One-click away shopping changes how we consider buying and accumulating stuff.
Perhaps we’ve been led to believe that our increased purchasing power means that it’s okay to collect things and build our lives around things that don’t actually last. Just because we can. And when the luster of a purchase fades, we quickly move on (and buy something new again, next time).
While others are quick to move on and throw away, give away, or sell the stuff they don’t use anymore, some choose to hold on to their possession considering using them “later.”
But, most of the time, “later” becomes “never.” And now, we find ourselves dealing with the discard pile of all the “should’ve-beens” and “could-have-beens,” wondering how we could ever say goodbye to all the little things we thought mattered.
From Americans throw away too many clothes. Poorer countries are left with the waste:
Consumerism is fed to us from the minute we begin to understand how money works. We don’t question it because shopping is a part of our life, like a trusted family member. Any film that’s a cult classic geared toward young people, from Clueless to Pretty Woman to The Devil Wears Prada, has a makeover scene. Our culture pushes this notion that if you change your wardrobe, you can change your entire identity. That’s the message we internalize even as adults, so it’s no wonder we look to consumerism to cure all our problems.
jessa 