So! Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably noticed that minimalism is totally the Next Big Thing. Or, possibly, the Big Thing Now. But me, I’m not a fan of minimalism, and here’s why:
First of all, the aesthetic does absolutely nothing for me. I’ve never favored lots of white (hurts my head) and I’ve always preferred lots of colors. Just black and white, with all those hard edges? Yuck!
Secondly, I’ve noticed a lot of times when minimalism comes up, it’s talked about with an air of moral superiority, and I don’t know if I agree with that. I definitely think mindless overconsumption is bad; buying the most/cheapest/best (or any combination thereof) of everything all the time doesn’t do anyone any good. And I think this is definitely the default in most of today’s consumption. But at the same time, I think such a thing as mindful consumption is very possible. And I don’t think it’s inherently bad just because it’s consumption, even if you’re buying purely ornamental items. Like, say, in a house, because for a lot of people, the state of their house is intrinsically linked to the state of their head.
How can we consume thoughtfully? Ask yourself lots of questions before buying something – where was this made? how will I dispose of it when the time comes? how long will I keep/use it? why do I want it? am I trying to fill an emotional hole with it? For fashion items: I try not to buy clothing/shoes/accessories unless I can think of 2-3 outfits while I’m in the store to wear it with. If I can’t do that, I put it back on the rack & think for 24 hours. Most of the time, when the 24 hours is up, I’ve totally forgotten about the item. Obviously that’s not really something I need or even want that bad!
I don’t think buying things for the sake of buying them is a good idea by any means, but I don’t think buying things is evil in and of itself. What do you think?
