It can be difficult to find fashionable, current and affordable clothes in today’s economy— especially with social media usage growing rampantly, wanna-be influencers portraying lavish lifestyles and fancy outings that feature countless luxury items.

It can be difficult for people to not feel left out if they aren’t also having those experiences.

The reality is, most people overhype their life on social media and post the highlights of their life and nothing else. They often splurge on things they don’t need such as, fancy cars, expensive jewelry and lavish decor, just so that they can show off.

This sort of mindset also tends to follow people into the real world, causing them to feel that they not only have to follow trends on the internet, but also in real life.

This mindset also causes many young people, especially Generation Z, to feel an immense amount of pressure when it comes to how they present themselves and what they wear. The amount of money that people spend under the mindset of wanting to fit in and the culture of overconsumption causes a lot of mental, environmental and social consequences, which is why buying second-hand clothes is a far better option for people nowadays.

Buying second-hand clothes is not only usually a better financial option for people, but it also saves on resources while providing an outlet for others to share their previously beloved outfits with others instead of throwing them away. The idea of wearing something that someone else wore can be off-putting to others, especially since they don’t know where those articles of clothing have come from.

However, most second-hand stores have specific standards as to what articles of clothing they are willing to resell, and only accept donations of an acceptable quality (i.e. no huge stains, rips or bad odors). Furthermore, there are many popular clothing brands that are donated to second-hand stores with their price heavily marked down strictly because they had a previous owner.

These clothes can often be very high-quality while being a fraction of the price of it brand-new. To most people, it won’t even be noticeable that clothing was bought second-hand unless it’s pointed out. Buying clothing second-hand allows for people to live luxuriously on a budget while also recycling old clothes.

Buying clothes this way is also much more beneficial to the environment. Fast fashion produces a lot of waste when items are often worn once or a few times and then discarded. Of all textiles, 85% end up in dumps each year. If the byproducts of fast fashion aren’t sold second hand, it only increases the amount of waste in the environment.

If more people bought clothes from second-hand stores and donated their own clothes rather than buying brand new, expensive clothes that will eventually be tossed, then there will not only be less waste, but there will be fewer resources being used to create new clothing as well.

There’s almost no feeling that compares to donating items and helping out others. People who take time out of their day to donate or give away items instead of throwing them away show lower rates of stress and higher rates of happiness, according to Anna Jones, a senior public relations specialist  at the University of Alabama.

To make it even better, donations can be recorded on tax forms to receive some money back from the government for giving back to the community. Due to these factors, it seems obvious why someone would rather shop for thrifted, second-hand or cheaper clothes instead of fast fashion.

While the stigma surrounding buying from thrift stores can be enough for some to not want to do it, there’s no denying the many benefits to thrifting because most people tend to be happier when they do.

Trends are always going to exist and there will always be a new fashion style or brand that people are going crazy over, but it’s important to take time to think about if following these trends is beneficial or not. When people do, they usually realize that the benefits of not following the trend or finding a better way to follow the trend outweigh the benefits of going along with everyone else for the sake of fitting in.

Fitting in can be rewarding, but giving back to others, saving money and helping the environment can be even more rewarding.

Looking to donate or shop? Here are some second-hand stores in DeKalb:

The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center

1814 Sycamore Rd, DeKalb, IL 60115

Country Store Thrift Shop 

842 W Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115

Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois

1037 S Annie Glidden Rd, DeKalb, IL 60115