I have been thinking. What if we didn’t impose a “cut-off” date for new dieters to join TGAAD? What would happen? My original thought was to close entry on Feb. 1st. What’s the point? I wondered. Giving up shopping for apparel for seven months or less is hardly a sacrifice. Well, that thread of logic was from last September when I was just hatching this thing up and had no idea where it would go. But now that I’m waist deep into the diet and we are 95 women strong, from six countires I am wondering….what is the point? I think the point is to inspire thoughtful shopping where there used to be frenzy. To encourage conscious consumption over mindless glottony. I think we’ve done that. And so why not encourage and influence women around the globe as we continue? Let’s open our minds and invite people to join us no matter where they are on the commitment calendar. I propose that we open the diet and if women decide to give up shoppping for apparel on Feb. 1st or August 21st it doesn’t matter, as long as we touch a nerve and encourage a new way of thinking about consuming and relating to apparel. I would love to hear your thoughts.
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My vote is yes. Open it up. If the objective is to explore thoughtful shopping and within a personal diet of a year then what’s the harm. Open the doors and see what each participant learns about themself and what we potentially continue to learn from each other.
I think that’s a great idea… allow other women to share in the experiment and the experience for however long they have.
How do you all feel about second hand clothes? My daughter got me started on seriously looking in second hand/vintage clothing stores about five years ago, and I find that now, except for underwear and night wear, I really resent having to pay “full price”. Plus, in second hand shops, there is no uniformity of clothing. You’ll find colors that aren’t “in” but are great for you. I often find things that seem like they were never worn; some women shop a lot, then decide they don’t like what they bought, I guess.
I’m sure it helps that I felt like I had enough clothes, I wasn’t desperate, so I only buy something that fits very well, is comfortable, goes with everything, is easy-care, etc. Then I come home and look through my closet for the same type of garment, (say if I bought slacks, I try to find one or two pair) that I wasn’t really wearing, or are worn out, and give/throw them away. The result is I have a wardrobe now that has fewer items but is much more “me”.
One real advantage to this habit is that I get to avoid the sterile, snotty atmosphere of the department stores. Plus the hassle of trying to shop in seventeen different areas, each one filled by a certain designer. I tend to pop into a store on my way home from somewhere, check it out, and if I find something, try it on. It might be a five or twenty minute process, once every week or two.
I just joined the diet, and even though I know the original diet is scheduled to end September 2010, I plan to stick to mine for a full year — which in my case would end January 31 2011.
I think this is an important project! I’ve been thinking about the issues around clothing…how much of it there is on this planet and our attitudes towards it… and I’ve been trying to work through a lot of the questions that have been raised for me (exactly how many blouses/pairs of jeans/sweaters etc. does one person really need? we used to mend clothes, now many of just throw damaged clothing away…how long can we sustain that kind of lifestyle?)
I hesitate to raise these issues with other people. I don’t want to sound preachy or weird, and chances are I’d sound one or the other or both!
I’ve been looking for a way to explore those and other related questions. I couldn’t believe when I found this forum! I think a full year is going to be awfully hard, but I think it’s going to be exciting too. a real chance to explore the meaning clothes have in my life …
I love the idea of opening it up. I do think it might be nice to express in the guidelines a “recommended minimum commitment” of, oh, nine months or something like that. It lends credibility to the effort. But, I’m not sure if you intend to keep the site available after your year is up. I joined late myself and am fulfilling a yearlong commitment.