Slight Deviation from the Norm
Since this blog is for my thesis project concerning sustainability and the voluntary simplicity movement, I figured it’d be a good idea to start writing about it. I gave a very brief introduction to what these concepts are in A Little Background… but haven’t mentioned it in any of my weekly project posts.
So, why not start today?
I am taking a class called Sustainable Consumption this semester. So far, we have covered the broad topics of consumerism, pollution, food and water, and starting this week, clothing. Today’s class required us to read an article by Juliet B. Schor called “Cleaning the Closet: Toward a New Fashion Ethic” published in Sustainable Planet (2002.)
This article talks about how clothes came to be cheap and the consumer mindset fostered by advertisements which surround us. I fall into this trap at times too. The idea that we need to buy more clothes to add variety to our wardrobes, that we should follow fashion trends, that ‘you can’t wear the same dress twice,’ that you can’t pass up a bargain…these are pretty hard habits to break. However, if you think about how those cheap clothes are made [primarily sweat shops] and how workers are treated, you might think twice about buying that brand new pair of boots that would match perfectly with your brand new dress. It’s like the Diderot effect-you buy one new item and feel compelled to revamp everything else in the process.
Fortunately, there are alternatives. Stop shopping is one, but might be a bit too drastic for many. If anything, spend more on good quality clothing that will stand the test of time instead of diving into bargain bins for anything. Spending is studied all the time and if certain trends are noticed, then businesses can adapt. Schor discusses several methods to clothing sustainability for a personal and global scale.
I found the article gave me a slightly new outlook on my project. I won’t be changing things on a global scale, but I am raising awareness-for myself and some of the people around me. There are so many people who have adopted a DIY lifestyle and/or support local businesses and the numbers keep growing! It’s amazing what awareness can do in affecting a person’s decisions. My campus has hosted a few events that focused on supporting local businesses. There were so many unique restaurants and stores that I never even knew existed! I’m starting to go off on a tangent now, but it’s pretty exciting to be part of a generation that promotes changes in terms of our sustainability.