We've all heard the saying, "Waste not want not," right? Well, the truth is our world is transforming itself due to globalization (read: Americanization), and with that change we've seen increased consumerism. We are both wasting and wanting more and more.
Marx and Engels were famous critics of consumerism. They put forward the idea that humans get into a cycle of spending to be happy, not being fulfilled by this consumption, needing more to be fulfilled, and thus working harder to earn more money for which to spend. This is an exhausting spending pattern many of us find ourselves in.
It may sound a bit backwards that a fashion blog would preach limiting personal consumption, but I'm not your typical fashion blog. When I got such a large response to my blog on Altruistic Fashion (see next blog) it got me thinking: What else could fashion do for the world? I've been trying to find my niche with both my love for fashion and my love for social justice. Luckily, I will be able to channel the two into a job peer mentoring young people on image, style, hygiene and self-esteem through a local school psychologist. But, I want to do more. I have implemented a personal program of decreased consumerism. You might be thinking that you want to evaluate your patterns of consumerism (I know I have). Here are some things to help you in your consideration:
First: Watch this video. I'm serious, watch it now. It's only 5 minutes long, but it's incredibly thought-provoking (Hat tip to Chic Inspector for finding it):
How do you feel after watching that? If you're like me, you might feel moved to action. What seems to be happening is that fashion has transformed into the disposable. The availability of trendy designs for low prices has us spending without even a second thought. As soon as the season's trends are over we can toss those clothing with little to no conscience. If you follow the advice I gave in my blog on Altruistic Fashion you might have some new ideas about how to donate your clothes wisely in an effort to give back, or even have gotten some ideas on how to spend your money so as to maximize social conscious behavior and the desire for a good wardrobe.
What I am proposing is a paradigm shift. There seems to be a universally accepted paradigm of consumerism. It is rare that this pervasive thought process (most likely brought on by globalization) is questioned by anyone but the fringe. It is time that mainstream society opens its eyes to the effects of increased consumerism. Not only are we not fulfilled by our constant spending, but we are also falling into unhealthy emotional and mental patterns that identify our selves with what we own. Aristotle made famous the quote, "Everything in moderation," and perhaps it is time to return to that way of approaching spending. So far, Moderation seems to be the cornerstone of everything professionals recommend to us: Eat in moderation, drink in moderation, sleep in moderation, exercise in moderation. Excess in either direction leads to unhealthy lifestyles, so why do we think it's okay to spend money in excess. Have we been fooled into thinking we can single-handedly improve the status of our economy? What needs to happen is a return to Conscious Living (in the non-New Age sense). Awareness of yourself in your surroundings is vitally important. We must become aware of our impact on our environments, ecosystems and societies. That is why I propose that we start implementing moderate spending. I have also discovered that many more things are able to be acquired at no charge! Now how's that for a paradigm shift?
Check out these websites if you're interesed in what I've been talking about:
Freegan
Anti-consumerism
Freecycle
Garment Remake
Freegans info
Dumpster Diving
Found Clothing Blog
Going Green has never been so Fashionable
Before you think High Fashion Girl has gone off of her rocker let me set the record straight. There are people in this world who have lots of money, there are people in this world who have lots of debt, and there are people in this world who have little money. It is rare to come across someone who has "enough" money. As women, we tend to be in a position where money is more important than security. Part of the paradigm shift I propose has to do with being good with our money. Other components are getting out of debt, contributing to the world at large, and gaining personal understanding and happiness. It's not easy to achieve these things, but frugality can be a positive step. I am definitely not saying that you have to completely do without. However, I think if we stop approaching fashion as disposable and start saving our money and buying pieces that we adore, that are higher in quality and that will last a lot longer, that we will have more satisfaction in the long run. Another positive aspect to this is that a healthy society is made up of healthy individuals. If you want to improve conditions in your society, then simply start improving yourself.
So check out the video and sites I mentioned. I am always open to dialogue about my blogs, so write me if you want.
I wish you happiness on your journey. Remember: always keep it light enough to travel.
7 comments:
Totally agree. Although I notice the kind of clothes I feel more inclined to donate or trash come from low-end stores like Old Navy. I think a solution to part of this problem is to either get stores like Old Navy to produce quality products, or else just stop buying from them. Who's with me?!?
Great analysis. Even though the pace of fashion tends to foster the "disposable fashion" concept, I don't think fashion and conservation are mutually exclusive. The key is moderation--knowing when something is actually "new," when to spend, and when to stop.
I'm a firm believer that trends tend to recycle themselves, or alternatively, perennial patterns are branded as trends. Instead of throwing out things because they're so last season, we should think about what tricks the fashion industry PR machine is playing on consumers. Do we really need to buy a new variation of stripes each time they become "trendy"? I think not.
Waste in fashion is more critical than ever, as economic prosperity leads to a worldwide waste of resources. Indeed, NPR just had a report on the wasting of food in Hong Kong restaurants by people who order more than they can eat, and the government is planning to crack down. Sure, some food and clothes are "cheap" by some people's definition, but cheap adds up to big numbers; in the long run, hoarding things we end up not wearing just makes no economic sense. There's also the issue of environmental sustainability, as you mentioned. As responsible human beings, we should seriously think about the impact of waste on the environment. We maybe paying a small monetary price now and it's easy to not care, but it's nothing compared to the big one we'll have to pay in, I'm afraid, the very near future.
Hi - yes, I've linked to you on my blog at http://international-style-and-fashion.blogspot.com/
Thanks! I-S-F
PS - great blog, and particularly great article. I hate it when people are criticised for having 'last season's Prada etc' - I mean, if it looks good, it's good!
great post, it's awesome to see people in fashion considering these things, especially when they are generally completely contra to everything the fashion industry stands for ("you must spend money to look like what we tell you at all times", or is that a bit too cynical? ;])
also don't forget where a lot of these clothes are made and by who, and the negative effects the fashion industry has on the mental environment (not to sound like adbusters of anything). it's not just the end of the clothing lifecycle that cause damage..
anyway, cheers for the link ;]
GigoIt.com is a improvement over Freecycle where free items are listed. It has a lot of advantages over Freecycle like pictures and search and it's easier for beginners to pick up.There are lots of advanced features too, like RSS, a Google Earth layer, and gmail-style conversation views. I hope you check it out.
Do you know what a paradigm is?
Having just finished Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" I'd say I know what a paradigm is better than most people. But, if you're thinking it strictly applies to the realm of science, then you are mistaken. A paradigm *shift* applies, currently, to any major shift in thought patterns or belief systems.
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