We know that living a life of excess is bad for our financial, mental, and physical health. We also know that it is destroying our planet. So, once we know the benefits of living a simple life, why don’t we? We are in an intense struggle against advertising and consumerism. Even as I evaluated living more simply, I could not easily see the impact of the two. Wanting more and more is that embedded into our psyche. We are slaves to consumerism. No one would readily choose excess with all of its negative components. Freedom is available through awareness.
Choosing a minimalist lifestyle is an execution of that awareness. Minimalism takes on many forms, but the core beliefs involve a lifestyle of simplicity and accumulating less. One type, a thrifty minimalist, has a main objective of spending less, another is the sustainable minimalist who focuses on the environment. The mindful minimalist is focused on purpose and intention. My views and goals for simple living align most with the mindful and sustainable minimalists. While I could see the direct impact that consumerism and advertising would have on the thrifty and mindful minimalists, it took help to see how it affects the sustainable minimalist. In the “Ad and the Ego” a sociologist notes that the “number one enemy against ecological responsibility and environmental awareness is advertisers and consumerism” (Boihem 1996). I only have to think of the bottled water craze and the waste that the plastic bottles leave behind, to ascertain that this is very true. Bottled water is expensive, not necessarily heathier than local tap water, the chemicals from the plastic bottles are harmful, and despite being made of recyclable materials, ninety-one percent of the bottles are not recycled. They end up in landfills and the ocean. It is estimated that the world uses a million plastic bottles per minute (Nance 2017). Why did I even start drinking bottled water to start with? Consumerism and advertising functions so well in our society that we cannot answer why we do and seek many things. “The Ad and the Ego” argues that most people believe that ads do not influence them, but it is the “cumulative and unconscious affect” – the constant themes and “totality of a consistent message” that influences the individual over time (Boihem 1996). I’m sure that somewhere in the early 90s, I watched numerous television shows and movies where the actors consumed bottled water and it began to feel like a necessity to me. It also became a symbol of my middle class status. I am now aware of the effect of consumerism and advertising on my choices, but a lot has changed since the late 90s when “The Overspent American,” and the documentary film, “The Ad and the Ego” were released. The difference maker was the widespread use of social media. Consumerism and advertising play an even greater role as an influencer, but through social media, the consumer can now make demands that must be met. A prime example is the African-American female – long forgotten by the mainstream media, but now courted constantly as a major consumer. I will examine how the documentary film and Schor arrive at similar conclusions about consumerism and advertising, and share my reactions to their conclusions. Finally, I’ll argue that social media has changed advertising beyond what “The Overspent American” and “The Ad and the Ego” envisioned in the late 1990s.
In America, we did not need advertising for consumerism to thrive. The Puritans and Quakers showed us that. History shows us that even without ads, they began to want more and more. As they did this, they abandoned simple living. So it is important to note that advertising does not cause consumerism, but it is an accelerator. In modern society debt is often incurred to maintain a certain lifestyle. “The Ad and the Ego” spends considerable time evaluating the “effect of living in an advertised infused society” and Schor discusses the new consumerism in which people do not simply compare themselves to their neighbors who may have roughly the same earnings, but to a “reference group” that may have persons with five times the income of the individual. We see this in the designer handbag and clothing culture of today.
Ads and consumerism are the culprit for these comparisons and social media has amplified this problem. Now an individual can “follow” a celebrity on Instagram or another social media platform and see the rich lifestyle choices daily – cars, homes, vacations, clothing and meals. The individual feels in power because it was a choice to “follow” this person. Often, celebrities receive monetary endorsements to use those items so that the average consumer will want them as well. We are now inundated with these images many times per day and it affects what we want and what we buy. For several years, after my daughter was born, we opted to do “staycations” instead of vacations since we had high daycare costs. My husband and I had agreed early in our marriage to never vacation using a credit card. Although we still took weeks off work, and had fun local experiences those staycation years, I felt cheated that I did not get my weeks at a beach resort. It was supposed to be my reward after working so hard all year. As I scrolled Facebook, I resented all of the celebrities and vacationing friends and wanted to use the credit card. I even wanted to get a second job to be able to afford a vacation. We held true to our convictions, but it was hard. The role that consumerism played was not evident to me until this week.
Schor and the video documentary discuss the “symbols” of status and how we want the items that belong to the social group to which we want to belong. Advertisers know this and that’s why celebrities are chosen to promote products. While it is irrational to want the same things that someone earning millions has, that rarely enters the thoughts of the consumer. Even if the celebrity shares insecurities, and other ugly moments, the glamour factor remains because millions of people choose to “follow” this person on social media. This makes the person worthy to emulate. These promoted symbols are tied to power and no one bothers to ask who is in charge of that power. That’s the nature of ads and consumerism. Nike’s controversial relationship with Colin Kaepernick was a calculated move to retain its base customers, “young, liberal minded individuals – many of them people of color” (Dudharejia 2018). When Kaepernick became the face of Nike’s 30th anniversary ads, its stock reached an all-time high the next month.
For all of the controversy and Nike shoe burning across the country, the calculated risk paid off and big profits were gained. Nike would have dropped Kaepernick earlier if it were not profitable to retain him. Money, and big industry, continue to be the real power in our country.
Just as “The Overspent American” and “The Ad and Ego” shared similar themes about the saturation of advertising contributing to consumerism, how certain items define a status group, and the effect of “symbols” on consumer’s spending habits, the two also agree that there are dangers beyond just the overspending. Schor notes that we become willing to spend money on the visible items, like designer clothing, fancy cars and big homes, but stop buying the “invisibles” such as insurance, college funds and retirement savings (108). Also, as we buy more we must work more and this costs family time. People who cannot afford the items have feelings of inadequacy and may forego needs or turn to crime to get the items. “The Ad and the Ego” pointed out that women are objectified in advertising and this is the “easiest way to rationalize violence against women” (Boihem 1996). When you objectify a person it is easy to view her as less than human. In addition, there are serious ecological impacts to overconsumption. Schor states, “Whatever we consume has an ecological impact, whether it’s the rain forest cleared to graze the cattle which become Big Macs, the toxins collecting in our bodies from the plastics that now dominate our material environment, or the pesticides used to grow the cotton for our T-shirts” (108). The documentary also notes the danger to the environment. Advertising just shows the product and we want it. Most people are oblivious to where things come from before they reach us and where the waste goes afterwards. Advertising and consumerism are such a part of our society, that I did not immediately view it as connected to my goals for sustainable minimalism. The first step towards minimalism is awareness. Being intentional means questioning each purchase and social engagement – this helps with my goals. It was important to know the unconscious factors that make me want to buy more and consume more. I do not spend a great amount of time on social media, but I do acknowledge its influence on my struggle with minimalism. I also question if social media can be the “alternate media” solution that the documentary contends is needed to circumvent mass media and combat consumerism.
At one point during “The Ad and the Ego” Sociologist, Bernard McCrane Ph.D, boldly stated, “From advertisers, you won’t hear ‘you’re okay, you don’t need anything, just be you” (Boihem 1996). The advertisements are about creating doubts and insecurities and offering “salvation.” Social media has changed this to a large degree. The standards of beauty have stretched beyond the “mass marketed ideal of beauty.” The message of “being okay” has been used for profits. For years, African-American women were socialized to want the standard ideal of beauty – thinner lips and noses and straight hair.
Relaxers to straighten hair were the largest part of the black hair industry for decades, but “according to market research firm, Mintel, hair relaxer sales fell a whopping 38% between 2012-2017! It’s estimated that by 2020, relaxers will be the smallest segment of the Black hair market” (MDhairmixtress 2018). The images of natural hair and black beauty on social media has changed the “small and narrow interpretation of what beauty looks like” (MDhairmixtress 2018). As a result of this new acceptance of their African-American features, companies had to change how they marketed to African-American women. Pantene and Head and Shoulders, to name just two, have introduced hair product lines specifically for African-American women.
Social media allowed the potential spending power of African-American women to be measured by marketers and companies sought to finally meet the demand of those consumers. All marketing is not bad. However, advertising and consumerism has historically been the antithesis of minimalism. Through awareness, simple living can be achieved. Each ad must be deconstructed for what it is trying to convey so that the cumulative effect of advertising does not take root with the individual.
Works Cited
Boihem, Harold, and Chris Emmanouilides. The Ad and the Ego. Philadelphia, PA: Harold Boihem, 1996.
Dougherty, Christopher. “Cover Picture.” Yoga Journal, 2 Jan. 2019.
Dudharejia, Manish. “4 Branding Lessons From Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Ad.” Entrepreneur, 22 Oct. 2018, http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/321130.
MDhairmixtress. “Hair Relaxer Sales Falling Fast: Here’s Why.” Medium, Medium, 20 Sept. 2018, medium.com/@mdhairmixtress/hair-relaxer-sales-falling-fast-heres-why-a907ed04c926.
Nace, Trevor. “We’re Now At A Million Plastic Bottles Per Minute – 91% Of Which Are Not Recycled.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 July 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/07/26/million-plastic-bottles-minute-91-not-recycled/#9eda95d292cc.
Schor, Juliet B., The Overspent American: When Buying Becomes You. Basic Books, 1998.