Breaking free from the consumerist culture to fill our inner voids (interview with whitney bauck of fashionista)
Whitney Bauck (@unwrinkling) is the Associate Editor at Fashionista and an expert on sustainable and ethical fashion with bylines in New York Times, Washington Post, and other notable publications.
This is Whitney's second appearance on Green Dreamer podcast (listen to our first interview with her on episode 129!), and it's quite a special episode, because as our host, Kamea Chayne, was conducting the interview, she was actually being filmed for a documentary series called ‘REWIND NATURE’: a series that springs from our desire to roll back time to when the Earth was cleaner, cooler, and wilder.
In this podcast episode, Whitney sheds light on what fast fashion is and how it came to be; how social media has influenced our levels of consumption; how our consumerist culture relates to our collective mental health; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Whitney and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
“Increasingly, with the way that we consume goods and social media, we’re pushing out any sort of time to be meditative, reflective, or fully present. That absolutely impacts how we consume.”
If you feel inspired by this episode, please consider donating a gift of support of any amount today!
This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On being intentional about our fashion choices:
"I think there are positive things about fashion being more than just meeting a basic need. There are beautiful ways you can use fashion to tell stories, communicate heritage, and pass on tradition.
I don't think that all fashion is bad or all uses of clothing that aren't just utilitarian are bad. But we have to be very careful about what we let our intentions become when we're getting dressed, when we're shopping, and when we're making clothes."
On how our inner voids have contributed to overconsumption:
"Increasingly, with the way that we consume goods and social media, we're pushing out any sort of time to be meditative, reflective, or fully present. That absolutely impacts how we consume.
We're not giving ourselves space to be fulfilled, and we're so distracted that we'll take any bit of joy or pleasure wherever it comes from, even if the ultimate result of that—like shopping fast fashion—isn't great."
Final words of wisdom:
“Find a way to integrate your thoughts about the way that you treat people and the environment into your work.
There are some of us who have made it our careers, and there are a lot of other people that may not know how they're a part of [these movements]. I would say, though, that there probably is a way [to make a difference].
Look for [ways to make positive changes] in your own workplace, and see if you can find ways to advocate for that there.
That's where you spend the majority of your time, so if you can give more time—even in the context of the work that you already do—to make the planet a better place, we're all better for it.”
