Blog Post #2
When the challenge first started, I thought it was going to be easy because I haven't bought anything besides my graduation dress prior to the challenge. However, I would catch myself browsing for clothes online because of all the emails I get from Forever21 promoting their New In items. It's been getting difficult because shopping is one of the ways I treat myself after a busy week or if I feel like I need some type of change in my life. I think this relates to Tu's "Material Mao" as she stated, "There was, in other words, an assumed relationship between public signs and private feelings. In its delicate balance of public and private, clothing serves as the perfect vehicle for these impulses" (161). Certain clothing makes me feel a certain mood and I also use clothing to express how I feel, so this challenge somewhat hinders me from properly expressing and presenting myself that way I want to.
On the other hand, I've been noticing how conscious and accepting I have become towards secondhand clothing and using that as a source of getting new Spring clothes without contributing to consumerism. Although I have been doing a good job about not buying clothes, I have been spending a lot of money on take-out food which is not the greatest for my body or the environment, and I made a significant dent in my bank account paying for alteration services because I didn't want to buy another dress. In addition, I have seen a lot of people with reusable straws in the last week and I have been wanting to invest in one, but I'm not sure if I want to get it just because it's helpful for the environment, the "trendy" thing to do, or I just want to spend money on something that I may only use a few times.
I have been watching this YouTuber named coolirpa who upcycles old clothing items and I think it's so interesting. I feel like it kind of helps to keep me on track with the challenge and prevents me from being tempted to shop from watching other haul videos.
Works Cited:
Tu, Thuy Linh Nguyen. 2011. "Material Mao." Pp. 133-168 in The Beautiful Generation: Asian Americans and the Cultural Economy of Fashion. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Coolirpa. "Thrifted Quick Fix | Spring Thrift Haul 2019." YouTube. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
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