Upon first arriving in my sophomore year dorm this August, I was confronted with piles of my giant Ikea bags that were delivered from summer storage. The jet lag from my cross-country trek back to school was getting to me, and I was dreading unpacking them. As I unzipped bag after bag, I resented myself for having so much stuff to unload into such a small space. Taking a step back, I resented myself for having so much stuff, period.
By choosing to pack these items away back in May, I was making the decision that I could live without them for three months. And I did. My “capsule wardrobe” of everything I could cram into my suitcase that perpetually sports an “overweight” label from TSA suited me just fine over the summer. So unpacking everything I already knew I didn’t need was a chore and a wake-up call. Figuring out how to store all the clothes I knew I wouldn’t wear again— concert outfits, halloween costumes, and of course the Urban Outfitters going-out top— left me with a sickening feeling in my stomach. I realized that my love of fashion had turned into a shopping addiction, which had turned into a gross display of overconsumption.
While I take full responsibility for my irresponsible purchasing, I would be remiss to not point out that this is an effect of something larger. Firstly, influencer culture has created unrealistic expectations that go beyond the typically talked about body image issues. Social media creators are constantly being sent new products and promoting them— it’s their job. As opposed to regular advertising, we’re seeing the same individuals, ones who we’ve gotten to know through a screen, using brand new products and wearing brand new clothes every day. This makes it seem like this level of overconsumption is the norm, when really it’s their job.
But this isn’t something women haven’t seen before— I’m sure the college girls of the nineties idolized Carrie Bradshaw’s never-ending closet and thus justified their own purchases. After all, Carrie was the queen of impulse-buying a pair of Manolos on her paid-per-word salary. This consumer culture that women have been finding themselves in for the past few decades is partially a result of the harmful school of thought from the 1990s that is postfeminism: the false belief that the aims of feminism have been achieved and that women are now equal to men. A big part of postfeminism is its intersection with capitalism and the idea that women now have the means to make purchases like men, so they must be equal enough. The independent, single female characters of the 90s taught us that part of this alleged newfound liberation was the freedom to indulge ourselves in buying whatever we want, whenever we want. Though these 90s era postfeminist ideas have been drowned out by movements since, such as #MeToo, what seems to remain is the justification of overconsumption that came with them.
As women, the amount of clothes we buy is not a reflection of the progress of feminism. And as humans, the amount of things we buy is not reflective of, or essential to, who we are. So, this year, I’m making an effort to fight overconsumption in my own life. For the sake of the environment, to resist this belief that spending is empowering, and to loosen my ties to material goods to focus on things that really matter. For starters, I think it will be important to slightly alter my media consumption habits so I can alter my general consumption habits. While I love watching social media content about fashion, it doesn’t all need to include tempting TikTok Shop links or promote buying $500 hauls. And while I love Pinterest, it’s true that most pins are essentially ads in disguise. I’m also going to look at my closet differently and think of new ways to wear different pieces. For example, do I really need completely new clothes for each night of Halloweekend? Also, I’ll try to share wardrobe pieces with friends to switch things up.
Overall, if you’re like me, it’s important to work on changing our attitudes. Embracing uniqueness is a huge step. It’s fun to develop your personal style by having your own individual pieces that no one else has, and it can help you stay away from the need to constantly buy things to keep up with trends. Be mindful of why you shop, and maybe why you shop so much. Because when thinking of its real implications and impact on society, being a shopping addict just doesn’t sound as cute.