Please understand, I am a fan of celebrating art. Quality film and television are two of my favorite things. I love acting. I love cinematography. I love story telling. I love costuming and make up. People using their God given talents to create beautiful things is itself a beautiful thing.
I am also the first on Instagram to see all the fashion on the red carpet, because fashion is just as much art as the movies and television.
The desire to express. The desire to make things beautiful. It's all good and even comes from God. He is a creative God after all.
The red carpet and awards shows have also become a platform for politics. It's understandable. Hollywood stars have influence. It's the perfect place to be seen and heard. Time's up, equal pay, race representation, you name it, the stars have stood for it.
This year, there were plenty of stars addressing climate change especially because of the devastation happening in Australia right now. (If you don't know, it's literal Hell there right now. Like, the images are what I envision Hell to look like, and it's utterly terrifying).
BUT CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE HYPOCRISY OF IT ALL?!
All these stars, who are mega consumers, and who then influence all of us to consume the stuff they are consuming, are taking a "stand" on climate change?
I wonder if any of them car pooled to and from the event and after parties in their fuel efficient cars rather than pulling up each in their own vehicles that idle in line until it's their turn to take the carpet.
Though I love looking at the dresses, I need to address the fact that these dresses are worn ONCE for a few hours and then, most of the ladies change into an after party dress that most likely will never be worn again either.
The red carpet is a perpetual example of living a "once and done" lifestyle.
Even though the clothes of the red carpet aren't considered fast fashion, it certainly promotes the mentality that every event needs a new outfit and that once it's out of style, or I'm simply over it, I'll just buy something else.
Fast fashion/textile production is one of the worst contributors to climate change there is!
Well, "I donate my clothes when I am done." Yes, it's a better way, but please educate yourself on what actually happens to donated clothing. Most of it ends up in landfills or gets shipped to other countries where it does more harm than good.
Second hand/thrifting is a better way. But it is just as easy to get stuck in a consumerism mindset, sometimes even more so, because we can afford MORE STUFF if it's second hand! Until I learned about the amount of used stuff creating havoc on our environment, I was in the cycle of buying and re-donating all the time. I naively thought it was just all getting recycled buyer to buyer! Not so, my friends, not so.
And let's talk about all the free stuff that the stars get from these awards shows and after parties.
Did any of them say "no thanks" to the extravagant gift baskets full of the newest and greatest stuff? The amount of stuff given to these people is insane and, of course, WE ALL can find out what was in the gift bags so that WE CAN HAVE ALL THAT SAME STUFF!
Not to mention all that stuff comes in tons of packaging. Mostly packaging that NEVER breaks down. "Recycle," you say. Mmm...hmmm... don't get me started on that.
I get it. I'm an artist. I make stuff to sell, and I love when people buy it. I have to market it. I have to share what I do. We gotta make a living after all. But, at some point, it all got OUT OF CONTROL!
To quote one of my favorite books, Agate, by Joy Morgan Dey: (Sigh, yes, that's an affiliate link. I'm definitely a hypocrite, because I will influence you to buy all the books! See also, sidebar).
We are a malcontented bunch --
Give us breakfast, we want lunch.
Give us flippers, we want paws.
Show us talents, we see flaws.
Make us tall, we'd rather be small.
Give us some, we want it all.
The want of stuff comes from a place being discontent. We buy in hopes that the new thing will make us feel content.
Now, discontent can be good, healthy even. If we get too content in some circumstances, challenging and changing those circumstances is good.
What I am frustrated with is the message that what we have is not good enough. I'm frustrated that we are being influenced to be discontent. I'm frustrated that so many people are listening!
AND our discontentment is ruining the earth that we were created to take care of. It's one of the first things that God tells humans to do. Take care of the earth.
If we are seeking contentment in things, we will never be content. Ever. Period.
I don't want more stuff. I want more of God.
Finding contentment is hard. I get caught up in consumerism too. I even find ways to justify it in the name of creativity and beauty, which again are definitely Godly things. This is a subject I am very passionate about. I'm not perfect at it, for sure, but very passionate about. I will share in future posts some practical ways that we can avoid consumerism and be more content with what we already have.
Thanks for compiling these articles, and thought provoking insights. I need to pay more attention to them, even if I am not as in to fashion (but am I really not? I don't want to look like a dork, unless I intended to for my own kicks and giggles, or to break a social mold. While I typically dress in the dark, changing the color of my shirt, and wearing pants until I get holes (always in the crotch), I do adjust what I wear to be mindful of my surroundings and who I will be with to some degree. I want to exude intentionality, self-respect, and confidence. But on other days, in Wisconsin, I want to be warm, and not indecent. I wonder how much, in fact, I am indeed influenced by fashion. I see new pants and shirts and hat styles. I tire of keeping up, though some of them look cool. I feel spartan in my existence, as a musician sometimes. Like, clothing is a necessary evil, an obstacle that keeps me from getting on with my day, and ultimately getting to where I want to be - the studio. But I guess that is part of self care, and even these thoughts might be reflective of some issues I need to address.)
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