by Isabella Bridges
“Minimalism (noun): a style or technique that is characterized by extreme spareness or simplicity.”
Merriam Webster Dictionary
American culture is deeply ingrained in consumerism. “We spent over $240 billion on luxury items such as jewelry, phones, watches, and luggage in one year,” according to the Atlantic. Their studies also report that the average American buys 66 garments of clothing per year; the amount has doubled in the past 15 years. Although the average square footage of American homes has also increased more than 20% in the last two decades, our amount of storage facilities have doubled (Semuels 1:56-2:21; 3:28). As we increase our consumption, we may be ignoring the psychological damages that rapid spending is influencing. If we spend more time on cleaning and upkeep, then we have less time to spend with our loved ones. When we use more of our space as storage, then we have less space for living. We waste our hard-earned resources on meaningless material, and then have less to invest in our health and our community. Practicing minimalism by reducing commerce consumption and letting go of items that no longer serve us can lead to an overall increase in quality of life.
While there are many logical reasons to contribute our hard-earned dollars to the economy, they are not always spent with intention. We are often very impulsive and irrational when it comes to spending money. Some sit in uncomfortable and overpriced clothes while using designer brand names to validate their desire for elite social status; others have inherited a generational fear of scarcity. There is a common theme found in the consumerist culture of Millennials and Gen Z: an addiction to the instant gratification of new and easily accessible items. However, this problem did not start with their generation.
It was nearly a century ago that Americans adopted this consumerist lifestyle. If we explore economic trends through the 1920’s to the 1940’s, we can gain a better understanding of how this lifestyle came to be. The 1920’s were often referred to as the Roaring Twenties; it was full of emerging jazz bands dressed in racoon coats. The economy was growing, and society was changing:
There is a rapid adoption of the automobile… The rapidly expanding electric utility networks led to new consumer appliances and new types of heating and lighting for homes and businesses. The introduction of the radio, radio stations, and commercial radio networks began to break up rural isolation, as did the expansion of local and long-distance telephone communications. Recreational activities such as traveling, going to movies, and professional sports became major businesses. The period saw major innovations in business organization and manufacturing technology. (Smiley 1)
This was a great period of growth. You may wonder how something as productive as a booming economy became an issue. Well, this rapid production may have been provoked by fear from the short depression of 1921-1922. The following year in 1923, employment rates recovered and so did overproduction. This remained fairly consistent throughout the decade until 1929 when America faced the longest economic plunge known as The Great Depression.
This economic plunge lasted well through the 1930s and into the early 1940s. Many Americans feared scarcity and began to hoard items to avoid running out of necessities during these hard times. We saw similar reactions of panic during the widespread distribution shortages caused by the COVID-19 virus, as seen when toilet paper and hand sanitizer was sold out at many stores across the nation. As such, hoarding is still common; but, in the 1930’s, this was driven by declining wealth, which increased fear. According to the Library of Congress, the New York stock exchange lost 50% of its value within the first 10 weeks of the Great Depression. “By 1932, one of every four workers [were] unemployed. Banks failed and life savings were lost, leaving Americans destitute” (LOC “Americans React to the Great Depression” par. 1). It wasn't until World War II that America’s economy started to improve.
Though it was hard to recover from the Great Depression, American wealth did begin to increase again. The Library of Congress records another turning point in American Economic history:
When Japan attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7th, 1941, the United States found itself in a war it had sought to avoid for more than two years. Mobilizing the economy for world war finally cured the depressed. Millions of men and women joined the armed forces, and even larger numbers went to work in well-paying defense jobs. (LOC “Great Depression and World War II” par. 4)
Though it was a dark time, things started to turn around for the working class. Meanwhile, in order to keep businesses afloat, many turned to the advertising method of propaganda. Propaganda has since misled many Americans into making choices that align with someone else’s values and not our own. Specifically, this propagandized form of advertising heightened consumerist trends in America, and implied buying products was the American way.
During the Roaring Twenties, when cast-iron skillets and Tupperware were being sold by door-to-door knocking, the social norm of consumerist aspirations were a lot more attainable. But, with the widespread use of radios, the working class were often being manipulated by advertisements to envy a higher social status. Hazel Kirk, a consumption economist argued that, “People would be encouraged to give up thrift and husbandry, to value goods over free time… a high standard of living must be dynamic, a progressive standard” (qtd. in Higgs par. 15). Some might assume this was a method of the past, but it’s still used in present day consumerism. People are looked down upon if they do not fit in by keeping up with the latest trends and designer brands.
With increased access to the internet and the ability to shop between millions of products with the touch of a single button, purchasing has become easier than ever. That does not mean the same for discarding unwanted items. In the Atlantic’s research study, we see that, “9 out of 10 people would never or rarely return unwanted purchases made online… By the 80's America made 2,530 tons of textile waste; by 2015 the number of tons increased to 16,030. (Semuels 2:42; 3:48). Not only should we be mindful to no longer make unnecessary purchases, we should also be aware of what we are holding onto and why. By reducing clutter and living within our means, we will allow for better overall mental health.
Decluttering has many positive effects, subsequently, clutter can have negative effects. Frost et al. in the University of New Mexico’s Journal of Environmental Psychology states that:
Clutter is defined in this paper as an overabundance of material possessions that collectively create disorderly and chaotic home environments. When the volume of possessions becomes excessive, cluttered spaces can interfere with people's ability to execute normal life activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and moving safely through the home. (qtd in Roster et al. 32-41)
Not only are there psychological effects of clutter, but there can also be safety concerns.
Prioritizing what you truly need and value and then letting go of the rest can be a large stress reliever. Acenda Health claims that letting go of physical baggage “improves psychological and emotional health by helping you achieve goals; focusing on what’s truly important to you, and giving you freedom from being overwhelmed.” Our vehicles, homes and other spaces that we spend most of our time at can be seen as an extension of ourselves. If our workspace is clean, we are able to lay out the projects that need attention without them getting buried by old mail and magazines. If our bedroom is tidy, we can relax in our sanctuary without the pile of excess clothes to be folded taking up space on our beds. If we limit our dishes to one single set of plates, bowls and silverware per person in the household, we have more time to spend preparing meals rather than doing stacks of dishes. Speaking from experience, it can also be a fun project to sort through old belongings. You can learn a lot about yourself while taking a trip down memory lane. It’s true that items can hold great sentimental value, but we cannot allow that to form an unhealthy attachment to material possessions.
The goal of minimalism is to only own items that add meaning and value to your life. However, the fear of scarcity doesn’t exist solely in referring to resources; fear of scarcity could also include scarcity of time and space. By donating unwanted or unused items in your household to local shelters, charities or thrift stores, you can help support those in need while creating more space for your own personal efficiency. A study by Utah State University used brain scanning technology to show that the reward area of brain activity increases when giving freely to charity (Svedin par. 10-11). Not only are you helping clear space for yourself, but you can help people in need by supplying them with affordable and accessible items.
Becoming a minimalist can happen gradually over time by prioritizing your most practical and meaningful items, then getting rid of the rest. It can also be a revolutionary act to vote with your dollars, much like Colonists boycotting British products during the American Revolution. By departing from the individualist values of a capitalist society, we can search inward to focus on our well-being and collectively support the well-being of others. To peacefully rebel against the machine of consumerism, we can each make individual choices towards minimalism and anti-materialism. We can simplify our lives one storage box at a time towards an ultimately calmer state of mind.
Works Cited
Acenda Health Organization “How A Minimalist Lifestyle Benefits Your Mental Health” Acenda Integrated Health, 2024, https://acendahealth.org/how-minimalist-lifestyle-benefits-your-mental-…. Accessed 1 Nov 2023.
Higgs, Kerryn. “A Brief History of Consumer Culture.” The MIT Press Reader, Curio and MIT P., 11 Jan 2021, https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-brief-history-of-consumer-culture/. Accessed 29 Oct 2023.
Roster, Catherine A. et al. “The Dark Side of Home: Assessing Possession ‘Clutter’ on Subjective Well-Being.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 46, June 2016. pp 32-41. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003
United States, Library of Congress, U.S. History Primary Source Timeline. “Americans React to The Great Depression.” Library of Congress, n.d. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-s…. Accessed 29 Oct 2023.
---. Great Depression and World War II, 1929 to 1945. Library of Congress, n.d. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-s…. Accessed 29 Oct 2023.
Semuels, Alana. “America’s Dopamine-Fueled Shopping Addiction.” YouTube, uploaded by The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qWHJ29-s4U. Accessed 19 Oct. 2023.
Smiley, Gene. “The U.S. Economy in the 1920s.” Economic History Association, 29 Jun. 2004, https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-u-s-economy-in-the-1920s/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
Svedin, Patrick. “Does Giving Make You Happier? Or Do Happier People Give?” Utah State University. Discovery, fall Ed., 2017, https://www.usu.edu/science/discovery/fall-2017/does-giving-make-you-ha…. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.