Quitting Minimalism & Justifying Consumerism

Hi friends 🌸 This is something I've wanted to talk about here on the channel for a long time! In today's video we dive deep into the counter movement of minimalism where influencers quit minimalism because of "perfection".
But is it perfection that is the problem, or simply that it's too inconvenient to reduce our shopping habits?
The True Cost Documentary • The True Cost
00:00 “Quitting Minimalism”
02:00 The Shopping Problem
04:06 Feeling Offended
07:00 Fast Fashion
07:27 Excuses & Justifications
10:23 You Don’t Need More Stuff
11:26 Influencers
12:15 Consuming Less
12:49 Solutions
14:20 Bloopers
Thank you so much for watching 🌺
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[@sagaesedinrojo6783]

I have always thought that thank God you are not one of those youtubers that suddenly start talking about “the trap of minimalism”. I love how honest you are, please keep being true to yourself 🌸

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much ❤ I really appreciate it!

[@beverlyness7954]

What you have to say is why I enjoy watching your videos. I resonate with your views - and I'm 70 years old. I think in the USA, many people over shop and consume way beyond need. But people are broke, tired and stressed while still living an unfulfilled life. It doesn't really make sense. It can occur like a quest for finding the 'perfect' item. I have fallen victim to this trap myself. It may be because of advertising and media influence. But no matter what, it's based on choices we're making. I own The True Cost documentary DVD. It's such an eye opener. The injustice is heart wrenching. You bring education and awareness with your views. Thank you.

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much, and such wise words!

[@MegInASheathDress]

Capitalism leaves people alienated and unfulfilled. People use all kinds of behaviors to numb their feelings under this miserable system. Consumerism, drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, whatever it is. The underlying system is brutal from a humanist standpoint. Capitalism is no way to run a society.

[@ingrid607]

It is so true that people "label" themselves vegan, minimalist and other, just because they want to be cool and trendy instead of honestly trying to live as ethically as possible. Your posts are so inspiring!

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much! Yes, and unfortunately to the detriment of themselves and their happiness! :)

[@CocoB22]

The only issue I have with minimalism is throwing away or decluttering everything because you haven’t used it in a while. Clear away junk- keep what you love and make time to enjoy what you have. Remember to take care of yourself every day, dress well when you go out. Keep your house clean and enjoy what you have. Depression will decrease as will anxiety and you will be good for the world all over.

[@SagaJohanna]

Yes, I so agree! There is no point in decluttering or throwing away things at all! better to buy less :)

[@susandean8584]

Thanks for another beautiful video. I agree with all of your points. I find it so sad when vegans become nonvegans. I am so happy that I am vegan for the animals but often feel sad that there are so many people who are not vegan and then when a person who was vegan declares that they are no longer vegan I feel particularly heartbroken.

[@alecb.7696]

This is very interesting. As you allude to, it depends on what people’s motivations are to be ‘minimalist’. Becoming minimalist is counter-cultural. The powerful forces of big advertising and majority behaviour have sold us in the West the opposite version of ‘a good life’ since the 1950s (most pronounced in the United States, then the UK). The minimalist writers, bloggers and KZbinrs are helpful in showing people that there is a different way to this set of unconscious assumptions. Even if minimalism is a trend, it remains counter-cultural. But unless one develops a sound ‘philosophy of life’, a move to minimalism can be built on foundations of sand. People are remarkably susceptible to ‘mimetic desire’ (Rene Girard wrote really interestingly about that), myself included. That philosophy of life may be rooted in one or more of unlocking more true meaning in life by stepping off the Hedonic treadmill, environmentalism, ethical behaviour in a capitalist world, and spirituality. I think it’s always helpful to remind people that minimalism is not really best viewed as a lifestyle or an end in itself, but a tool or pathway to ‘something’. And in the absence of that ‘something’, it is likely to be adopted and discarded like a bit of the fast fashion you speak about. I’ve never been that materialist and I suppose naturally minimalistic to some degree. In becoming progressively more minimalist, I was helped by the early writings about minimalism in 2014. That quickly led to an exploration of Stoicism and Buddhism. But there are very sound grounds for living with less for purely secular reasons. I smiled at your Occam’s razor: >. 🙂 I like how you express yourself confidently and don’t buy into the the facile modern approach of saying ‘all life choices are equally valid’ or the cringe-inducing phrase ‘you must live your ‘truth’’, while at the same time being realistic, nuanced and acknowledging different people’s circumstances will mean different choices are necessary.

[@SagaJohanna]

How lovely to hear, and your thoughts resonate with so many of my own. I would highly recommend "The Warewolf by Sandemose", I'm just reading it now for free here search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A2OVA4NULFICKM8Y. I'm not sure you'll like it, but I am thoroughly enjoying it and he speaks of philosophy of life, and many other interesting things, like grappling with evil "the warewolf", in all of us. And thank you especially for the last paragraph! You've made me feel a lot less alone. This is something I think a whole lot about! I completely disagree with all these modern statements that "all life choices are equally valid" or "your truth is your own" etc. It truly is facile and it disregards our humanness, and our limitations, which I think are more than we'd like to believe. Thank you!

[@user-jh5cz1kv4q]

Thank you so much for this video! It is so crucial to be accountable and honest to yourself. Thank you for summarizing and explaining this, been thinking the same in more vague way

[@nayanahale]

Saga, the way you think fascinates me. You reason so sensibly and I see that these thoughts are your own - you were able to separate yourself from the huge amount of noise in the outside world and make your own choice, and this is incredibly difficult, considering how much we are manipulated, openly and covertly, blatantly and softly . I agree with you completely, I also see a lot of people who were minimalists and stopped being them for a number of reasons, and what’s most unpleasant is that they begin to blame minimalism! (For example, I stopped feeling like a woman because I couldn’t afford any extra jewelry, and so on). In my opinion, no one forced them to immediately give up everything - but as you said, it was a trend, and many succumbed to it, and now they are trying to move away from it, and in my opinion, not in the best ways (but again, headlines like “minimalism is toxic” on the minimalist’s channel is very clickbait, so this is another opportunity to collect views). Of course everyone has the right to change, whether we like it or not, but to see this is really confusing... By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask for a long time, because there is no specific information on the Internet (or I couldn’t ask the question correctly) - you often say that we need to stop buying fast fashion clothes also because the people who make them are paid little and work in bad conditions - but will it help them that their workload will essentially be reduced? How it works? I really don't understand and I'll be glad if you explain. Thank you so much as always for your videos and look forward to next week!

[@Simon-zb6fp]

I totally agree with you about the way Saga thinks, so much so that I joined membership and for a small amount each month I get to see and hear how Saga is coping with emigrating from New Zealand to Europe via Australia and south East Asia with all the challenges it involves. It is a interesting journey in every sense.

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so so much, what a beautiful comment ❤ This really touched my heart! Yes, the answer to your question is that these government or big corporations are making a lot of money from keeping their employees earning little money under terrible conditions. If stopped, other work would arise, for example, fair fashion factories, or tourism, and the government would have to create different solutions. It would take time, but it would give poor countries their autonomy back, instead of their people being exploited by the west. Here is a great article www.thegoodtrade.com/features/garment-workers-fashion-boycott/,

[@SagaJohanna]

Thanks so much Simon!

[@paigeajamieson]

I love your videos. They help me to ask myself all the right questions. ❤

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so so much ❤ That makes me so happy!

[@Alexis-rn7uq]

Thank you for sharing this! I like how articulate you are. 😊

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much ❤

[@evanlughfahy9778]

Continued appreciation of your well spoken thinking on a vital topic!!

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much!

[@karenarden1856]

I love your wisdom and integrity, and you have them at such a young age...bravo Saga!! ❤️💖

[@SagaJohanna]

Aw thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@arianebodin4903]

I like the tone of your speech: conciliatory but at the same time rather harsh and realistic about the reality of what consumption is and people's commitment to the subject. Nice work! 👌

[@691lou]

Brava! -- so much wisdom and kindness.

[@SagaJohanna]

Grazie

[@gillianford9208]

I'm a new subscriber and found your content when searching for "Scandi Style" on KZbin, a style that i love, and I have to say that i love your channel as you make so much sense to me. "Take what is useful and discard the rest" - such a life affirming concept. Thank you!! Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧 😊

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much ❤❤

[@winamortenson9125]

I loved this video SO MUCH! It's so great to hear you explain important issues in a way that I might not be able to express. Your encouragement and kindness to everyone, wherever they are, whatever they are able to do, just warms my heart. You are a shining light! 🌟

[@SagaJohanna]

Oh thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@tamiurquizo746]

I've definitely noticed that as well.

[@melaniegodwin8791]

This was one of your best videos. Very thought provoking😍

[@SagaJohanna]

Yay, thank you!❤❤

[@mikelobrien]

This is the first of your videos I've watched and it's very good! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. A lot of these former minimalist influencers have probably renounced minimalism because they got lucrative offers from fast-fashion and/or other brands to sell their products. Hopefully not too many of their followers are fooled by their "conversion" from "perfectionism" when in fact they're just trying to further monetize their channels.

[@SagaJohanna]

Thanks so much!

[@AliceMara]

Support comment for the algorithm, because I find your videos really great and you also always present different, exciting topics :)

[@SagaJohanna]

Aw, thank you so much ❤

[@cocolinabt]

I think you're the first person on youtube I ever heard saying out loud that we need to take what's useful and discard the rest. I've been frustrated by that my whole life - those "trends" that suddenly are THE way of living and everything else isn't. No - take the parts that work and if there's something that doesn't work for you for whatever reasons, then don't do it. People have individual needs and challenges and what's easy or "the right choice" for one person clearly isn't for another...

[@paulschneweis3492]

Thank GOD and you for this good video, Saga! What you described about consumerism and what one of the good commenters described about that matter reminds me of the same thing that Dave Ramsey calls "stuff-itis" - a totally unnecessary and money wasting way of life! I like how honest and real you are about this subject. May GOD richly bless and protect you and your husband!

[@SagaJohanna]

You are so kind! Thank you so so much, the same to you!

[@olivialundegardh8366]

Så skönt att få höra detta från någon! Behöver verkligen få veta att det är okej med det jag försöker göra ❤ Samt att det finns andra som också försöka nu när det börjar gå tillbaka till överkonsumtion igen.

[@SagaJohanna]

Tack så jättemycket! ❤ Det känns precis likadant för mig att läsa kommentarerna här.

[@johan_johansson_]

+1 🤝

[@faithhomeschool2789]

really great points.

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you!

[@m.s.7105]

Thank you! This is somehow a great ode to accountability and critical thinking in a very fun and relateable format for normal people. Only thing I disagree with is that people don't demand perfection, the do, they just do so hypocritically and that's why they get offended so much sometimes

[@SagaJohanna]

Wow, thank you so much! That is interesting, and probably true. I think it lies in our desire to please others. If we demand perfection for ourselves, we must do so to others too!

[@stevedawe1553]

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Great video.

[@SagaJohanna]

Thanks :)

[@windyacresway]

Its all about the dollars for influencers.The trend that is currently making the most dollars is the bandwagon they jump on and guillable people eat it up.I know of a couple on here where their channel consists of them living of grid in British Columbia Canada.The reality is they live in a condo in Vancouver where they make adult content.Their supposedly off grid home is their cottage.They do make great money on their youtube channel tho...BTW...nice video and awesome for keeping it real.

[@s.s.3068]

I really agree with this video, and I think part of the problem might be that many influencers are too eager to label themselves as the buzz word of the moment - vegan, minimalist, whatever- instead of simply saying, I’m trying veganism or I’m trying minimalism. Then they wouldn’t have so many people criticizing each choice they make, ie: “You’re not a real minimalist if you do or don’t do XYZ” Because once someone defines themself by a label, others become very quick to point out any perceived hypocrisy, making the one who has chosen the label feel they must do it perfectly. When they can’t live up to the high bar they and others have set for themselves, they act like the label they chose was too unrealistic, impractical or even extreme in the first place. Rather than simply trying their best and not calling it by a label, they ditch the label and ditch all effort along with it. When they finally announce they’re giving up, they are praised and consoled by their followers as though quitting was an act of self care. Probably all because, as you said, it was motivated by following a trend rather than by really aligning with the values behind the movement. Thank you for voicing your ideas so thoughtfully, it always gives me a lot to chew on!

[@SagaJohanna]

Such good points! I think that plays such a huge part. We adopt these new ideas and take on them as beliefs rather than just ideas. Now I feel confident to call myself vegan or minimalist or non drinker, but it’s such a learning journey.

[@nicolecarter1072]

Don't forget that every aeroplane trip you take has a big impact on the environment. It's like driving a car for months or more

[@SagaJohanna]

Exactly! Not flying is one of my biggest goals!

[@shannonhauser8610]

Hej Saga! I would like your opinion on something. I am a mom of a 1 year old and we got some hand me downs from a very nice family. Some of the clothes I don't like or they look used or they don't fit well. I could make them work but I find no joy in them (I think about how ugly they look a lot). So most of the time I just went with it but now I want to buy some I like as a replacement. Also storing all these boxes is stressing me out.. I just prefer having the second hand clothes and not spending (much) money.. but as I said I get overwhelmed with the hand me downs. Any advice?

[@s.s.3068]

I always just recirculate hand-me-downs that won't work for my family. You probably have a friend that could use them! But before I re pass them along to someone else, I first ask them if they want some hand me downs so I don't create stress for them. To find second hand items that you actually like that aren't too expensive, Poshmark is my favorite app. Hope this helps!

[@shannonhauser8610]

Do you keep items "in case" for junger (potential) kids?

[@SagaJohanna]

Hej! I would keep what you like, or what your child feels most comfortable wearing, and donate the rest or give it to a friend. You might also not need to buy as much as you think, since we often buy too many clothes for children. Despite the fact that they grow so fast. My advice would be, get rid of the clothes that doesn't fit or are uncomfortable for your child. Keep a few spare items of "ugly" clothes in case you think it could be good to have when you guys are outside in the mud or something like that. Buy second hand clothes for your child, and remember that you probably care more about the clothes looking ugly than your child :) My parents dressed me absolutely horribly haha, because none of them were interested in how clothes looked, but I was always comfy and warm. And when I grew up I demanded wearing only dresses :) And try to not think about the clothing looking ugly, or try asking yourself why you think that. It is because of what others may think? Of you or your child? Does it not fit with your image of yourself or parenting etc.? And remember you are doing good enough

[@SagaJohanna]

Great advice :) If you're in Sweden Tradera is great, DePop in Australia/UK/USA, and many more!

[@shannonhauser8610]

Thank you for your advice :) I think the reason I want other clothes is that in my family there was always a big emphasis on what you wear and look. I personally have a very limited wardrobe, where I too only have items that I find beautiful and practical. I guess I want that for my child too, also just taking one bottom and one top without thinking is very appealing to me. I try to keep it minimal, but with ever changing sizes and season it's a bit more that I would like. I think I really need to get rid of it all except the thing I really like and get new (used) when needed. So I can finally stop thinking about all the options (that don't fit) in the cellar that might still fit and I just missed it...

[@johan_johansson_]

💐💐💐

[@SagaJohanna]

❤❤

[@MichelleHernandez-444]

❤❤❤

[@SagaJohanna]

❤❤❤❤

[@alisaaustin8431]

I always thought the minimalism movement was part of the "Own nothing and be happy.". Some people won't buy because they don't want to increase the carbon footprint. We are made of carbon. Get it?

[@SagaJohanna]

That's how I like to look at minimalism too :)

[@carlabragacohen3882]

🧚‍♂

[@SagaJohanna]

❤❤❤❤

[@a21248]

So what you are saying? Minimalists should not buy things ? Minimalist KZbinrs should not recommend products that are useful? You are confusing (atleast me)

[@isabelherrera8647]

Well, I think people have all the rights to change their minds....we can all be minimalist or consumerist until...who knows 🙂 nothing wrong with it!!!

[@SagaJohanna]

This is exactly what I discuss in this video. I don't think it's a question about rights but humanism. We do change our minds all the time right? :) But my bigger question about consumerism that I'd like to ask, is, what about the consequences?

[@monamarie1198]

Such a great video! I often come back to it to remind me of your great message, since it‘s so easy tonget sucked back into consumerism sometimes!🫶🏻