Sunday, April 5, 2009

adventures in consumerism

As I walked to the main hall to compose this lovely little note, my mind flitted over the purchases I made at UO today. My mom gave me some money this weekend and told me I should be able to go out and have fun, not worrying about money, so "go forth and shop!" she said...essentially. I didn't go too crazy, just a couple t-shirts, a vest, and a blue button up. About $108 overall.


I always have little anxiety attacks when I go shopping. I'm never sure if I'll need what I'm buying. I err on the side of thinking I can survive without it. Then I think I of the people who don't get to worry about what to add to their closet. I figure I should count my blessings.

So I buy, and wear, and reevaluate once I get home. And by reevaluate, I mean scouring through my closet looking for things to get rid of in order to prevent it from overflowing and my mind from dying of guilt. I usually come up with a couple things to ditch, but the whole process is very tiring.

So if you remember, I was thinking all this on my way down to the main. There's this little slope I was stepping down, and amidst the previous thoughts, I thought it'd be very bad if I fell. Sure enough, down I go, ripping a hole in my $44.50 chinos and scuffing my $94 boots.

I love cosmic irony.

My conclusion? It's perfectly natural to want to look your best, but sometimes the clothes you have are enough to make that happen. Wearing things in a different way can be just as good as buying new clothes. But when you do decide to buy new clothes, don't buy it unless you're okay with it being beaten up in some way. Clothes shouldn't be delicate anyway. While we may think we should hoard up our material treasures to ensure they are always looking their best, none of it has anything to do with who we really are. So wear the clothes, don't let them wear you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I believe my leg is bleeding profusely. Time for some new pants :)

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