Overflowing, chaotic and ridiculous are all words my mum has used to describe my wardrobe over the past few years and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I might have a shopping addiction.
Have you ever been so ecstatic because of a new purchase and then hours later just felt that buzz ware off and gone back to wanting something else again? We’re all guilty of this. But, what are the factors causing us to act this way?
Fashion ads posting images like this, of a rich looking model with lots of shopping bags, or even just a perfect looking model standing tall and looking proud, selling us the lie that to be empowering and happy we need to buy so many clothes to the point that we have no room to put them anywhere.
So, we just throw them away and create waste, while damaging our poor, defenceless planet without even realising. Sadly, so many brands do this and even use anchorage to trick us into this sickening, spell of sadness. Such as, 'fashion to make you feel good' or 'outfits that you cannot live without.'
What damage are we causing?
Truly, my wardrobe has made me stressed over the past couple of days where it has come to the point that I’ve finally forced myself to do a dreaded, colossal, clear out. I donated 4 bags of clothes to charity!
I felt so much relief, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I also felt achievement, like I'd done my bit for the planet by donating to charity instead of just throwing my clothes away.
How is this effecting our planet? When clothes are thrown away they go to landfill to decompose and throughout this process harmful greenhouse gases are released and toxic chemicals from the dyes go into our soil. This can happen for 200+ years as this is how long it can take for the clothing to decompose.
New does not mean better
Trends are cool and addictive. However, this is because the ideology of society brain washes us by making us think to fit in that we must have new items before anyone else and they create the illusion that newer is better.
Is newer better? Or is newer just something to hook us in and then when the thrill is over we get bored again. Old items have so much more value, just like massive role model brands like Urban Outfitters show with their flawless vintage selection.
Vintage shopping can be 100% more exhilarating than just shopping in a normal store. You never know what you’re going to find and you usually come across some golden pieces.
So, why not try a vintage store and get ready to feel unstoppable when you become unique and memorable strutting your stuff in a piece of clothing that only you has. Then, make the item even more priceless by passing it down to someone in your family!
How can you help?
Thankfully, even though consumerism is terrifyingly taking over our lives, there are plenty of ways that we can control this together. Such as, making sure before buying an item that we ask ourselves the questions of:
Do I really need this or am I just buying for the sake of buying something new?
Will having this item present any real value to my life?
The answer is no because value only comes from experiences! When we lay up on a night we don’t think about the new item we’ve bought, we always think about the adventure and things we’ve experienced in our day.
But, if you do feel like you want to buy the item and then you no longer want it, there are ways to protect our planet like learning how to sew and turning the item into a complete new garment. You could even ask a friend or a small business to do this for you.
Also, you can pass your clothing down to a family member, donate it to charity, and finally if you’re a crazy art student like me, you could use it for an art project.
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