Fashion Blogs
Read More Fashion blogs about clothes, accessories, seasons and how to dress for YOUR body type!
December 2007 Blogs
- Real Girl - Marla
- Inspirational Girls - More Than Just a Hobby
- Fashionable or Materialistic?
- Natural vs. Festive Makeup
- Yukon Territories
- Tidy Tips for Cleaning Your Room
- Interview with a girl who has been bullied
- Death and the Loss of a Loved One
- What colours mean: Red
- Interview with a Bully
- Ask a Guy - holiday faves, buying gifts for girls, receive from a girl, winter faves
- I'm not afraid of the Big Bad Money
- Holiday Traditions
Fashionable or Materialistic?
FASHION, December 2007, by Karla Belfon
FASHIONABLE OR
MATERIALISTIC?
Karla’s Shopping Diet
So for the last 40 days I have embarked on a journey where no fashionista has gone before...that’s right ladies, I didn’t shop! For 40 days! I mean, not a tank top, not a pair of shoes, not even a hoop earring to my name. When I felt the urge to splurge, it was on somebody else. And if I made a purchase, it had to be a necessity. Unfortunately, those don’t usually come in the form of lip liner and skinny jeans. It’s been a trying 40 days to say the least, yet I can honestly say that this has been one of the BEST experiences of my entire life.
I really think one of the greatest accomplishments we can attain in life is to learn how to be satisfied in any circumstance. Whether we have plenty, or little, the best feeling is fulfillment. Of course, the media and our North American value system seem to strongly oppose the achievement of that goal. We are bombarded by messages that urge us to buy products, go on diets, or be more like celebrities in order to find happiness.
The truth is, if you aren’t satisfied with yourself, nothing you buy will ever make you satisfied because it will never be enough. There is always another 5 lbs to drop or more shoes to purchase. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with a little ‘retail therapy’, but there is a big problem with dependence. Buying ‘stuff’ can be like a drug that is easy to get hooked on. You don’t realize you’re hooked until you stop doing it for a while. I didn’t realize how dependent on shopping I was until I stopped for a considerable amount of time. I didn’t know how self-centered and materialistic I could be until I forced myself to think about others more often and stop thinking mostly about the big ME for a change. Needless to say, on my shopping diet I learned quite a few really valuable lessons I’d like to share with you:
It feels so much more rewarding to buy for someone else than just for myself. 
I began thinking about other people more. When I went to the mall, my own desires were on the back burner so it freed me to think about my family and friends more. Buying unexpected gifts for them really brought us closer. 
I really don’t need as much as I thought. Not shopping for 40 days taught me how to make do with what I had. I thought I desperately needed a new pair of white shoes but afterwards realized the ones I had were perfectly fine. I didn’t NEED a new eye shadow... I can live without it for a very long time. Some people live without it forever. 
I spend way too much money! My bank account was in much better shape as a result of not shopping for a while. I saved a ton of money to use on more lasting and meaningful items in the future. 
I took part in other more meaningful activities- like talking to my friends; I even caught up on some reading.
While I’m not knocking shopping altogether, I am saying that some of us buy more than we need. Consider the friends and neighbours who have greater needs than we do, yet are just as happy and content. Relationships last long after you retire the way over-priced GAP jeans you got last summer... you know the ones that can barely fit around your ankles because your sister cleverly threw them in the dryer…. Does that happen to anyone else but me?
~Karla