Ratings4
Average rating4.6
Aja Barber wants change. In the 'learning' first half of the book, she will expose you to the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry; one which brokered slavery, racism and today's wealth inequality. And how these oppressive systems have bled into the fashion industry and its lack of diversity and equality. She will also reveal how we spend our money and whose pockets it goes into and whose it doesn't (clue: the people who do the actual work) and will tell her story of how she came to learn the truth.In the second 'unlearning' half of the book, she will help you to understand the uncomfortable truth behind why you consume the way you do. She asks you to confront the sense of lack you have, the feeling that you are never quite enough and the reasons why you fill the aching void with consumption rather than compassion. And she makes you challenge this power disparity, and take back ownership of it. The less you buy into the consumer culture the more power you have.CONSUMED will teach you how to be a citizen not a consumer.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is a fantastic book that's so relevant in this day and age. Prior to reading this book, I understood that fast fashion was a problem, but I didn't quite understand how much of a problem and how it relates to other issues like colonialism. Aja Barber makes a great case for why and how consumerism and fast fashion is destroying the planet, and she does it in such a helpful and easy to understand way.
My biggest critique is that some parts are repetitive and could have definitely been cut down, but considering it's not a super long book to begin with, and how easily digestible it is, I don't think it necessarily gets in the way of this becoming a great book and one I'd recommend to everyone.
If you're a young adult with spending power (or if you want to learn more about consumerist culture), read this!