why I'm starting to hate the sustainable fashion movement *let me explain*

Just wanted to say I am SO THANKFUL and APPRECIATIVE of this job, but specifically being in the sustainable fashion movement, I very much have this internal struggle to know what is right because there is valid criticism on both sides so no matter what I do I can truly never win. I just wanted to give context as to why I've uploaded certain videos and why at the end of 2020 I had been putting out so many thrift hauls. I love love LOVE thrifting, but I also understand doing massive thrift hauls every single week doesn't necessarily go with my mission to promote sustainable fashion and buying. I wanted to share also because with there being so many gray areas within this movement, you may have also experienced this dilemma or just the constant back and forth of trying to be perfect. At the end of the day, I know I need to just do what I think is best and not be over consumed by making every single person happy. Hopefully this video made sense and just thank you for supporting me and watching ❤️

👗 SHOP MY CLOSET 👚
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COMMON QUESTIONS:
- What's the "83" mean? Is that your birth year? NO, the "83" is for 08/03 = 83 which is my birthday (August 3rd). Basically alexasunshine was taken 😬
- Why do you thrift? To stop my consumption of fast fashion due to the horrible treatment of workers and the negative environmental impact of waste fast fashion produces. I recommend the documentary The True Cost 👍🏻
- Are your plants real? NO, all my plants are artificial!
-Are your candles real? No, they are flameless.

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[Housewarmin]

I think we just need to be INTENTIONAL. We can’t buy a peice of clothing that was made perfectly with no problems. But be INTENTIONAL. If you buy thrifted clothes, make sure you don’t over consume. If you buy fast fashion, make sure you get maximum use out the piece. If you buy sustainable clothing, make sure you spend your money wisely. Be intentional about ever piece of clothing.

[huh]

I agree with everything! Another thing about “ethical” brands is how....boring most of their clothing is. Why would I buy a plain white t-shirt for 70 bucks when I could easily find one at Goodwill for 5? If I look hard enough, I could probably find one that’s decent or good quality. My logic is: if I’m going to purchase something that’s brand new, it should be at least somewhat unique and difficult to find second-hand.

[WilliamFrancisco]

Something that I'm hating abou the sustainable fashion is that vintage clothes are getting more popular, people want to look retro and "aesthetic" and thats okay, but i hate that stores are raising the price so so much, sometimes this clothes are more expensive than new clothes, and I think that's not the point of this movement.

[abby]

The way companies have successfully managed to shift the blame on individuals when their factories have to most impact on the environment and sustainability is incredible to me.

[kaylahursey]

It’s messed up that the sustainability movement has become so focused on individual behavior modification. It’s crippling to carry that weight when the choices we make as individuals seem to change so little. The responsibility does fall on the consumer, but it also falls on corporations and companies who continue to produce these items in careless excess. That is part of why we see so much waste, because more was made than we could possibly use at the time. In an ideal world, there would be more accountability at a corporate level, rather than isolating individuals and saddling them with sole responsibility. The information available is conflicting at times and therefore confusing. No one is doing it perfectly, and you don’t have to either. You’re doing enough, and if at some point you decide to do more, let it happen in it’s time. You’ll get burnt out trying to push yourself to check all the boxes right now, this minute, this month, this year. Especially when it’s unclear which boxes should be checked? Personal development takes time, so allow yourself that time. Don’t let the critics (consumers) of YouTube rush you. ❤️

[PamsPrettyPlants]

Weird how no one seems to get mad at the CORPORATIONS that are jacking up the prices at the thrift stores, because thrifting and reselling got trendy, but instead direct their anger at other working class people trying to feed themselves. 🤔

[annielistens]

The biggest problem with sustainable fashion youtube channels is that they can come off kinda sanctimonious and shamey while still contributing to unnecessary amounts of consumerism. A person shopping at a fast fashion store once a year and wearing everything they own is more sustainable than someone clearing out thrift stores every week just to wear an outfit once and let it rot in their closet.

[EliseBuch]

You did and are going great! Number one thing I've learned doing YouTube, is that there will ALWAYS be someone who believes you are doing it wrong, aren't doing enough and so on ^_^ We can only do our very best.

[Katherout]

"why can't brands just be... GOOD?"

capitalism, baby, capitalism

[hleylder]

okay but here’s the thing. thrift stores ARE for you. thrift stores are for anyone and everyone. i’m so tired of the gate keeping and making these “movements” so unattainable due to the pressure of perfection. you’re doing nothing wrong. if you want to cut down for you, go for it. but overall, as long as you’re being intentional, who cares.

[alexchicherchia]

I’m just going to say this one thing-
You are NEVER....and i repeat...NEVER going to be able to make everyone happy.

You have to do what makes you happy girl.

[pyjamabottoms]

It sounds like you could be experiencing burn out.
I work for a charity, I try to be as ethical as possible in my decisions, low waste, sustainable etc in as many areas as I can reasonably do. But I can't do it all. For example, I still use Amazon even though ethically I know I shouldn't...but there comes a point where you have to say "I can't do it all" and draw a line on your time, energy and put a price on how far you're willing to go yourself before you burn out.
I think we've all grown to like you for YOU and would watch your channel, I think watching people try to make good decisions is better than watching people who hollowly pretend they are making good decisions xx

[jesswen]

"Why can't brands just be good" SO TRUE

Your feelings are totally valid I feel like people who promote sustainability/ethics are expected to be perfect, which sucks because nobody expects anything from people who don't promote sustainability.

I love your thrift hauls! Don't stop just because you can't tick all the boxes 💕

[madisons]

I think this is SO representative of how the burden of sustainability is placed on the consumer, and not the actual companies themselves. The COMPANIES are responsible for their social and environmental impact, not us. Yes we as consumers can choose more sustainable options, but as you’ve mentioned, those have problems within themselves!

[erinrafferty]

Anybody who says "thrift stores aren't for you" is missing the point of thrift stores.

[mickylene]

After two years of wearing only secondhand and sustainable fashion, I started to realize new sustainable fashion is for rich people. Some people really can’t afford new sustainable clothing. Also, since there’s not that many alternative sustainable fashion brands, it’s super hard to find good styles.
For resellers, I’ve learned that they can actually buy wholesale vintage with a sellers license. I find this also expensive for people who can’t afford it but it’s definitely worth looking into if you want to avoid the thrift store.

[hhleannem]

Also not pinhole-ing yourself into such a specific channel might help during this time. Do you like to read? hike? Crochet? Vlog? Watch movies, etc? This is your platform to literally talk about and show whatever you want and enjoy. 😊

[ScarletBegonia]

Things are never black and white. We live in the grey, but expect perfection of others. I’d like to know how perfect the critics are. I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to always be thinking about how every word you say will come off to an audience of many tens of thousands. The pressure would break me and keep me from doing anything, so the fact that you’ve been able to power through is admirable. Your intentions are clear, to me at least. Thanks for opening up.

[jadejennings]

My frustration with the sustainability movement was summed up when you said “if you’re not doing it 100%, then you shouldn’t be doing anything at all.” Yess! So many people have that attitude towards sustainability! It’s such a gatekeepy mentality. When the whole point of the movement is to be wide-spread! Sustainability will only reach its ultimate goal if it’s able to catch on to everyone! It has to start with people making small changes because not many people are going to do a complete overhaul of their entire life. The best part about the movement is that there’s always at least one or two things that everyone can do to better their lives. Only a handful of people being 100% sustainable will not make more of a difference than thousands of people who are doing one thing differently and who are encouraging companies to change as well. The movement is greater in numbers.

[JohnsonGNick]

This is so true. The most sustainable clothes are the ones we already have in our closet. Period. If we wanna fix our consumption habits, we need to slow down, stop anxiously looking for the next trend. Thrifting is great but lately on social media it feels like another trend and it shouldn’t be that way...