WK6 Material Culture: Everyday Life

 I always believed that I am a reckless and superficial consumer, however, after thinking about the thing that I frequently buy, I realized that there always are more than a few reasons why I chose a particular product.

 The first, and most important thing that can always be found in my fridge is Coconut & Almond milk. One would assume that I am vegan or climate change activist or something noble like that, but that is not exactly the case. Although I do care about the environment, I actually consume this type of milk purely because consuming dairy products causes me to get pretty bad acne. I chose Coconut & Almond milk in particular, because this is the only type of non-dairy milk that tastes nice. I suppose that my choice actually proves that I am actually selfish (although I am aware that consumption of oat milk is even more environmentally friendly, I still chose coconut and almond milk just because it is delicious). 

 The next thing that I regularly buy is matcha powder. One of the reasons why I started buying matcha powder is actually really stupid. I saw a lot of instagram influencers (they are called influencers for a reason) posting pictures drinking it. It looked nice and “healthy” and it was certainly something “new” for me. In the Western culture it is considered “exotic” and “trendy” but matcha is actually a traditional Chinese and Japanese type of tea. Although I do not support this perception of Asian traditional food/drink as something “exotic” or “oriental” (there’s nothing inherently exotic about it), it did not stop me from buying matcha. The drink itself is not bad at all, I ended up liking it. Matcha is a much healthier alternative to coffee, filled with antioxidants, catechins, and it is also beneficial to one's skin (especially skin with acne). Matcha doesn’t increase my stress level the way coffee does, and I will probably keep on consuming it. I am not sure what this says about me apart from the fact that I’m obsessed with my skin condition and easily influenced by social media.

 The third and final thing is sunscreen. On the surface it may seem that I buy this product for sunburn protection or as preventive measure for skin cancer. But the fact is that I have an obsessive fear of getting old. I believe that this fear comes from my belief that I’m not particularly attractive and that with age I can only be uglier. All of this proves that I am obviously, subconsciously, trying to be a “female” in this society. When you get to the bottom of it, I guess that I believe that all of these products will make me prettier or more desirable to the society, thus improving my self esteem. Although I go around believing that I am a open-minded, independent, free-spirited feminist, I am actually a prisoner to this male-dominated society, and many of my life choices are governed by it. 

 Laura Oswald once said “Consumers shop for meaning, not stuff” and I couldn’t agree more. Not only do we buy meaning, we also buy experience. About a week ago I purchased a candle. During this pandemic I spend most of my time in my room so I figured that buying scented candles is a good idea since it makes the room look and smell nicer. When it comes to this particular candle it’s quality and smell is not what I bought. I bought the experience of a “Japanese ritual”(this is actually the name of the candle). I’ve always been sentimental about everything associated with Japan and China ( I just want to note that I am not ignorant of the fact that these are two different countries (and cultures), and of the complexity of the relationship between the two, they are connected in my mind for a few reasons but I’m not going to go into detail since it is not as important for me to make a point about consumerism). I trained karate when I was a child and met a lot of great kids there that I'm still friends with, me and my brother would bond through watching anime in Japanese, I enjoyed learning about Japanese tradition, I used to study Chinese in high school and had an amazing and inspiring teacher and I even visited China, where I met one of my best friends, so you get the point. Anything "Japanese" or "Chinese" themed to me means "happiness" and "good time". The box of the candle is made of metal, the colour is a beautiful mat black with golden letters and a flower design that reminded me of kimonos that geishas would wear. I was so mesmerized by the packaging that I didn't even smell the candle. I just believed that I am literally bringing the experience of visiting a Japanese onsen to my home. I couldn’t wait to light the candle and enjoy the bliss I was sure it would bring me. Unfortunately, as soon as I lit it, I was disappointed because it was not scented at all. So, umm, yeah don’t judge a candle by it’s packaging I guess. 

 In the past I was convinced that shopping is a sinless and insignificant act, at one point in my life I even considered it a hobby. It used to give me an instant gratification and I was able to be satisfied with my life for 2 hours. Now I realize how damaging it can be not only to my mental health, but also the environment. There is a larger narrative to every product I buy whether I'm aware of it or not, and I suppose that nothing is as "innocent". Sometimes I feel that my choices are not controlled by ME, but rather by the products, brands, companies, capitalism. But, as Slavoj Žižek says "It is easier to imagine an end of the world than an end of capitalism".