I've been feeling insecure lately, and that has me considering trying new beauty products/techniques, generally at increased expense (in terms of money and/or time) compared with my usual regimen.
Conventional wisdom is that this is because the media has created an unattainable image and then the fashion and beauty industries are exploiting the resulting insecurities for profit.
But I find myself wondering if this is partly because our society values the whole can-do, self-help, Protestant work ethic attitude? You can do it, you just have to put work hard! If you want something badly enough, the universe will give it to you! Stop whining and take charge of your life by making the 10 quick and easy changes listed in this magazine article! You just have to make an effort!
I can see how working hard and making an effort could translate into a time-consuming skin-care routine, or how taking charge of your life could translate into biting the bullet and going to that expensive hairdresser, or how a person who believes that if they want something badly enough the universe will give it to them could see the prominent display of a brand new high-tech foundation as the universe giving them a solution to their problem.
Maybe if our culture as a whole was more zen about things, more "it is what it is" rather than "with hard work and the right attitude you can achieve anything!", maybe we'd be less susceptible to consumerism. (Assuming, of course, that being less susceptible to consumerism is a good thing - the consumerism in which I do indulge does makes me happy, although I try to indulge mindfully which is why I'm writing right now instead of shopping for beauty products.)
4 comments:
Well, the one thing I would point out is that just because your actions are superficially similar to consumerism, it doesn't mean that they are the same. Consumerism is, as I understand it, where consumption is essentially an end in itself. If you are in control of your consumption, and have a clearly-defined goal, external to the consumption, that is being satisfied by the consumption, then you're not falling into a trap.
We all have to figure out where our appropriate level of consumption is, I guess -- much like our appropriate level of pollution. The fact that you're questioning it at all is probably a good sign that you're not falling into the consumerism trap, don't you think?
I think M@ is right.
I don't know, I think everyone perceives their own consumption as being in service of some specific goal, but it still might be perceived as consumerism by others.
I think everyone perceives their own consumption as being in service of some specific goal, but it still might be perceived as consumerism by others.
This is almost certainly true, too. We need some outside/objective consumerism adjucator.
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