One of the Thrifty Chicks tenets is to put an end to this silly, spoiled, wasteful notion that if it’s not NEW it’s EWW! I have to wonder if we are the only country in this world to have such a spoiled, wasteful idea of what is acceptable to wear.
I live in Colorado. During this 2008 election, Colorado US Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave ran a TV commercial portraying her life’s obstacles. One obstacle was “secondhand clothes.” I’m not kidding! This raised my hackles!
My husband, the youngest of five boys wore them. Even as an only child, I wore them when given. My youngest daughter happily accepts them from her older sister. She loves them because she loves her sister and wants to be like her. I've given baby clothes to my friends and delight seeing these tender dresses resurrected on the sweet little bodies of my friends children.
This is the exact kind of simple-minded thinking we must change. We can no longer aspire to be so wasteful and ungrateful. Even though I am not in her district, I would not cast a pity vote for Congresswoman Musgrave because she wore second hand clothes as a child. In many ways, I had a very similar childhood to hers, and I don’t think that makes me qualified to be a US Congresswoman. I find her commercial to be an insult of monumental proportion.
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As my parents handed down clothing, a permanent marker "dot" was added to the clothing label, enabling the item to be better sorted by child. Of course, I got the most dots. Perhaps this is where I (in particular) became indoctrinated to the widespread male attribute of wearing underwear until it was a thread. The rest of my male counterparts have apparently gained this skill independently. I love being ahead of the curve.
Here here. As the youngest of seven I obviously wore a lot of hand-me-downs which I treasured because, like your daughter, I idolized my older siblings (and coveted some of their clothes!). My mom would take us to St. Vincent de Paul and basically let us get whatever we wanted because it was so cheap. EMILY's List endorsed Betsy Markey, Musgrave's challenger, very early, and Betsy's campaign manager is a former colleague -- so I've been watching this race in a professional capacity for months. Now the personal has become political! It's time for Musgrave to go.
I had many, many handed down dresses from my older sister. One outfit I thought was particularly sleek consisted of two sheath dresses and a matching duster. One sheath (black and white) had irregular leopard spots, and the other was solid black. The duster was black and the lining matched the black and white dress. I was in high school when I got this one. I also got one that was a white, sleeveless dress with a fitted bodice and a full, flowing skirt. My grandmother was a very good seamstress, so these dresses were altered to fit me precisely.
I noted, with some pleasure, that Congresswoman Musgrave got thumped on Tuesday.
Jim
I love reading your blog. Goodwill says thanks for all the work you do to promote the great fashion finds that second-hand clothing has to offer!
Michelle, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England
I hear ya! Most of my shoes are used eBay purchases and I couldn't be happier. The main reason: I like vintage and the older stuff is so much better made.
I was the oldest in my family and happily wore hand me downs. New clothes, even hand me downs are an adventure and fun. When I lost everything I owned except for one dress to a thief, I was happy for hand me downs and grateful to the givers.
Huh.... Guess you didn't vote for her aye!?!? LOL!!!!! Ahhhhh....
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