2014: 'ssues

First post of the year and it's near the end of March.

Been meaning to do a lot, but overall I haven't done as much as I had hoped for. As such, this blog has sort of fallen into the realm of a journal that I look at occasionally that a lot of people come across because their skirts are probably too tight (yep, still most viewed). I've been having some changing opinions about that posting.

I just haven't been buying clothes a lot. Part of it is that year I took off from buying clothes. That really curbed my impulse control with the realization that the only thing I will die if I do not get is food. Consequently, my cooking blog is pretty well maintained. The next thing is my shtick on buying fair trade, when you cut down your options you can only stay interested for so long, heck, you can only online window shop for so long. What struck a chord with me the most, was last year's Black Friday and the massive increase in deaths related to it. 2012 lesson not learned. The idea that clothes that cost relatively little to make, that people would literally go crazy for over in stores, could cost people their lives really did not sit well with me. I wouldn't want my life dictated in that way just like I wouldn't like arranging my life around a TV guide. I know it seems like whining, but I bet none of the people who died knew it was coming.

The last thing that gets to me, especially with the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Texas is the idea that feminists shouldn't care about clothes. It's tough being a woman and feeling that you shouldn't be judged for your clothing choices, but knowing that you are. I like watching What Not to Wear for the psychological element of it all, the idea of clothes being functional and a carrier for enjoyment. I do enjoy my clothes and I like playing dress up with my clothes and coming up with fun outfits, but I would prefer to not get any outside attention for them - I recognize the irony in having a blog that talks about clothing. Essentially, I'm my own dress up doll. I like being a dress up doll too, I just need to make more time for that kind of play and boy, is it time consuming.

I'm having trouble allocating my efforts on the issues I care about. I only have so much energy. I'm aiming to do a lot of figuring out this year.

Well, to everyone's health! Hopefully 2014 will be a productive year.

Final Destination: Black Friday

You would think after Black Friday 2012 with the one stampeding death, people would have developed the sense to be a little more cautious. Our shopping habits directly caused the death of one person.

Black Friday 2013's death toll exceeded the previous year by 700%. It's safe today that everyone who engages in Black Friday should think to themselves: "someone is going to die today and it very well could be me." Exercise a bit more caution that day. Make sure you're well rested and you have a proxy driver just in case. OR just don't engage - enjoy seconds of Thanksgiving dinner and take a nap.

Getting large amounts of people in stores creates more tension. Everyone present adds to someone else's feelings of panicked urgency that results in stampeding deaths. Recall, no single drop of rain blames itself for the flood.

One thing that gets on my nerves about the Black Friday frenzy is that it's coming to overshadow my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. A day that's about trying to acquire as much as you can for a good deal is overtaking a day that's about being thankful for what you have. That is messed up to say the least. Considering that seven people died this year, was it really that good of a deal?

Funky & Fair Trade

Maybe I just don't like physically shopping. I find it time consuming and it takes a lot of effort. This is all in addition to the fact that the majority of clothing out there carry questionable practices for the workers who make them.

I don't mind online shopping one bit though, I can do it any time of the day and it's virtually no different from window shopping. One top of that, fair trade options are more available depending on your boolean search skills.

Here are some nice funky goods:

American Apparel Tent Dress cut from vintage fabrics - $54

Here's a nice deviation from their normal offerings.

Saddle Back Stripes Skirt - $65 by Mata Traders

This one in particular is sold by Bittersweet by design

Ikat mini skirt with large pockets - $48 by Mata Traders

This one in particular is sold by Bittersweet by design

Tote bags made from rice bags and feed bags - $35

These ones are sold on the Global Girlfriend website.

Buttons and Bows top by Mata Traders - $54.99

on their website: www.matatraders.com



Found some nice duds. Now all I need is money. The prices are actually not too bad in the grand scheme of things, especially for ethically made clothing.

Curbing impulse for a cause

Being in a position that's more advantageous than others is sometimes hard to cope with. I'm an American. Walking through malls is kind of hard because it kind of brings to mind how America still functions on the institution of slavery and it's easier to cope with because we just don't see it. Things that are priced cheaply mean that the item itself was produced even more cheaply whether that means a machine did it or someone was paid dirt cheap to make a product.

Over the past few months, I've found it harder and harder to buy clothes. There are so many things made in China, Honduras, the Philippines and I can only wonder about the conditions in which these clothing were made. I can't make a wardrobe entirely of American Apparel - as much as I like them, the clothes seem very body type specific.

As of late, I just haven't been buying too many clothes. I'll make my small exceptions for jeans I know that fit, but generally, my new MO is to buy as few clothes as possible, utilize as much of what I currently have and if it is an option, I'll buy American made or sweatshop free clothing.

Given that this way of living severely limits my options, I've had the chance to reassess a few things in my life

1) Of the many clothes I own, I only wear a few of them anyway
2) Shopping for clothes is not one of my favorite hobbies.
3) Shopping for clothes to wear while shopping for clothing just doesn't make sense to me.

It's almost like a clothing diet, like that new years resolution I had a few years ago. I view a lot of sweatshop clothing the same as fast food - it's tempting, easy to acquire, and cheap, but ultimately in the long run, it's bad for you.