Overconsumption: A Look Into The Closets of Jenks Highschoolers
By: Abby Kornele
Fashion trends are something that cycle through over and over no matter the time period. Even in the 1800’s there were certain gowns and waistcoats that were trending and if you weren't wearing them you weren't “it”. Because of these cycles, people end up with things in their closets that they haven’t touched in years. Nowadays, trends are cycling through even quicker so it makes it 10x harder to get rid of things you don’t wear anymore. What if those chunky white shoes come back in style in a couple years?
The trends we see with fashion have led to many people “hoarding” their clothes and keeping things despite their lack of usage. I consider this an example of overconsumption. The official definition of overconsumption is “the action or act of consuming something to excess”. I know that I am someone who definitely has things I never wear so I was curious how many people in my life were the same way. Because of this curiosity I had, I reached out to some people I know and asked if I could take pictures of their closets!
Inside of Sophie Davis’ closet, a senior at Jenks High School. Pictured is her hoodie/sweatshirt collection, the shelves above hold loungewear, joggers, shorts/skirts, and accessories.
Davis’ shoe collection. Despite having over 20 pairs of shoes she finds she rotates through the same couple of pairs on the daily. Spotted within this collection are a pair of smiley face slippers, a prime example of shoes that were “popular” at one point but don’t see the light of day anymore.
Here is her collection of tank tops and workout shirts. Because of dancing she wears these quite frequently but she still has some that she favors and grabs for way more often. This is a great example of overconsumption because she has numerous colors of things that are the same style which isn’t necessary.
Here is my own closet. There are over 10 pairs of shoes in here that I can’t recall the last time I put them on my feet. After seeing this picture I realized if I got rid of a couple pairs I would both be benefiting someone else as they would get more use out of them and my shoe shelf would look less cluttered and more organized.
Here is the closet of Christopher Rumley, a junior at Jenks High School. Pictured is a pile of clothes that he doesn’t wear anymore that he’s been meaning to donate. He did claim that he is usually pretty good at donating his clothes when he notices he isn’t wearing them as much anymore, or if he’s grown out of them.
At the top of his shelves are his shoes that don’t get as much use, if they get any at all. Some pairs are worn for specific occasions such as a nice dinner.
After looking at various closets I came to the conclusion that no one is perfect at donating all of their clothes and only keeping their “essentials”. It can be extremely hard to not create reasons why you need to keep different pieces. I am now extremely inspired to go through my own closet and get rid of things I don’t wear anymore and I encourage others to do the same! I think after taking pictures of my friends’ closets, both Davis and Rumley are more aware of the amount of clothes they aren’t using. Check out Sadie Howell’s story this month covering a similar topic regarding what students are wearing here at Jenks High School!
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