Ha so weird I wrote a random note about this yesterday and we have the same sentiment but came to it down a different path. I feel as though no one is living the underconsumption core life because we can't. I've bought 5 blenders in 6 years because they keep breaking. I buy expensive ones, I research but companies do not care, they do not fix and if you have one under warranty they'd rather send you a new one than fix it. The blender I had before that was ten years but it got broken in a move. So the trope of having the same hair straightener for 15 years just isn't a thing anyone. Anything I have purchased in the last 5 years trash and I feel like underconsuming isn't available anymore. And socks! Socks! I used to buy ten pairs every 5 years and I was sorted I'm now buying ten pairs every year and they're full of holes in 12 months. My sock useage hadn't changed the socks have changed.
I find the term "underconsumption" a misnomer at best -- you either consume or you don't, right? You can't "underconsume" unless you're actually being denied something that's essential to life, like food, and shelter. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I think it's a little insulting to people who are genuinely struggling, for content creators to make cute videos about shopping secondhand and not getting your nails done, and call it "underconsumption core". It seems well-intentioned, but it ends up sweeping actual issues under the carpet, like the fact that a lot of consumer goods are not made to last, and we have real systemic problems to deal with. And it invites people to think of sustainable consumption as virtue-signalling.
I've been on a low-buy this year and because I have the free time, I've even been able to put off buying basics like socks by mending them (they look terrible but it worked!). But I can hardly expect people with more responsibilities and fewer resources to do the same. I hope people don't beat themselves up too much when they see "underconsumption core" videos and feel like they're doing it all wrong -- the system is screwed, and while we can learn to control our craving for new things all the time, we shouldn't be blamed for replacing things we need, or occasionally buying things that bring a bit of happiness into our lives.
I'm wondering if 'underconsumption' is the same thing as 'conspicuous non-consumption'. Is it actually about consuming less, or is it about social signaling about consuming less? While I will applaud anyone willing and able to step aside from the fast pace of consumption (the pace is much, much faster than it used to be) the problem is definitely more systematic and requires heavier solutions than those on an individual level. We are sold things that don't last, so often we are forced to consume more than we'd like. Planned obsolescence and predatory capitalism are the problem, not the people who have to buy 5 blenders in 6 years because they keep breaking. (Carly, that's so crazy, I have no words!)
I'm a recovering shopaholic myself, so I feel that there's definitely space and a need for influencers who talk about consuming less. The tone of this type of content just needs reworking. Consuming less is a tough topic to tackle without sounding preachy, judgmental, condescending or morally superior. We need ways to talk about consuming less in an informative, constructive and encouraging manner. The self-congratulatory tone has to go.
I have so many thoughts! A few in random order- I feel like sometimes the stress around clutter is due to organization strategies- I know I could organize my closets better and therefore fit more of my belongings into them.
Scarcity mindset- I also struggle with allowing myself to buy more clothes. I can’t super relate when people are like “shop your closet”! “You could wear a new outfit every day for a year already out of what you own!” But I ALSO have clung onto things I don’t like or that don’t fit and never will for WAY too long because they were somewhat expensive (to me). Don’t get me started on the “but what if I need this for X?” Which is sometimes valid but often bs.
As for content creators, I appreciate Laura Girard’s approach of deinfluencing while also influencing. She accepts PR but is super clear about it, but also regularly talks about how you probs don’t need X and the forces behind people trying to get you to want it. Additionally, she seems to shop secondhand quite a bit or at least very mindfully, which aligns with my approach. All in all, feels like a pretty real and balanced presentation of consumption for a creator in a world where none of us is under or over consuming in every single area.
“all of the people over 40 that I know have bought over/under two pieces of furniture since the early 2000s.”
At 43 I definitely do not have any of the Ikea stuff I purchased when I was in my early 20’s (in the early 2000s) lol. I would hope/expect though, that in another 20 years this will be more true for me.
Ha so weird I wrote a random note about this yesterday and we have the same sentiment but came to it down a different path. I feel as though no one is living the underconsumption core life because we can't. I've bought 5 blenders in 6 years because they keep breaking. I buy expensive ones, I research but companies do not care, they do not fix and if you have one under warranty they'd rather send you a new one than fix it. The blender I had before that was ten years but it got broken in a move. So the trope of having the same hair straightener for 15 years just isn't a thing anyone. Anything I have purchased in the last 5 years trash and I feel like underconsuming isn't available anymore. And socks! Socks! I used to buy ten pairs every 5 years and I was sorted I'm now buying ten pairs every year and they're full of holes in 12 months. My sock useage hadn't changed the socks have changed.
I find the term "underconsumption" a misnomer at best -- you either consume or you don't, right? You can't "underconsume" unless you're actually being denied something that's essential to life, like food, and shelter. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I think it's a little insulting to people who are genuinely struggling, for content creators to make cute videos about shopping secondhand and not getting your nails done, and call it "underconsumption core". It seems well-intentioned, but it ends up sweeping actual issues under the carpet, like the fact that a lot of consumer goods are not made to last, and we have real systemic problems to deal with. And it invites people to think of sustainable consumption as virtue-signalling.
I've been on a low-buy this year and because I have the free time, I've even been able to put off buying basics like socks by mending them (they look terrible but it worked!). But I can hardly expect people with more responsibilities and fewer resources to do the same. I hope people don't beat themselves up too much when they see "underconsumption core" videos and feel like they're doing it all wrong -- the system is screwed, and while we can learn to control our craving for new things all the time, we shouldn't be blamed for replacing things we need, or occasionally buying things that bring a bit of happiness into our lives.
I'm wondering if 'underconsumption' is the same thing as 'conspicuous non-consumption'. Is it actually about consuming less, or is it about social signaling about consuming less? While I will applaud anyone willing and able to step aside from the fast pace of consumption (the pace is much, much faster than it used to be) the problem is definitely more systematic and requires heavier solutions than those on an individual level. We are sold things that don't last, so often we are forced to consume more than we'd like. Planned obsolescence and predatory capitalism are the problem, not the people who have to buy 5 blenders in 6 years because they keep breaking. (Carly, that's so crazy, I have no words!)
I'm a recovering shopaholic myself, so I feel that there's definitely space and a need for influencers who talk about consuming less. The tone of this type of content just needs reworking. Consuming less is a tough topic to tackle without sounding preachy, judgmental, condescending or morally superior. We need ways to talk about consuming less in an informative, constructive and encouraging manner. The self-congratulatory tone has to go.
I have so many thoughts! A few in random order- I feel like sometimes the stress around clutter is due to organization strategies- I know I could organize my closets better and therefore fit more of my belongings into them.
Scarcity mindset- I also struggle with allowing myself to buy more clothes. I can’t super relate when people are like “shop your closet”! “You could wear a new outfit every day for a year already out of what you own!” But I ALSO have clung onto things I don’t like or that don’t fit and never will for WAY too long because they were somewhat expensive (to me). Don’t get me started on the “but what if I need this for X?” Which is sometimes valid but often bs.
As for content creators, I appreciate Laura Girard’s approach of deinfluencing while also influencing. She accepts PR but is super clear about it, but also regularly talks about how you probs don’t need X and the forces behind people trying to get you to want it. Additionally, she seems to shop secondhand quite a bit or at least very mindfully, which aligns with my approach. All in all, feels like a pretty real and balanced presentation of consumption for a creator in a world where none of us is under or over consuming in every single area.
Loved this piece!
“all of the people over 40 that I know have bought over/under two pieces of furniture since the early 2000s.”
At 43 I definitely do not have any of the Ikea stuff I purchased when I was in my early 20’s (in the early 2000s) lol. I would hope/expect though, that in another 20 years this will be more true for me.