Shopping, it's a lot of people's favourite past time. It used to be my favourite thing to do, I would spend nights online shopping even though my wardrobe was full and some items hadn’t stepped outside the house in a long time. I didn’t realise that I was trying to fill some sort of hole, I wanted the latest trends and styles only cause I thought that would mean I would fit in and that others would see me as stylish. This awful habit meant a lot of cheap, throwaway clothing that was cluttering my mind and wardrobe. I then stopped, took a step back and wondered … Am I doing this for myself or the satisfaction of others?
After this, my mind-set changed rapidly from fast fashion to sustainable.
Today we are bombarded with adverts, posters, and pop-ups on our phones telling us to buy buy buy. We are brainwashed to think that we need to own a particular colour coat or special jeans that make us feel skinny, the truth is we don't need any of it. We get this kinda rush and excitement when we buy clothes but this joy is hiding the underlining issue that can come with overconsumption. In Annie Leonard’s book ‘Story of Stuff’ she states that it’s a particular strand of consumption, where we purchase things, not to fulfil our basic needs, but to fill some voids about our lives and make social statements about ourselves.
You might be thinking “if I buy a lot of clothes then that’s my problem, nobody else’s”, but the truth is, being a shopaholic causes damage not only to your bank account and mental health but to the plant around you as well. Waste is a main part of the fashion industry, according to ‘common objective’, more garments are bought and discarded than ever and 57% of these go into landfills. This buy and throwaway mentality is seen as a norm within today’s society, it can be a hard habit to crush but the benefits are worth it. When you think of a shopaholic you probably think of a Hollywood film like Sex and the city or someone you know at work who is constantly surrounded by boxes from various online websites. Yes, they might have a problem but it is not always this obvious and the reality is less cute. This particular addition can be dangerous, it can often come with side effects such as severe depression and anxiety, feelings of guilt and shame, broken relationships and damaged bank accounts. According to ‘The Guardian’ one woman in five are shopaholics.
We live in a society that is all about being fast pass, but sometimes we just need to stop and think for a change. If you see something that you want just think do you want it or need it. This simple and beneficial task will become a lifesaver cause a cluttered wardrobe leads to a cluttered lifestyle. A lot of people think that beauty and style are only accessible when they follow the trends of others but this is far from the truth. Beauty is originality and being confident within your own skin. Remember that saying ‘less is more’ … this is thrown around a lot but never inflicted into life and it should be something we all live by.
A lot of overconsumption is to do with trying to fill a hole inside ourselves, we try and fill this hole with possessions, this is not a remedy, it’s just going to fill landfills and damage the plant and yourself more and more. Switching to a sustainable lifestyle may give you that sense of guidance that you are looking for, it will de-clutter your mind and life as well as making you feel freer.
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