Thrifting As a Lifestyle

Over the years, I have really come to enjoy thrifting. But it hasn’t always been that way. My thrifting adventures started at about age 12 or 13, when my parents decided that they weren’t going to pay for full-priced clothing for us kids. Prior to thrift stores, it was hand-me-downs from cousins and neighborhood friends. This was all part of the pastor's kid (PK) experience, and it typically served as a source of embarrassment for me. Second-hand clothes??? You've got to be kidding me. Why couldn't I shop at popular clothing stores like the normal kids? Well, it's because I wasn’t normal. I was a PK. And with these facts working against me, it's easy to understand why I played the role of a stereotypical nerd during the prime of my adolescence—which negatively contributed to my “coolness factor” in a cruel and unusual way.

Thankfully, my style took a turn for the better towards the end of my high school career, as I discovered the combination of makeup and contacts and began to understand that pleated skirts and polo shirts would not define me forever. In the years since high school, I have cultivated a passion for fashion and use my wardrobe as a creative outlet for expressing myself in a way that the pink-lensed glasses I wore until the eleventh grade never could do. The funny thing is that the thrift store mentality that was instilled in me as a child never really disappeared. In fact, it is now something that I claim with pride. Every time I open my overstuffed closet to admire my collection, I marvel at the fact that at least 75% of what I own is second-hand. I’m proud of that fact.

To me, thrifting represent a lifestyle: unique, adventurous, and socially and economically responsible. These days, shopping at a typical retail clothing store is rather boring for me. It's difficult to be unique when 3,497 people bought the same shirt you just purchased from a retail chain. Why not buy a vintage sweater that no one else you know or might ever come in contact with will own? When someone admires your outfit and asks where you bought your sweater, you can tell them you found it at a thrift store one sunny afternoon in April, and that you're sorry, but there weren't any more in stock.

Thrift stores are like a treasure hunt: You walk into a building with a giant collection of potential, never knowing what you'll find. And then you spot an amazing polyester blouse sandwiched between an XXL YMCA 2007 camp t-shirt and a red knitted sweater with shoulder pads and a giant bow embroidered on the front. This just so happens to be the very sweater you discovered when you were rummaging through your mother's closet two years ago in search of the perfect 80s outfit. But I digress… You spot that polyester gem and try it on for size. Turns out it fits you perfectly. Game over: You just won the treasure hunt. When you have to work for something–searching through racks of clothing that are less organized than your teenage brother's room (or in my case, my 18-year old sister's)—it makes the find so much more rewarding.

Another incentive for me to thrift instead of shop retail is the price differential. Most people will spend $30 on a new t-shirt or $60 for a new pair of jeans. I spend $30 on two pairs of pants, three skirts, five shirts, and a couple pairs of shoes. I’m not a math person, but here’s an equation that I’m fond of: cheaper clothes = more selection in my closet + more money in my bank account. Am I attempting to justify my love of fashion consumption? Absolutely. I’m not encouraging unbridled shopping sprees, but I rarely feel guilty about my thrifting expenditures. I like to call it economically responsible consumption.

Last, but certainly not least on my list of reasons to advocate for second-hand shopping, is the issue of ethics. Stores like Wal-Mart, Forever 21, and Old Navy can sell $5 shirts for a reason—and it’s not a pretty one. It’s no secret that many of the workers making the clothes that we wear are exploited. Low wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions. In fact, some even lose their lives as a result of unregulated safety standards. This is not something that I want to support in any way. There are tons of clothing companies that are taking significant steps to be socially and environmentally responsible, and these are the companies that I want to support. For a list of such companies, or to learn more about the stores where you shop, you can find reports such as Behind the Bar Code, which assesses over 100 fashion brands and provides a guide for ethical shopping.

We leverage a significant amount of power as consumers—power that can be use as a source for good. Wherever you are on your journey as a consumer, I would encourage you to think about how you can leverage your power. My family still shops at thrift stores. In fact, it’s one of our favorite family activities. But, I’m not embarrassed anymore. I love it, and I hope that maybe you will too one day. So, happy thrifting, friends!

Skirt, boots, and jewelry are from thrift stores and flea markets.