In episode 276, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Dion Terrelonge, a chartered psychologist, to the show. A researcher and stylist, Dion’s work explores the connection between clothes and human expression.
“We live so much of our lives in clothing and we experience the highest points and the lowest points of our lives often in clothing. So, I really do think the stories and the relationships are there, but what has happened, I believe, is with fast fashion and online shopping, is because there is so much clothing being pumped out, this endless conveyor belt of clothes, that we don’t really have as much time to build relationships with our clothing.” -Dion
When you think about shopping, what feelings come up for you?
One emotion that tends to surface for a lot of us is HAPPINESS. We have come to a place where we often align the act of shopping with a state of happiness.
I mean, I can definitely understand the alignment between shopping and emotions. As Dion reminds us, there have been a lot of narratives that have reinforced this – statements like *retail therapy* or thinking of shopping as a fun form of entertainment.
I can point to many instances in my past where buying something was absolutely connected to wanting to make myself feel better, to wanting to find joy through the act of buying something.
But this alignment so many of us have – that shopping = happiness – is problematic in so many ways and in the end, isn’t accurate.
Dion, a chartered psychologist, sheds light on the arc of happiness or self determination theory. She reminds us that while some of the elements that intersect with shopping may bring us happiness, the act of buying stuff isn’t it.
Maybe the time you spend with friends while shopping makes you happy. Maybe putting on a garment that was handed over to you from your mom makes you happy. Maybe owning and embracing your personal style makes you happy. But buying another item isn’t it.
Throughout our conversation, Dion also helps contextualize a lot about our shopping behaviors, especially when it comes to the speed of today’s buying culture, so we can find ways to become more consciously engaged in our own lives.
Quotes & links from the conversation:
“Tackling fast fashion must be our next global battle” in Big Issue; article Dion was featured in
“This is what actually happens to your brain when you shop online” in Stylist; article Dion was featured in
Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman, book that Dion mentions
Dion’s reel about the Peak-End Rule
“We’re just really living in an era of living beyond our means.” (45:25)
Additional pieces Dion has contributed to:
‘We live our lives in clothes’ | The British Psychological Society
Red Or White? How My Wedding Dress Choice Is Affecting My Thoughts On Identity | British Vogue
How fashion’s erratic sizing is fuelling a clothing waste crisis | Dazed
What happens to our brains when we shop online? | stylist.co.uk
What Does Your Jewelry Say About You? | PORTER
How to talk to your friends about sustainable fashion | HURR
Follow Dion on Instagram >
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S04 Episode 199 | BRIGHTLY, USING TECH FOR SOCIAL GOOD + BUILDING A VALUES-DRIVEN COMMUNITY AROUND CHANGE
S04 Episode 198 | VIN+OMI ON RESISTING THE TRADITIONAL FASHION SYSTEM + DOING YOUR OWN THING TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
S04 Episode 197 | BUILDING RESILIENT, EFFICIENT + SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS AMIDST AND BEYOND COVID-19
S04 Episode 196 | MATE THE LABEL, DRESS CLEAN + FASHION'S IMPACT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH
S04 Episode 195 | YATAY SNEAKERS + BIO-BASED VEGAN ALTERNATIVES TO LEATHER
S04 Episode 194 | SHAHIDHA BARI, A PHILOSOPHY OF CLOTHES + HOW SOCIAL DISTANCING IS TRANSFORMING FASHION
S04 Episode 193 | OUTLAND, THE MEGHAN MARKLE EFFECT + DENIM TO END POVERTY
S04 Episode 192 | BY HUMANKIND + REDUCING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WASTE IN OUR PERSONAL CARE ROUTINES
S04 Episode 191 | EVERLANE ON RADICAL TRANSPARENCY AND GETTING VOCAL ABOUT THEIR SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
S04 Episode 190 | CLADWELL, DISCOVERING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE + WEARING WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN
S04 Episode 189 | GREEN HEFFA FARMS, HEMP + REPRESENTATION IN FARMING
S04 Episode 188 | G-STAR RAW ON CIRCULARITY + THEIR 100% RECYCLABLE DENIM ICONS
S04 Episode 187 | DANA THOMAS + FASHIONOPOLIS: THE PRICE OF FAST FASHION AND THE FUTURE OF CLOTHES
S04 Episode 186 | OLIVIA LOPEZ OF LUST FOR LIFE ON VINTAGE, INFLUENCE + EXPERIENCE OVER THINGS
S04 Episode 185 | PANGAIA, FLWRDWN™ + BRINGING SCIENCE, TECH + DESIGN TOGETHER
S04 Episode 184 | THE ENDERY, DEADSTOCK ALPACA + BUILDING SYSTEMS AROUND LEFTOVERS
Episode 183 | SVN SPACE + HOW THE HEMP PLANT CAN FEED, HOUSE, CLOTHE AND HEAL YOU
S04 Episode 182 | UNITED BY BLUE ON REMOVING 2 MILLION LBS OF TRASH, USING SALVAGED BISON FIBER + QUITTING SINGLE USE PLASTIC
S04 Episode 181 | ELIZABETH CLINE + THE CONSCIOUS CLOSET
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