Rosé Wine Mansion: Vogue or Vain?

By: Lottie Smalley

The latest New York City pop-up experience, Rosé Wine Mansion, is an Instagrammer’s dream.

Rosé Wine Mansion is just one of many pop-up experiences that dominate both urban millennials’ weekends, and their Instagram feeds. These pop-up museums serve as a both a digital influencer mecca and a whimsical escape from reality.

“Every single room takes you to a different time and place, you get to sample wines, learn about some history, science, and culture, and have a ton of fun,” said co-founder Tyler Balliet.

However, with a growing recognition of the correlation between social media use and anxiety, as reported by the ​National Institute of Health​, are these pop-up experiences helping or hurting?

The unrealistic realities portrayed on social media facilitated by these carefully crafted museums may leave users with feelings of low self esteem and on the prowl for perfection. According to the ​Royal Society for Public Health​, “young people say four of the five most used social media platforms actually make their feelings of anxiety worse.”

Ellie, a Cornell University student, interned in New York City this past summer, and visited Rosé Mansion shortly after it opened.

“Rosé Mansion was cool because it was more educational than most pop-up museums. At the same time, the ‘who is having more fun this summer’ game on social media is very real,” Ellie said.

Nearly a decade before developing Rosé Mansion, co-founders Morgan First and Balliet founded Second Glass, a wine event company that hosts tasting parties for millenials. First says, “I saw the very first Museum of Ice Cream and was just like, done… look at how much money they do.”

First isn’t wrong. These pop-up experiences have been hijacking bucket lists of tourists and locals alike, and making a buck while doing so.

Rosé Mansion hosts an average of 750 visitors per day with general admission tickets at $45 dollars each and happy hour tickets at $35 dollars each.

But, it doesn’t stop with the Rosé Mansion. There has also been the Museum of Ice Cream, Color Factory, Candytopia, the Dream Machine, Happy Go Lucky and others. The Museum of Pizza is in the works and is likely to follow its predecessors in popularity.

But, why are these museums so popular?

The business of social media plays a large role. Sophia, an Instagram influencer and recent college graduate working in the city, visited Rosé Mansion’s VIP night this summer. She said she attended the event because never wants to miss a trend.

“To have the opportunity to be one of the first to post about something as eye-catching as Rosé Mansion definitely helped my page gain followers,” Sophia said.

While Sophia’s Instagram page is flooded with positivity and inspirational posts, it’s important to recognize there is money behind making your followers feel like they’re missing out.

According to ​Newswhip​, a social media engagement tracking firm, “as audiences turn away from traditional advertisements, savvy digital marketers are adapting by finding influencers to boost their content’s reach and build brand awareness.”

Additionally, there is some cynicism surrounding the purpose behind these pop up experiences. Amanda Hess of the New York Times takes the opinion that, “in these spaces, the idea of ‘interacting’ with the world is made so slickly transactional that our role is hugely diminished.”

“What I think we’re selling is fun at the end of the day… here you get to disappear from adulting for an hour and not worry about taxes,” said First.

Balliet and First understand that the unique experience with each immersive experience must entertain guests. However, there is a larger narrative at play in these museums. Many visitors take in the space behind the lens of their cameras or smartphones.

Entrepreneurs seem to have struck a chord. They have found a way to commodify widely loved goods like ice cream, pizza and wine. They may not intend to put young social media users at a greater risk for mental health problems. But, conformity and competition kick in and we all make it next weekend’s top priority so we can win the game of who’s living their best life on social media.