Definatalie linked to this article by Ashe Mischief on the relationship between fashion and finance, and I wanted to post about it too, because it's something I have been thinking about for the past few months.
You may notice, from reading my blog or seeing my posts over at fatshionista, that I buy a lot of clothes. I love buying clothes. Especially dresses. And while I do thrift shop and buy things on sale when I can, I don't really let the lack of a sale keep me from something I want. I'm fortunate, I'm half of a dual-income-no-kids relationship, I have extra money, and with all the fashion blogs I follow, I have a steady source of "inspiration" to buy more things. I put "inspiration" in irony quotes because I feel that sometimes all I am doing here, and all many fashion blogs do, is encourage people to buy shit.
Honestly, I need to stop buying stuff. I don't have room anymore. I don't wear the items I love very frequently because I have so much other stuff. But, on the other hand, I still feel like I don't like what I have or get stuck in a rut wearing the same jersey dress with a dark cardigan every day... and so I think buying something new will help.
I've been gaining weight/changing body shape over the past year as well, so things don't fit me as well, and I've experience growing out of clothes that fit me only last year. That sucks, and I really hate it. So, I buy more not just to replace what doesn't fit... but I also buy more because I'm looking to find new shapes that will flatter my new shape.
This is super honest for this mostly fluffy blog.
So, what do you think? Do "fashion inspiration" blogs (like this one, I like to think) help you or do they just encourage consumption? Is there a way to tread the middle road, being inspired but not feeling like you need to purchase something? Is it just me that feels this way - because I have to tell you, when I see someone out in the fatosphere rocking an awesome dress from Old Navy that I think would look great on me, I pretty much go and buy it immediately. And then I feel kind of bad for doing so. Maybe it's just my own issue.
4 comments:
Yeah, I have this feeling all the time. I do think that some of what fatshion blogs do is encourage readers to go out and buy stuff (and in some cases, it is not-so-subtly intentional because the blogger is shilling for some product), and there should be another way. IT makes uneasy because in my political leanings I would consider myself anti-capitalist, so it feels weird telling people "ZOMG, these are the best leggings EVAR go buy them now!!!!"
But it gets complicated. I think for a lot of us fats it is sort of a--pardon the metaphor--feast or famine sort of thing. When you are just coming into your self as a self-accepting fat person, a closet full of well-fitting clothing feels like a positive goal (and it kind of is!). It becomes difficult to pass up something cute for fear you'll never find something that cute again! I do want to become a better minimalist though, it's one of my long-term goals.
You put it really, really well! I think, for me, it was also a "feast" because by starting to read fat acceptance blogs, and see all these fatshionable fat ladies rocking awesome clothes from places I had never heard of... it really opened my eyes to my options about clothing! So that was probably what started my clothes-buying tendencies.
And you're also right about the "fear I'll never find something that cute again" - I will buy something for fear of never finding anything that fits me again - I'll even buy something that only sort of fits, and then try to make it work. What I haven't realized yet is that there are tons of options out there - I don't have to hoard my clothes against some coming day that they don't make clothes in my size anymore. I can be choosy, because the options are only getting bigger (ha! see what I did there?).
hey girl hey... just letting you know i'm giving you these awards http://bigsuitblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/almost-as-cool-as-winning-dundie.html xoxo jen
Thanks Jennifer Ann!
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