How The Meaning Of Thrifting Has Completely Changed
Although thrifting started out completely differently, and was a place for those o buy vintage couture items, it soon became a way for those who weren’t privileged enough to buy new clothes to go shopping, and buy things at a cheaper price and this could range from clothing to furniture, but soon thrifting became a trending topic for millennials.
Stores like GoodWill started to become extremely popular and started to become filled with clothing from everywhere for everyone to grab, but lately thrifting has stared to completely change and for some it’s not in a good way.
As I said, thrifting was once a safe haven for those who could not afford to purchase new clothing, but due to thrifting becoming a popular trend on social media, those who thrifted in order to survive are now realizing that thrifting is becoming a mainstream problem.
What is Thrifting?
Thrifting has been around for decades, and was a way for those to live a more sustainable life. Although it is not seen as a wonderful thing, that wasn’t always the case. Goodwill first was invented to help the poor, and to teach them how to repair used goods such as clothing and household goods, and it then was later used as a way to help those who weren’t fortunate enough to buy new clothing.
Thrifting used to be thought of in a negative way, and to be associated with second hand clothing was just as bad as being a criminal to some. The stigma behind second hand clothing was enough to be ashamed of, and it showed that you didn’t have enough money to own anything, and made many be afraid of even being seen coming out of one. Many children who went to school were constantly bullied when it was found out that they shopped at Goodwill by their own peers because they simply didn’t have enough money to buy new clothes like they did, and that is not something any child should have to go through based on their circumstances.
The New Hype
I never said that it wasn’t a bad thing that thrift stores are finally able to get the recognition they deserve, but for the way it is getting it’s hype, I do not think it is ideal.
Resellers are now thrifting in stores that are frequented by a certain demographic and selling these clothes and items for 3x the original price, and that isn’t right.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Like anything, there is the good, the bad and the ugly, and unfortunately, there is a lot of bad starting to surround well known thrift stores.
Let’s start with the good.
Thrift stores will always be good to have no matter the time and situation because it helps those in need and it’s a place where you will always find things in season since they’re clothing is often donated, but not all good things last.
Because thrifting is the new fad, and what’s old will always be new again, some thrift stores, like GoodWill have increased their prices on most items because of the high demand for the clothing.
Recently, I’ve just learned about ‘ThriftCon’, and you can imagine everything what was there, and what it was about. If you’re still puzzled about what it is exactly, think of ComicCon, but only for second hand clothing.
Basically, a giant flea market, that’s held in various cities that you have to purchase a ticket in order to attend, and on top of that you may have to buy a plane ticket in order to get there, pay for an accommodation, and buy second hand clothing that way too expensive for what they are actually worth. The big question is: Why would you buy a plane ticket just to buy second hand clothing?
In a way, it is unethical because what happens to those who actually need the clothes that are currently being over purchased? What are they to do now when the places they previously went to start to up it’s price in clothing items because of high demand?
#Gentrifiedthrifting
The meaning of thrifting is suddenly changing and that is not a good thing. There are ways to still thrift and sell clothing without taking from those who need it.
Items like BabyPhat, VonDutch, Juicy Couture, Ed Hardy are priceless items of the early 2000s, and these clothing are constantly hunted down in all thrift stores because of the current Y2K fashion that is currently trending, and because these items are in high demand they are sold at prices way higher than what they used to be when they first came out.
#Stopfastfashion
The best thing out of all of this is that it helps stop promoting fast-fashion. For those who don’t know fast-fashion is extremely critical for the environment and very detrimental to those health who have to keep on demand for fast-fashion buyers and because they contribute to child labor sweat shops.
Most of the stores selling trendy, cool clothing that you may be buying from certain stores that would only get worn a couple times before they are thrown away is what is considered fast fashion.
But it is understandable because not every one can afford to purchase high end products all the time, that is why it is important to buy sustainable items that will be reused throughout the years, and with multiple styles because with these items they tend to last twice as long as those items you purchase from stores like: Urban Outfitters, Forever21, and SHEIN.
You don’t have to completely stop buying from these stores seeing as that would be impossible, but you should buy from then infrequently.
At the end of the day, no one is saying to not thrift, whether you can or can’t afford it, but the problem is reselling it to make a profit off it and overbuying at thrift stores leaving nothing behind for the ones that truly need it.
