HI. MY NAME IS ___________ & I AM A SHOPAHOLIC.
I am a shopaholic.
To be honest, I didn't think enjoying clothes would be such a big deal. As a lover of all things fashion - from shoes, to jackets, to bustiers, to tiny handbags - my closet has definitely grown quite full over the many many years of accumulation. I've been an avid shopper since I was a young girl. Obviously being a child meant having limitations when it came to getting dropped off at the local mall, nonetheless it was a time I looked forward to & cherished dearly. When I was about eight years old, I would meticulously plan all of my outfits for the following school week & set them out on this little IKEA shelf I stored by my dresser. This habit went on, taking many shapes & forms throughout my entire Elementary & Secondary School career. Needless to say, I definitely treasured each & every article that made its way into my closet & inviting new pieces into the mix was no small task. The act of shopping, as it pertains to me now, has blossomed into a great source of inspiration, many moments of connection & at times much needed therapy.
I wouldn't say that I'm addicted...
...but I'm not far from it either.
Purchases are emotional.
We never buy what we think we're buying.
As a consumer, we don't just buy things,
we buy how things make us feel.
You may think that by splurging on that new body lotion you're simply buying well...boujee cream, but you're actually buying the FEELING that lotion gives you when you lather it on your skin. A new dress is never just a new dress, it's confidence wrapped around your body, it's a touch of sexy, it's the idea of elegance draping off of your shoulders. Uncovering the meaning behind the purchase is the first step in understanding the psychological triggers that lead to excessive shopping & mass consumption.
Here are some common psychological shopping triggers:
SHOPPER'S HIGH - that dopamine rush you get when you leave the store with a brand new purchase in your hands creating instant gratification & thrill
LEISURE + BOREDOM - shopping as a natural response to an abundance of time & nothing to do with it
SALES - the idea of saving money on a "good deal" makes us feel better about buying & makes it challenging to exercise self control at the checkout
RETAIL THERAPY - turning to the "new arrivals" rack when shit hits the fan in the hope of escaping from daily problems
FILLING A VOID - an attempt to boost your self-esteem through materialistic possessions
COMPETITION - a sense of overwhelming pressure, a relentless expectation & need to be, & do, better than everyone else
FOMO - the fear of missing out on a purchase or losing that one-of-a-kind item to another buyer
PANIC BUYS - compulsive buying as a result of fear, stress or anxiety leading to excessive purchases far beyond a person's needs & resources
It's important to understand what you're really shopping for. What are the underlying needs that you are trying to fulfill?
Learning about our own habits is just one side of this shinny consumerism coin. Consumption has devastatingly large effects on our planet. It's about time that we, AS CONSUMERS, look into the industry that we blindly support without question & start to ask some god damn questions! The answers are out there & it's our job to become educated. We can no longer assume that the situation is out of our hands, when we're the ones with our fingers skimming through fast-fashion racks, supporting the very brands that violate our values. As aware & more knowledgeable consumers, we have the power to create greater conscious decisions in the face of impulsive purchases, thus having more control over our buying tendencies & our environmental impact.
Ethical shopping may seem like an daunting task. Honestly, making purchases that are completely free of ethical stains can be virtually impossible & sustainable products rarely come at an accessible price. If we shift the focus from "how can I save the world?" to "what matters to me & how can I feel better about my consumption?" the task seems a little more manageable as the ways we can tackle it multiply. It can be as simple as buying from brands that produce quality products that are long-lasting, as the average Canadian throws away around 81 pounds of textiles every year - most of which could be reused or recycled, according to statistics compiled by Waste Reduction Week in Canada.
"If you were to tell someone about the volume of water needed to make a single T-shirt, the average wages and working conditions of a garment worker, the toxic chemicals used to spray cotton, the impact of cotton on the land & the many other challenges around sustainability, they’re likely to give you a different answer on how much they care & are willing to spend."
- Louise Squire, Why Sustainability Within Fashion is Crucial for Brands, WGSN, September 2019
Wack fact - It takes approximately 700 gallons of water to make a single T-shirt & about 1,800 gallons of water for each pair of jeans.
LET'S GET ETHICAL
An ethical shopper comes in many ways & could mean different things depending on the person's goal & what they most value.
Consuming ethically could mean buying clothes from brands who prioritize the enforcement of sustainable practices or choosing to invest in higher-end clothing with a more durable design. It could mean spending less time in shopping malls & more time participating in clothing swaps or peer-to-peer trading. It could mean borrowing from a friend instead of purchasing a new dress that you'll only wear once.
It could mean giving your old clothes to a textile recycling company or repurposing them yourself. It could mean committing to buying fewer items & creating a capsule wardrobe or supporting local businesses & artisans. It could mean selling your clothes to a consignment store or buying them at one.
Conscious consumption could mean withdrawing support of brands that don't prioritize a sustainable future for fashion & choosing to put your values first.
Most importantly, it means that you've decided to make an effort.
As we continue to question why we're buying, who we're supporting with the purchase & what impact it could have on a greater scale, we're choosing to move towards a more sustainable future. When we are mindful about our shopping habits, we tend to make less impulsive & more meaningful purchases.
"Oh, trying to define “meaningful purchase” is a good exercise and makes me think we have an opportunity, once this is all over, to significantly shift our relationships with consumption. We’d definitely reached peak impulse-buy prior to the crisis. I wonder how this will change that behaviour."
- Leandra M. Cohen & Harling Ross, Should We Still Be Shopping?, Man Repeller, March 2020
The time of low-impact consumerism has arrived.
It's now up to us to question the fashion industry, educate ourselves
& challenge the impact of our purchases.
I am a shopaholic.
I am also a sister, friend & mentor.
I am a creator, dancer & lover of eclectic footwear.
I'd like to think that I'm also a decent human being
who cares about the earth & the future of this greater community.
...but I also really love clothes.
There are so many ways to live a passionate & creative life through fashion without putting our planet & the safety of other human beings at risk. There are many ways to feel inspired through style, without compromising our moral values & priorities. We can love clothes & strive for a sustainable future too. There are ways. We just need to do what we did when we first fell in love with fashion - go against the grain.
Don't worry...soon it will be trendy.
Shop mindfully.
Share your clothes.
Buy second hand.
Question everything.
XX C
:)
Here are some articles that are worth a read if you're interested in this topic!
FUN FACT!
This entire shoot was shot with an iPhone 6
in my apartment by my badass roommate <3
Can you believe it?! I was SHOOOK with the results!
Thanks Apple for enabling me & my photoshoot habits during this quarantine!
Also shoutout to my other two roommates Kieran + SoSo
for being the best hand models out there!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Angiela Rojas @angiejellybelly
OUTFIT ANTHEM: PHOTO ID - REMI WOLF
OUTFIT DETAILS:
COWBOY CANDY
PINK SNAKESKIN COWBOY HAT - EVA B VINTAGE
PINK FAUX FUR COAT - VICTORIA'S SECRET
ONE PIECE BATHING SUIT - MOLLUSK SURF SHOP
PINK FISHNETS - EVA B VINTAGE
SILK HEADSCARF - EVA B VINTAGE
GOLD COWBOY BOOTS - EVA B VINTAGE
GOLD JEWELRY - THRIFTED & GIFTED
CABIN FEVER
BLAZER - HAND-ME-DOWN from my maman xo
LINGERIE BODY SUIT - LA SENZA
GREEN TIGHTS - AMERICAN APPAREL
LACE UP HEELED BOOTS - ALDO SHOES
HAT - my wonderful roomie Kieran <3
70's CASINO SUNNIES - EVA B VINTAGE
DAZED DAISY
ORANGE FISHNETS - EVA B VINTAGE
90's CREAMSICLE PLATFORM SANDAL - VALUE VILLAGE
ORANGE VINYL BUCKET HAT - EVA B VINTAGE
METAL CHOKER + DAISY EARRINGS - EVA B VINTAGE
LIME GREEN SCARF - thx @angiejellybelly
NEON ORANGE SATCHEL - STEVE MADDEN
BLOODY BALLER
RED SEQUIN TOP - THRIFTED
KNOCK-OFF FENDI BOOTS - EVA B VINTAGE
ADIDAS BALL SHORTS - EVA B VINTAGE
SWIM SUIT BOTTOMS - ZAFUL
SEQUINED SUNNIES - EVA B VINTAGE
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