Chinese Laundry

I had wanted a simple, cheap, comfortable dress to wear around the house while cleaning or cooking or relaxing. Growing up I saw my Southern grandmother wear muumuus for this situation (the 70s version of the 50s “house coat,” "brunch coat," or "duster"). Muumuus were brightly colored, shapeless, frankly obnoxious garments. My generation seems to favor an even more obnoxious sweat pants/ t-shirt combo AND we don’t relegate the look to the privacy of our homes. We sport this anti-fashion everywhere we go, inflicting our sloppy appearance on everyone we encounter!

Well, I was going to up my style game. I could totally see me scrubbing sinks and toilets while rocking this cute sleeveless little denim number from T.J. Maxx, $15. Any bleach spills would only add character to the denim, right? The “Made in China” label did give me pause, but hey, I didn’t want something really nice for this deal. I’m not having tea with the Queen of Washington, D.C.

It literally fell apart in the washing machine after one wearing, one washing. You might point out that it was only $15, that it could even be considered a “disposable” dress at that price. But, take a deeper look, a longer view, at this picture with me.

Is this what we’ve become – a society that wears disposable clothing? How much sub-standard, cheap-ass clothing rots in our landfills? The buttons fell off, and we’re too busy or lazy to sew new ones on. It shrank after a few washings. We can’t even burn a lot of it since manmade fibers are so prevalent; it would be a gooey, melted mass in the garbage heap then.

I laughed at that scene in the “Idiocracy” movie in which the female from our time is presented with clothing of the future – polyester skirts and shirts peeled out of what looked like a Kleenex box, with hundreds more lying just beneath them. Not so far-fetched. Remember the “Units” craze from the late 80s?

(I recently read a hilarious story about Hawaii trying to pay a mainland state to dump its garbage there. Hey, they don’t want the $#*! in their paradise! Actually, their own landfills are near capacity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/24/honolulu-waste-problem-ci_n_692279.html )

What is wrong with us that we keep buying the cheap, made-in-China crap and think happily “that’s exactly what I was looking for.” It’s kind of irresponsible environmentally even. If we paid a little more and demanded higher quality, things would last a little longer or have more re-use potential. How can we completely adjust our thinking process regarding money and buying decisions? It’s tough.

I’m going to try harder, though, to see every transaction as my “vote” to support or not support a policy, philosophy, or technology. I’m going to use my money as my voice to say “no, I don’t want to eat the genetically modified Franken-fish” or “I want the sturdier garden tool that will last 15 years, not two.” Just this week, my 16-year-old son pointed out to me that he drives a PLASTIC car.

I’m just saying, I’m going to try to put a lot more thinking into my thinking.