A Thrifty Mindset
- luanniewang
- May 9
- 2 min read
Thrifting is one of the most effective ways to practice slow fashion. With the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes being poured into landfill every second, and the fashion industry's emissions being projected to increase by 50% by 2030, fighting against fast fashion is more important than ever. Unfortunately, many people still avoid thrifting due to certain stigmas and myths, so today, I would like to bust some thrifting myths!
1: Thrifting is dirty
Pretty much all second-hand stores I have heard of are very good about sanitizing all their donations. When you're trying on clothes in-person at a retail store, it's likely that many people have tried it on before you. The clothes at the thrift aren't really that much dirtier, and the majority of them belonged to normal people, who have no reason to be any less sanitary than you or I.
2: The clothing there is bad quality or has defects
People have many reasons to donate their clothes, not just bad quality. Maybe someone donated their pants they no longer fit into, or someone changed their style and no longer have use for a certain top. Also, just feeling the piece of clothing will help you gauge the quality of it before you buy. Furthermore, while there are no promises that the clothes at the thrift will be in perfect condition, a small rip or loose seam is often no biggie, and easily fixed. Anyways, you're often already getting the clothes for a highly discounted price compared to the original.
3: Thrifting takes too long
Thrift stores are usually quite organized, and how is looking through the bins at the thrift different from digging through a messy clearance rack at a T.J. Maxx?
4: Thrifting is only for clothes
Wrong! Many stores also have a wide variety of bags, shoes, and other accessories. There are also second-hand stores for things like music records, books, toys, etc.
5: Thrifting is for people who can't afford better
Does spending more money on new clothes and microtrends you're going to wear once and then never again make you feel better than the people who choose to thrift to save money while being eco-friendly?
6: You can only find outdated clothes
This could definitely be true, but notice how many past trends are resurfacing. For example, Hollister is selling tops that imitate their designs from the 2000s, but at the thrift, you're likely to find one of the ACTUAL authentic tops from that era!
If you're an avid thrifter, I hope you agree with my take on things, and if you haven't gone thrifting before due to some of these myths (or if you just haven't gotten the chance), I hope I can convince you! It's all the pleasure of shopping with the bonus of saving the planet.
