FASHIONABLE OR MATERIALISTIC, when is enough, enough?

FASHION, October 2007, by Karla Belfon


FASHIONABLE OR MATERIALISTIC
when is enough, enough?


fashionable vs materialisticSo the dog days of summer are gone and fall is here again. All the signs of change are upon us: A new season of my all time favorite show, ‘What Not to Wear’ has started, H&M is selling the sweetest collection of belted fall jackets, and my fashion antennae tells me that double button pea coats can be expected in the not too distant future. Sadly, this fashionista won’t be partaking in the season’s fashion festivities.

While I am a fashion-forward, self-proclaimed Diva of Divas who prides herself in being able to spot a pair of Mavis and tell you the size, the style, the season, and current retail price from my peripheral, this fashion new year I’ll be taking time to focus on some things that are a little less transitory. Because the reality is, while I love the scents and sounds of the Toronto Eaton Centre on a Saturday afternoon more than any girl I know, there are more important things in life than matching my earrings to my belt and toe nail polish when I wear my peek-a-boo toe Espadrilles (few, but they do exist).

Retailers earn their livelihood on people like us who treat shopping like a professional sport. So of course we don’t want to see them starve! But let’s also take care of the parts of ourselves that are not seen with the eyes. The parts that are felt by ourselves and others.

Karla’s Mission
In light of this understanding, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, for the next 40 days I am embarking on a mission in which I will no longer spend tireless hours scouring the racks at Old Navy, nor will I spend time hovering around the MAC counter in search of the perfect shade of tinted gloss. Instead, when the shopping bug bites I’ll take the time to buy for someone else. Yes, you read correctly- to kick off this fashion new year I will expend my shopping energy (and dollars) on keeping someone else’s style wardrobe updated. What a novel idea! I love make-up, shoes and purses just as much as the next girl, but I also realize that there is a fine line between being fashionable and being plain old materialistic.

What’s the Message?
Let’s face it, society and the media often send us the message that we can never have enough, look pretty enough, be skinny enough- essentially that we just aren’t enough. Which I think is completely bogus! If we have curly hair we want it straight, if we have straight hair we want it curly. When do we ever just settle and be satisfied in our own skin, not trying to attain some unrealistic image of beauty according to the media? Isn’t that at the heart of consumerism- the feeling that we don’t have or aren’t enough?

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to keep up with the latest trends and fashions, sometimes we just need to slow down and ask ourselves some questions, like: “why am I buying another black tank top? I have five.” Or, “Do I really need another pair of low-rise jeans? They all look the same.”

Can You Do It?
This fall, consider being satisfied with who you are and what you have right now. Maybe even give some coveted items away. You may feel more content and be a lot less hard on yourself. Maybe you’ll even make some new friends when you’re buying for them, rather than boasting about your latest fashion exploits. Besides, months from now, you’ll retire those jeans... but who you are inside will stay with
you for life.

~ Karla


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