Fast Fashion and Diet Culture

Julie Allen-1/31/22

Fast fashion and diet culture. The never enough mindset.

What do diet culture and fast fashion have in common?

Both teach us we are not good enough as we are.

"Be less. Have more. You are not worthy in the body you are in. You must buy this new item in order to be ok. You must shrink your body to be worthy."

Interesting...yeah, we think so too.

So, the question is, what are we going to do about it?

We've been taught that having more is better and stuff can make you happy.

This belief is at the heart of fast fashion.

What if we had enough? What if we are enough? What if we don't need anything external to make us whole? What if everything we need we already have?

This constant desire to buy more, have more, fill a void, is not serving us well.

In a world full of stuff, stopping, breathing, and understanding things do not equal happiness, is important.

When we learn and honor who we are, we are able to see how much external pressure is placed on all of us to be a certain way.

Clothing trends constantly changing, the drive to keep up with the latest and greatest, the new diet, the elaborate routine to defy aging...to sum it up...it's BS.

When we are true to who we really are deep down, we don't need all the things that were filling voids. We don't need to always have the latest trend, we don't need to wear something different everyday...we are enough, exactly as we are.

Get to know that beautiful human that is you. Honor, love, and respect Her and what She needs. She doesn't need the latest trend...she needs to be loved, seen, and heard.

Be the change you want to see.

So, my friends, I urge you to slow down. Get to know the beautiful human you are and begin to ask yourself the following questions when you are about to purchase something:

1. Do I really love it or am I trying to fill a void?

2. Will I wear this piece at least 30 times?

3. Do I already own something similar to this?

Beginning a sustainable journey can feel overwhelming and trigger a lot of guilt (at least for me it has), but in listening, we learn, and in learning, we can now do.

We can't always change the big things overnight, but we CAN change one little thing today. Imagine how our world would be if each person changed one item to a more ecofriendly or sustainable option?

Making the World Better, One Thread at a Time

Article credit : Julie Allen. CEO, Mary Rose NW Boutique. Founder, Mary Rose Foundation. Author and Eating Disorder Awareness Activist