I do not put much stock in astrology, but I am a Pisces and I have always felt happiest near the water. Be it a pool, a lake, or the ocean, the water brings me joy, calm, and rejuvenation. Maybe it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy—I was born a Pisces so I identify with the sea. Though it is probably due to the fact that my mom loves to sunbathe, so I spent the majority of my childhood summers at the pool, lake, or beach. No matter how cold the water was, I was always the first to dive in, wearing that fact like a badge of honor and ingraining it in my personality. To this day, I still don’t think there’s any adrenaline rush like emerging from the frigid Atlantic Ocean on an early summer day. I am a thalassophile through and through.
In the interest of keeping this blog light, pretty, and romantic, this next section will be brief. I was horrified when I learned that there is a giant pile of trash in the ocean, roughly twice the size of Texas. You know that feeling you get when you’re floating lazily in the water, feeling the rays of sunshine warm your face, and your hand touches a plastic bag or band-aid: complete and utter ickiness? Learning about this garbage heap struck me deep to my core. In researching this further, I went down the rabbit hole learning about microplastics, and how these non-biodegradable materials in the Great Pacific garbage patch break down and leech into our water supply, which then, through the Circle of Life, creeps into plants, wildlife, and eventually us. Let’s just say I went from being apathetic about environmental issues to an emphatic plastic hater.
This is how I became a Material Snob. Every now and again there would be a media piece on the perils of fast fashion. I vaguely understood the wrongs: manufacturing byproducts, worker exploitation, and other issues that seemed lightyears away from my privileged American life. But GIRL, then I learned that the CLOTHES are made of PLASTIC! The same plastic that is RUINING my ocean, my vegetables, my seafood, and maybe even my body! ICK!!!
So, what is there to do?! Listen, I am no expert, but I’ve landed on three things. First, we do not immediately purge our closets and homes of all things plastic. Throwing these items away is the equivalent of chucking them onto the ocean trash heap. We use them until the end of their lives before discarding. Second, when it comes to washing plastics (e.g. kitchen containers, yoga pants), we use cold water. Warm water causes the microplastics to shed, while cold water reduces microplastic pollution. Third, moving forward, we only buy clothes, home décor, etc. made of natural materials (or we buy vintage / secondhand). This body is a temple which shall henceforth only be adorned in nature’s finest: cotton, linen, hemp, cashmere, wool, silk, leather, and occasionally, Tencel/Lyocell. Natural is the new luxe, baby.
Shopping for quality is my new ethos. My whole fantasy is escaping to the countryside, spending more time outside, and relishing in the simple life. Wearing outfits made of natural materials, like furnishing a home with carved-wood pieces, celebrates the beauty of the pastoral and elicits harmony between us and the Earth. I’m not trying to be all “woo woo” but really, there’s a peace that comes from alignment with nature, and that encompasses everything from where we live to what we wear. Until I can sit on my cottage patio, drinking coffee and watching the waves crash on the beach, I will be looking for ways to bring the outside in, from my dress to my dresser.