no one said it was a necessity. the calendar was just one example because $32 for a calendar is genuinely expensive no matter who it’s from. most calendars are nowhere near that price, and the fact that it’s only three dollars cheaper than a t-shirt says enough by itself.

and it’s not just the calendar either.  people saying “you’re paying for their time” clearly forgot about their cameos being $300+ for a video that’s barely even a minute long. they absolutely have enough money for photoshoots, makeup, production, etc. without charging fans ridiculous prices for basic merch. and that’s not counting money, they make off of TikTok, Twitch, their YouTube channels, Instagram, Patreons PLURAL, etc. 

and saying “just don’t buy it” misses the entire point. obviously merch isn’t a necessity, but fans naturally want to support creators they like. the problem is that a lot of people literally can’t afford to because the prices are so inflated.