Is turning off our phones the best way to buy less clothes?

If we've had a conversation in the last couple of weeks, and whether you asked or not, I will have told you that I switched my phone off for 2 weeks over Christmas. I also felt compelled to tell the internet, as is always the way with us gloating digital detoxers. Before you decide to proverbially boop me off the phone-free tranquillity mountain, please know that it’s very likely that my average screen-time is much, much higher than yours, which is less than ideal in the wake of a tech billionaire oligarchy.

Social media is consumerism's co-pilot. The day the worst boss I’ve ever had approved Instagram Shop was another of his catastrophic moves, and now with TikTok shop and Amazon storefronts, Big Fashion is faster than ever, making it harder for sustainable brands to survive, conditioning citizens to think that the immediacy of exploitatively made “stuff” is what we deserve.

During my extended break, my phone was completely off, meaning I could no longer gawp at gorgeous gals ripping off tags with gusto in their Outfit Of The Day videos, nor could I reach for the secondhand apps that usually occupy the Instagram shaped hole in my social media-free weekends. Instead, I was bored! And I had to find new (old) means of entertainment.

I organised my wardrobe, I sewed moth holes, I repaired loose threads, I steamed my shirts, I even divided my underwear and socks into containers in my drawers (I’m a Virgo Sun and Virgo Rising). I continued to re-wear all of my favourite clothes, but without the underlying “I wish I had X pair of shoes that I just saw on X fashion influencer, they would work so much better with this outfit” that I have when I’m chronically online.

Advancement in AI and algorithms mean that our favourite secondhand app feeds are more attractive than ever. Preloved and vintage is my jam, but I firmly believe that the only clothes we should buy are the ones that make our heart SING, irrespective of how old they are. For this reason, I very rarely buy clothes, but I still spend hours on preloved clothing apps and rarely skip an influencer PR unboxing video. There’s a tiny argument that I could call this “work”, but mostly it's procrastination, distraction and escapism. On a deeper level, it’s no coincidence that I spend more time online when my self-esteem is low. “If I had that dress, maybe I would look like her? Maybe I’d have her life?”

Perhaps one of your New Year intentions is to buy fewer clothes, excellent! A great way to start is to unsubscribe from fashion newsletters and delete their apps, you could also switch out the fashion influencers on your feeds for fashion justice organisations. From there, you might want to set aside a weekend to try going offline, or even a complete phone switch-off to help you notice how you feel without the distractions of the internet. Do you feel differently about the clothes you already own when you don’t have videos and articles about the newest trends whirling around your head?

Please do let me know how you get on, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Time for my weekend #Offline48, do join me if it appeals and its accessible to you. Until next week, please take good care of yourself and each other.

With love and rage,
Venetia