Lazy Girl does "The Minimalist Challenge"

Don’t buy anything for 24 hours

So I’ve been doing my free day. Even as I write that it feels like an odd way to label a day. And it’s even stranger to think about how I usually spend my day and WHAT I usually spend during my day.

Yesterday, I went to Bicester Village which is a designer label shopping village. Brand after brand after brand. Expertly designed stores with the right smells, sounds and sights to put you in the shopping mood. It’s consumer culture at it’s, uhh, most potent. I can’t sit here and say I don’t enjoy buying stuff, I do, but I wonder why. Why am I so drawn to material goods?

From what I understand about consumerism (which is an elementary understanding) It’s the link we place between material goods and personal identity that make us want to buy.

Our favourite celebrity has been photographed in Gucci sunglasses; we want to buy the same Gucci sunglasses. It’s this:

It’s not always about personal style either, it can be about the music/books/films you buy and how you let those influence the way people see you. It’s pretty normal to display your prize purchases for all to see. (I posted a picture of my bookshelf a few days ago) We’re displaying our personal interests with what we’ve bought to justify the things we like.

I’m wondering why we need to buy to justify our identities. We’ve become so dependent on stuff when we should be focusing our internal selves not what we put on our backs or on our shelves.

On my day free from buying stuff I watched tv where I was bombarded with adverts for things, catalogues came through my letterbox, I received email from the companies I like all trying to sell me stuff.

I’ve not been tempted. Not even a little bit.

I made biscuits for some yummy food. I took the dog for a walk. Then she ate the biscuits I’d made.

I think I’m gunna go read something now or take a nap.

Until tomorrow! I’ll leave with this image, I don’t think I want this to be a true statement about me.

BYE X