I wanna start just by saying I've shopped at Ross before and I like it and think it's a good place to shop if you're shopping intentionally.
However, the main thing I wanna talk about is this trend I've been seeing on Instagram where people are saying that shopping at Ross is cheaper than thrifting. This isn't necessarily wrong especially with Goodwill prices right now but I just feel like that's a way to justify huge fast fashion shopping hauls. Just because it's cheap doesn't mean you have to buy 50 shirts. And also it's cheap for a reason. It's either low quality materials, craftsmanship, or it's unethical labor. And I know this is something that's very common in the entire modern fashion world but I just think it's important to be aware of it while watching these people go to Ross and buy huge aesthetically pleasing hauls for $45.
Back to the Ross is cheaper than thrifting thing, while thrift prices have gotten higher recently, thrifted pieces are clothes that you are saving from landfills. Thrift clothes are also very often made of high quality materials and are very well crafted. Buying cheap trendy clothes at Ross is sometimes just as bad as buying a huge haul on Shein. And I will say, if you're buying from Ross and you're planning on keeping those clothes for multiple years, carry on. It's all about buying intentionally because you can also overconsume while thrifting. In general though thrifting is more ethically and environmentally conscious than shopping fast fashion.
I don't know if anybody else has been seeing these videos or if it's just me but I just wanted to write this as a way to keep others and, honestly, myself accountable because it is very easy to go and buy a bunch of cute clothes for cheap. Just please be conscious with your purchases and think about the longevity and timelessness about the pieces you purchase. Also consider your own personal style because if you're buying stuff just because it's trendy, you're buying it for the wrong reason.
I'd really like to hear what y'all think about this. I'm just very passionate about fashion and the deeper issues within our current fashion culture.
With love~ MaddieMae XOXO
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idontlistentoitbutiamjaz
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This is very important to discuss. People find any reason to hate on thrift stores just because they want to buy a shirt like this that they're going to hate in a year
In all seriousness, I don't think people really grasp what their money choices actually do. There's quite literally enough clothes for the next SIX generations. There's also very unhealthy conditions for the laborers who make the clothes outside of America, and they usually don't even get a good profit off of THEIR labor :/
I think it's hard for fast-paced, money-hungry, privileged countries like America to actually grasp the outcomes of their actions since it's so easy to just go out to Walmart and get some trendy shirt that's on sale for 3 dollars. I feel like more people are starting to take to mind what's going on with the environment bc of these greedy corporations, like the data centers taking away lots of land and water, and creating air and noise pollution.
Also, I'm not only blaming people who don't think about the environmental outcomes of their actions, I know it's the corporations too. Some people think that we should ONLY blame corporations, but yet they still make the conscious decision everyday to not care about what they're doing, which makes the corporations have more power.
I really liked what you said about people in America not grasping the sort of environmental and ethical consequences of their actions. In America it's so easy to overlook things like that if you're not looking for it or if it's not directly affecting you. Americas privilege has blinded people to the real cost and effort put into manufacturing clothes.
by MaddieMae; ; Report
Ziggy Drown_ed
Trends in general are trouble no matter where you get your items, there's so much waste in chasing trends to be cool and fit in. We should all be wearing what we want and not what's trendy, and certainly not throwing it out as soon as its uncool.
Trends are rarely organic as well, nearly everything is controlled and introduced by companies. Were being told what to want and like :/
by Ziggy Drown_ed; ; Report
𝖇𝖑𝖛𝖐𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓
can't believe the guy from The Incredible Hulk opened a fashion shop!
What a man