By Alexandra Mae
As I sit at my desk, the persistent flash of email notifications popping up on my phone is constant. BLACK FRIDAY PREVIEW! I only subscribe to emails from brands I regularly purchase from, and I know in the back of my mind that there are great deals to be had come the last Friday in November, otherwise known as ‘Black Friday’. But the passing thought is a far cry from my approach to the event last year.
Last year I had only just started to become truly aware of the severe impact consumer culture and mass greed was having on our environment. So naturally when Black Friday came around, in protest I vowed not to purchase any clothing at all for one hundred days. In some ways to prove to others that it could be done, but deep down a large part of this protest was additionally to try and conquer my own constant longing for ‘newness’.
I spotted a post on Instagram from designer Christopher Raeburn, announcing that during the busiest shopping day of the year, he was closing up shop. Initially it seemed like marketing madness, but then it felt like a declaration of commitment to the values of the brand and its position on the current environmental crisis.
I felt a sudden twang of relief and belonging. Predominantly because when we finally start to care about what overconsumption is doing to our planet, it can often be met by discouraging and snide comments from our peers. But Christopher Raeburn had my back, and at the time that was all I needed.
Black Friday is an informal name given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States which always falls on a Thursday. The day following Thanksgiving is regarded as the beginning of America’s Christmas shopping season, and actually has been since back in 1952.
It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year in the U.S. since 2005. Most find this ironic considering that the previous day people give thanks for all that they have, only to buy an unfathomable amount of ‘stuff’ 24 hours later. The event is also often associated with mass chaos and violence for bricks-and-mortar customers, and historically many have become injured, stabbed, shot, pepper sprayed, and even killed being trampled by other shoppers.
This year, I won’t be taking part in another shopping ban but rather being much more mindful about my Black Friday spending. Here are some things we can all consider that will help us stay mindful during the hysteria.
Firstly, why do I want it? Do I actually need the £75 organic cotton jumper, or do I just want it because it looked great on the influencer that I have a girl-crush on? She may not even like the jumper herself and was just wearing it for an #ad. In reality, I also have a ridiculous number of jumpers already hanging in my wardrobe, just waiting to see the light of day.
If you are buying Christmas presents for loved ones, consider questions such as – will they actually like this? Or is this beauty product just going to gather dust unused on the shelf for a year until the recipient throws it away and the plastic bottle takes three hundred more years to biodegrade?
If you can answer these confidently for each purchase, then go ahead and save yourself some money. I personally will only be stocking up on clean beauty items that are staples in my routine, and a few appliances for my new home. And channelling Christopher Raeburn, consuming only products that #reduce waste, can be #reused and then ethically #recycled.
Alexandra Mae
Alexandra is an enthusiastic sustainability advocate with extensive knowledge on slow fashion, clean beauty and climate issues. You can find more about her work at her website, Styledbymae.
