observers predict increased sophistication in celebrity personal item offerings. Technology integration, including virtual reality experiences, blockchain authentication, and AI-powered personalization, may create entirely new categories of celebrity memorabilia.
The success of early adopters like Sweeney and established platforms like Kardashian Kloset suggests strong consumer demand for authentic celebrity personal items. This market growth may attract more mainstream celebrities who previously avoided unconventional merchandising approaches.
Ede predicted that “we might see some other stars dipping their toes in things that aren’t just bath water” as the trend expands. The key to success appears to be maintaining authenticity while giving fans genuine access to celebrity lives in ways that feel both exclusive and attainable.
Whether this represents temporary novelty or permanent transformation in celebrity commerce remains unclear, but early indicators suggest the personal memorabilia market will continue growing as celebrities and fans adapt to new possibilities in digital-age fan relationships.
