Consumer Mindset

Temptation is at its height when I am at a shopping center. The bright lights, mannequins, and neatly organized racks of clothing hanging call my name. From a young age I have loved everything about fashion. Enamored with the industry, I was the little girl who saved all of her money to buy the new trendy clothing piece. From jeans to tops, I would go to a great length to make sure that new item was hanging in my closet.

Once I began following influencers, I had this idea in my head that one must get a new outfit for any big milestone in life whether that is a birthday or a holiday… the list goes on. I lived such a life for the majority of my youth. I consumed and thought nothing of it. I swiped the card and would come in carrying bags of clothes after every mall trip. I never thought twice about my impact.

I began to truly realize what fast fashion was at the age of 14. I now understood how unethical the cycle of producing new trendy clothes weekly was on the planet. I educated myself, read books, and began listening to podcasts, but the question that rang in my head was how am I, one person out of 7.8 million, going to actually create change by consuming less. I had this mentality for the next year.

One day driving home, I contemplated my shopping habits. The constant notifications of “purchase your 10 items in cart” or the hundreds of packages sitting at my door when I came home was not the way I wanted to live my life anymore. I knew that I wanted to make change, so I started simply by consuming less.

I am writing this to share that if you are me at the age of 14 contemplating if she could make change, I am here to advocate that you can. You hold the power in your hands. I don’t want my mistake of waiting 5 years to consume less be your reality too. Know the strength that you hold, for you can combat this industry by choosing to re-wear that dress instead of getting a new one for a big event.

Culture today is tied to trendsetting, wearing what is current daily, weekly, and monthly. The more this movement snowballs, the more waste the planet accumulates. What is even more rewarding than wearing a trendy outfit, is wearing a trendy outfit that is sustainable, made with ethical labor, upcycled, or thrifted.

Start where I began when taking your journey. Start by changing your mindset to consuming less.