I had planned for this 4th of July newsletter to be Independence Day themed. But this is about shopping.
Stay with me here…
Yesterday a woman wearing stars and stripes ribbons on her hat, and dangly, glitter star earrings commented on my t-shirt, a Boho Lucky Brand item from years ago, which looks kind of 4th of July – ish.
We got to talking about shops we like, and gradually the convo went to how we’re so easily persuaded by a barrage of emails to shop online for clothes and other stuff we don’t really need. And then…used clothing, and vintage, and reselling… and how great is Poshmark! (Where you can probably find this t-shirt.) Donating clothing seems like a nice thing to do, and the sense of overbuying is reduced when we give things away…
But back to the point of this holiday newsletter.
Here’s the tshirt that started the conversation.
This Independence Day I’m declaring myself independent from the allure of shopping.
I have too much stuff. Too many t-shirts, jackets, dresses that I probably wore only once, and even blazers – did I really think I would ever work in an office? Too many sweaters, bags of every shape and size (always searching for the “perfect” one), leggings, sneakers in every color and style, sandals, bags, boots, and waaayyy too many cycling jerseys.
I’m going to make a commitment to curtail shopping for two reasons.
(My partner Michael says he doesn’t believe me, but maybe I can prove him wrong!)
One, I don’t need anything.
And the other is that so much of the stuff that feels so easy to buy with a click is “fast fashion”, trendy, inexpensive, and at the cost of human lives and destruction of the environment.
Have you heard? Dietitian influencers promote junk foods and discourage weight loss efforts. As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push ‘anti-diet’ advice. YouTube influencers
