Our Real Thoughts on Marie Kondo and her Netflix Series
Of course, we love Marie Kondo and the KonMarie method of only keeping stuff that sparks joy. That is the foundation of minimalism and we inherently knew this feeling of satisfaction, long before Marie Kondo named it and wrote the book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, back in 2014. It is life changing- we truly believe that taking control of your stuff and space is what frees you up to go on and live your best, most productive life. If we didn’t believe this, we wouldn’t be writing this blog for you right now! Or freaking out with excitement each time we get to help you get your stuff and space in order. We truly love it!!
However, the release of Marie Kondo’s Netflix series is something that has had us hung up.
In the show, Marie helps families get out from underneath the current clutter in their homes, which ends up in hundreds of plastic garbage bags most certainly destined for the landfills as most consignment and donation shops are now overrun with stuff. We are caught up between feeling the same joy for the families who have worked so hard to get to a cleaner less cluttered space. This is our dream for everyone but we can’t help be a bit critical of the fact that there is no consideration on the front end of how all of this stuff accumulated in their home to begin with. Without considering how the stuff got there in the first place, these families have no tools to avoid continuing to consume and will certainly fall back into the cycle of bringing clutter into their home once Marie and the cameras are gone.
Second, there is no mention of the R’s and how to properly reuse or recycle. Our second hand stuff industry is a great first step but they cannot keep up with the supply. As consumers, even those who exclusively shop second hand, we can’t keep up with the amount of stuff to consume. After the US market hasn’t purchased second hand items, it gets shipped aboard to countries where they might want our second hand stuff but they certainly can’t keep up with it either. There is too much stuff in circulation both second and first hand that the planet simply doesn’t want or need it. And all of that leftover ends up in landfills or the oceans. Also, in some countries there is so much second hand that it ends up hurting their local garment economies. Local tailors/ seamstresses are being put out of business since its easier and cheaper for their clients to buy cheap, used American items than buying from someone local.
The countless plastic trash bags sitting at the bottom of the stairs or on the curb at the families homes, while signifying a huge accomplishment for those who struggled to part ways with so much are so detrimental to the Ecosystem down stream that it is hard to celebrate with Marie and her families.
This is emotional for us. We are all in this together and when we see such extremes habits of consumerism and then lack of concern for where all the stuff goes when they are done with it our heart hurts. We are so emotional in fact that we have enlisted some friends to help us articulate the issues at the root of American consumerism.
Grist | Marie Kondo and the life changing magic of just buying less
Re/Make | The Dark Side of Downsizing
Have you been following the Marie Kondo movement? We would love to know what you think. Share in the comments or shoot us an email!
Grace has never been into the status quo, and loves to think outside of the bag. She has a passion for ethical and earth friendly apparel and accessories. And is inspired by minimal living and the organization necessary for living joyfully with less.
