What do you give someone who already has everything? That’s the question Distinctive Assets, the company responsible for gifting Oscar nominees, must have asked itself every year for the past 24 years. And yesterday, at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, the answer appears to have been a rather redundant “everything”: a medley of luxury items, trips, and experiences for the modest sum of USD 350,000 a pop. The gift bag for the Oscar nominees includes stays in idyllic destinations, beauty treatments, designer objects, personalized prenuptial agreements, and even cannabis products.
Regarding this carefully curated selection, Lash Fary, co-founder of Distinctive Assets, said in a statement: “Our extraordinary nominee gifts are in no way based on need. We are acknowledging these amazing nominees while elevating and showcasing small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back at a time when everyone can use a little more fun and frivolity.”
Thus, nominees can choose from five travel experiences in destinations like Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, or Finland; sample high-end cuisine featuring edible gold; visit Beverly Hills for liposuction or dental work; and enjoy a range of items such as luxury showerheads, pens, suitcases, board games, thermoses, tea boxes, or a gold-plated crypto cold storage wallet. Or, why not, commission a custom prenuptial agreement by a company specializing in millionaires.
Add to the mix several cannabis-related items. As reported by the British newspaper The Mirror, the gift bag includes THC-infused drinks from Cann Social Tonics and Señorita THC Margaritas, pre-rolled joints from Dogwalkers, high-potency cannabis products from RYTHM and infused gummies from Beboe. That’s right: not one, but several different luxury cannabis brands. The latter, Beboe, has even been nicknamed the “Hermès of marijuana,” in reference to the iconic high-end clothing brand. Another interesting tidbit: tattoo artist Scott Campbell, known for his work with celebrities, created Beboe inspired by his grandmother, who used to bake pot brownies for his mother when she was battling cancer.
This isn’t the first time cannabis has been included in the exclusive Oscars gift bag: this has been a tradition since 2019, highlighting how the plant is slowly—but surely—moving from taboo to mainstream. In fact, this shows how weed is not only becoming a luxury item but is increasingly replacing alcohol: the gift bag contains many culinary delights, but only one bottle of tequila, and several non-alcoholic options, as Infobae reports.
Now, the selection by Distinctive Assets is neither insignificant nor random: it’s based on the consumption habits of today’s billionaires and celebrities, no more, no less. Not “based on need,” indeed. Besides reflecting popular trends (such as the greater acceptance of weed), it’s worth noting the wide range of cosmetic procedures included. We’re not just talking about products, which abound in that blessed bag (creams, perfumes, body oils, electric flossers, among many others), but also liposuction, facial rejuvenation, dental treatments… And that’s without even mentioning the custom prenup, the biggest representative of “rich people’s problems” in the collection, closely followed by the gold-plated crypto wallet.
Such a selection paints a vivid picture of today’s Hollywood elite: celebrities who prioritize well-being, self-care, and pleasure… with a strong emphasis on preservation, on protecting what they own, on fighting against the ephemeral, whether through surgeries, wallets, or legal agreements. Or at least, those are the values reflected in this bag of luxuries, of “fun and frivolity.”
In no mood to condemn the lifestyle of the wealthiest (who among us wouldn’t take advantage of these benefits if given the opportunity?), such a display does leave a bitter taste: it reminds us that we live in a world not only of growing inequality, but where weed costs thousands of people their freedom, while the richest are expected to enjoy it as a free, luxurious, and chic trend.
Cover photo created with AI.
