The world of “fast fashion†insists that we must buy the things we see and love today, because they will undoubtedly be gone tomorrow. But one woman in particular challenged such messaging by doing the exact opposite.
Canadian author and illustrator Sarah Lazarovic decided to join in the “slow shopping†counter-movement by not shopping at all for entire year. Instead, she painted the items she wanted to buy, and shared her stream-of-consciousness thoughts about each impulse in her upcoming book, A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy. While creative in nature, the project actually helped her learn how to control her desire for the instant gratification that comes along with impulse shopping, and gave an entirely new significance to the words “slow shopping†for her. Lazarovic joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani today to discuss how such behavior can transform one’s way of thinking.
“Slow shopping is very much a vogue term these days, and there’s a bit of a greenwashing element to it — sure, buy slow but you’re still buying stuff, and buy quality but you’re still buying stuff — but I do agree that it does come down to pace,†said Lazarovic. “If you really do know yourself and there’s something you really need, I think if you can get past those first few moments, then you really make a more objective decision — go home, sit down and think about it.â€
Modarressy-Tehrani and Lazarovic also discussed how consumers often use shopping as a coping mechanism for the sense of emptiness they may feel, trying and failing to fill that inner void with material things. However, Lazarovic insists there are better ways to go about it.
“I find that if you just wait a bit longer, you’re over it, and there’s something new to covet,†she said. “When I had idle hours to while away at the mall, I could go back and forth between the Gap and Wet Seal appraising boxer shorts, and now I don’t have time for that kind of stuff and I honestly don’t miss it… There are many other places to spend quality time than the mall — places that involve sunlight and green things.â€
To hear more about how slow shopping helped Lazarovic control her desire to impulse buy, watch the full HuffPost Live clip in the video above.