https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:54:43 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1727192 Wed, 14 Sep 2016 18:48:39 +0000 Sara L. 1727192@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>A lot of my problems with minimalism are articulated by Alexandra - it's become a competition.&nbsp; I think getting rid of stuff, not buying more stuff, and streamlining your life is commendable, but the competetion to see who owns the least is very off putting. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1727137 Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:30:54 +0000 Aziraphale 1727137@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh my! I disappeared for 24 hours and this thread has sprouted a thicket of excellent, thoughtful replies! I'm so sorry I haven't had time to respond to each one -- I had an unexpectedly busy day yesterday and a whole load of work to to today -- but hopefully I will get back to it by Friday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Thanks again for your perspectives. I hope I made it clear that I am in favour of avoiding excess (very much so, in fact) -- I'm just frustrated by the turn that "minimalism" has taken toward snobbery and elitism. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726886 Wed, 14 Sep 2016 01:02:29 +0000 Isabel 1726886@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>BC, BRAVO ! &nbsp;Enjoy your things. &nbsp; : )&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726811 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:39:03 +0000 Anonymous 1726811@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree, <b>Isabel</b>! I want to add that my possessions mean something to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't keep them. We have moved multiple times over the years, and believe me when I say I've culled out all the unnecessary things. What I have are things that make me happy and/or evoke memories. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726803 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:29:50 +0000 Isabel 1726803@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>At BC, and even IF your house was cluttered and things were taking over, if you found it useful and loved I still say "SO WHAT" ! &nbsp; : )&nbsp;<br />Your post made me realize that there is an equation ( an narrative, if you will ) that to be without things or "make do " with the least possible voluntarily , makes someone more kind, balanced, peaceful, loving...etc. And that is wrong. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726791 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 19:54:17 +0000 celia 1726791@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't like clutter and would like to be more aware of my consuming and what that represents to the environment. However I don't believe that being mindful is a synonymous of being minimalist.<br /> Some time ago someone posted a link to an article about the minimalism we are being dragged into is but only the latest for of making us consume more because we are always looking for the next perfect item, discarding things we already own because they are not the one.<br /> I believe minimalism exists and that there are people that enjoy living that way, but the word itself became too much used word. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726767 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 19:02:56 +0000 Anonymous 1726767@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I didn't grow up in clutter, and I still dislike clutter. My home is not cluttered. I still have stuff, though: piano books, cookbooks, nic-nacs from traveling, fine china and crystal (most of it given to me by my mom; I do use it from time to time), lots of kitchen equipment, and some clothes. I manage to keep everything neat and tidy, and highly resent the minimalists who tell me I'm not supposed to collect anything. As long as nothing is taking over my house and looking bad, I think I'm just fine. I could show my house right now to sell, if I wanted to, without having to get rid of anything. I have large closets, built-in bookshelves and cabinets, and a very large kitchen and pantry.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726710 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 16:59:16 +0000 Anonymous 1726710@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yes, it's just the pendulum swinging back from more excessive periods.&nbsp; On a micro-level, I started accumulating "stuff" when I started to make a decent income.&nbsp; It was great feeling my purchasing power for a while, until the stuff started to make me feel weighed down.&nbsp; Eventually, I felt the need for fewer, better things.&nbsp; I jettisoned things to feel better, not to feel superior.&nbsp; It just seemed to make sense, and I was glad to pass along what I no longer wanted to others who might have a need for it (those yard sales were a lot of fun!).&nbsp; Talking to my peers who are dealing with having to dispose of the possessions of their perhaps non-minimalist parents, I can definitely see a desire to embrace a (more) minimal aesthetic, if not strictly minimalist.&nbsp; Nobody I know is on an ego trip about scaling down, but I know what you're talking about, especially when I go to a restaurant and see a kale leaf and a dab or two of sauce as an entree! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726688 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:54:19 +0000 Isabel 1726688@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>...and this nails ( from the article ) why this chafes me :</p> <p>"The movement, such as it is, is led in large part by a group of men who gleefully ditch their possessions as if to disavow the advantages by which they obtained them. But it takes a lot to be minimalist: social capital, a safety net and access to the internet. " &nbsp; &nbsp;In other words, money and privilege. &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726686 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:38:47 +0000 Isabel 1726686@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OMG !!! &nbsp;I can't believe you posted this. I have been trying to get control of our lives by reigning in the chaos...and I HATE the term "minimalist" !!!!!!!! &nbsp;People tend to wear it like a badge. &nbsp;I hate how many of the sites tell you to "declutter" , don't buy anything, etc, but then pitch their books or their services to "teach" minamilsim. Or how, one site in particular, goes on about the environment but then keeps hawking tickets to all over the world to hear the site writers speak in person. &nbsp;UGH. Or how many times one is encouraged to use OTHER people's possessions. &nbsp;Like couching "surfing" &nbsp;: using others' couches and homes and kitchens and washers and dryers. &nbsp;You hit a nerve. &nbsp;My poor husband will be happy that I have someone else to rant too. LOL&nbsp;</p> <p>Frankly, I think that the term is misused and has become a catch all. I do like the term "essentialism" better but that doesn't quite make it either. Because ONLY "essentials" also means a stripping down. &nbsp;Whereas, I feel, it is more about containing and not becoming angst ridden over too much choice. We need to come up with a better word. I just have never understood why one needs to "hawk" one's lifestyle 24 hours a day in order to make a point. &nbsp;It also chafes me a bit that the majority of the world live like "minimalists" ; it is called poverty. &nbsp;Yet this is some home being romanticized, I feel.&nbsp;</p> <p>Recently, on vacation, my husband's cousins and siblings and I were talking about just this very subject. &nbsp;One of his cousin's said something very interesting : we will see how truly minimalist these people are 10 years in....</p> <p>This is so far up my nose that I think it has hit my frontal lobe. &nbsp; ; )</p> </p> <p>I LOVE this article. &nbsp;LOVE, LOVE, LOVE !</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726658 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:40:09 +0000 Eliza 1726658@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's not just you, Aziraphale.&nbsp;Lifestyle choices abound and for me, negativity comes in not around living more or less simply, but rather the sense of superiority that such decisions engender for some. To do what works for your household need not involve disdain for those who have another way. It is a luxury to contemplate what you don't want or need materially in your life. It is the swing of a pendulum; perhaps I am weary of the cycles. I am also chagrinned by the us/them polarization in more general and devastating terms. </p> <p>We are currently editing our home in anticipation of next steps. We don't require or want many things that were once relevant to us or those who lived with us. Having less to tend is motivating us now. Others will have different priorities. And on the clothing front, while many of my favorite pieces are quite minimal in style, I enjoy a fair amount choice in my outfit creation. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726637 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 12:10:35 +0000 Carla 1726637@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I can trace my desire for 'less things' (vs aesthetic minimalism) to living in a hectic household with 'collectors' followed by a stint in Catholic boarding schools where the spare environment was soothing to me. Life is about co-operation and compromise however, and I do not live alone. My children are young adults, however there is a box of Beanie Babies, and two boxes of Legos stored in the cupboard under the stairs, and DH does like 'stuff'. </p> <p>We did reduce our material possessions quite a bit when we relocated 2 years ago and downsized from a family home to a place more appropriate for 2 adults in retirement.</p> <p>I have to admit that the desire to own less material goods has been further reinforced by the horror of helping DH deal with his parent's estate, and recently assisting my mother amalgamate the contents of a home and a large cottage into a condo. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose/page/2#post-1726620 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:25:31 +0000 LaPed 1726620@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>JAileen -- I totally understand backpacker minimalism! And I *love* the Tahoe Rim Trail -- I hiked it as a loop last year with my family. We're thinking about the John Muir Trail next year if we can get a permit... </p> <p>I'm trying very hard not to wear Patagonia everyday, but where I live it's pretty much the environmental norm, so I'm struggling! I do, however, own an ever-growing number of kitchen tools. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726618 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:22:01 +0000 LaPed 1726618@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tend to think of our contemporary internet culture fascination with owning less stuff as "Urban Minimalism" or "Urban Asceticism" -- it speaks directly to people who foresee spending the next good chunk of their lives in places where the housing is relatively small, likely rented, but surrounded by a resource-rich neighborhood. It's very easy not to own yard and garden tools if you live in a fifth-floor walk up. It's very easy to not own a washer and dryer when there's a laundromat next door. It's very easy not to own books if you can walk to the library every afternoon on the way home from work. I spent some time living in tiny houses and yurts, but always in rural contexts, which meant that outside of the living space it was absolutely essential to have some form of a storage shed -- somewhere to put shovels, rakes, sand for icy steps, etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>I made a conscious decision this year to move to a rural community and buy a home on a multi-acre property -- which means I now own a lot of *stuff* I haven't owned in years. Part of this is just the shift from renting to owning, and having to take responsibility for house and yard maintenance. Part of it is that DH and I are inclined to DIY everything we possibly can -- we're not about to hire a landscaping company to trim shrubs and mow, for instance. So instead of paying for services, we paid for tools.&nbsp;</p> <p>My own feeling is that a large percentage of my Millennial cohort prefers the pay-for-services model over the pay-for-goods model. I know that statistically we eat at restaurants far more often than previous generations (I cook at home more than almost any of my peers). Millennials would rather subscribe to a streaming service and pay a monthly fee than buy music on clumsy discs (and I collect records -- what a weirdo!). Most Millennials find things like checkbooks and watches to be a PITA (I can include myself in that statement). Oh, and we seem unable to communicate without the use of acronyms. ;)&nbsp;</p> <p>So I think there may be some generational stuff at play here. Also -- to my original point about contemporary minimalism being an urban phenomenon, I don't see many self-described minimalists decorating their homes with, say, antique Shaker furniture -- whose design principals are all about simplicity and function. The main interior design referent right now seems to be mid-century modern, which strikes me as much more urban (although, oddly enough, those post-war Danish designers were profoundly influenced by Shaker designs!).&nbsp;</p> <p>I think within design there is always a tension between minimalism and maximalism -- think about Art Nouveau vs Art Deco vs Modernism -- all kinds of global factors that precipitated these evolutions in aesthetic values. The dogmatic people out at the very ends of the spectrum are often annoying and may well possess a higher degree of [social] capital; at the very least they can afford to take themselves seriously! The rest of us in the middle of the spectrum are just floundering along to varying degrees, looking for some guidance on how best to spend or not-spend are hard-earned dollars, trying to figure out how to obtain maximum happiness-per-dollar, or per-square-foot, or per-garment, or whatever. I think at this point the term minimalism has become too watered down to mean much of anything. I'll stick to pragmatism, simplicity and frugality as my own guiding values. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726615 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:05:27 +0000 Anonymous 1726615@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sigh. &nbsp;I am a minimalist by choice. &nbsp;I grew up in a very chaotic household. &nbsp;I found that "quiet" surroundings soothe me. &nbsp;White walls calm me. &nbsp;Having too much stuff around me presses on my psyche.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726608 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 10:21:50 +0000 Sisi 1726608@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maybe the word is overused or used in a wrong way sometimes. Now that&nbsp;I think, I am not sure to know the exact meaning. I started to call myself a minimalist since when I realized a few years ago that I am happier when I have few things (clothes and other possessions). Is this being minimalist? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726598 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 07:56:24 +0000 Astrid 1726598@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree, the term has been overused. And I think a lot of people just miss the point... For me reading about minimalism was really helpful because it changed the way I consume, for the better I think. But the things that appeal to me have nothing to do with paring down to 100 items or throwing useful things away. It's more about simple living I guess. </p> <p>Here's a thread I started a while ago, with a great discussion I think:<br /> <a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/minimalism-about-the-importance-of-objects-and-on-perfection" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....perfection</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726578 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 04:37:27 +0000 Alexandra 1726578@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think the version of minimalism we are seeing now is the over-the-top version, minimalism for minimalism's sake, a competition to see who can own less. That's really missing the point though. The opposite of "too much" is not "next to nothing", rather it is "enough". And "enough" is different for each person, depending on their lifestyle, needs, hobbies, preferences, etc. One cannot define one's "enough" relative to another person, only to self. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726555 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 02:44:56 +0000 Jules 1726555@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't see minimalism itself as a value. Things like anti-consumerism and environmentalism speak to me as values, and minimalism might sometimes be a means toward those ends. But quite often not.<br /> I'm reminded a bit of when I started noticing people talking about organic food as purely a don't-pollute-their-precious-temple thing. I learned about it from poor student environmentalists who were interested in the greater good. I'm not perfect in any of these respects so I'm not judgmental so much as confused when "minimalism" is used as a reason to throw out perfectly good clothes, for example. I just don't get minimalism as a goal onto itself. I do get not wanting an overstuffed closet, but if I were truly minimal I don't think I'd have that problem. Or if I simply had a more modern home with a larger closet - it's always relative. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726553 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 02:43:05 +0000 JAileen 1726553@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a very good friend who is a minimalist. You open a kitchen drawer in her kitchen and it's empty. In my kitchen the drawers are full of utensils because I cook every day. Her closet has only a few items in it. She used to wear Eileen Fisher but now only wears hiking clothes from Patagonia and Ex Officio. (She has hiked the entire Tahoe Rim Trail so I think she has earned the right). She has pared down her life to what she considers essentials and nothing else.</p> <p>She is not judgemental at all. Stuff just bothers her, makes her feel like she's suffocating. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726547 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 02:29:54 +0000 annagybe 1726547@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>But what about Malevich &amp; Suprematism. Though that got buried by the Russiam revolution.<br /> Also some of it is buying the best of each item, which most can't afford. Minimalism seems to be missing the make do asthetic. See Boro, which is not minimalist visually, but definitely in reality</p> <p><a href="https://www.srithreads.com/collections/boro-textiles" rel="nofollow">https://www.srithreads.com/col.....o-textiles</a></p> <p>ETA better description with pictures</p> <p><a href="https://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/boro-japanese-folk-fabric/" rel="nofollow">https://furugistarjapan.wordpr.....lk-fabric/</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726546 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 02:25:09 +0000 Nishaa 1726546@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So essentially, minimalism is telling your kids they can have two very expensive toys... And play only with them till they are broken.<br /> Uh..oh... Mine will take anywhere between 8 mins to 3 hours to do that.</p> <p>I know, I know,minimalism is much more than that. It's also my favourite subject to discuss.<br /> About 5 years ago, we had a major life crisis. Illness, very young kids, no job...etc... Yeah .. All together. That was around the time I read 100 things stuff and explored it further. I like minimalism, just not in the popular form.<br /> I don't think it's a great idea what popular ones do now a days... Take a laptop and go camping. What about productivity? Sure some of them talk a lot about it. But are we all supposed to do that, just writing books and giving lectures? Can the world survive on that?<br /> Having said that I like simplicity. I like less stuff, using one more than using five occasionally. I like a home that's reasonably less stuffy, you know it's much easier to clean at Spring and fall breaks. I like to keep my kids toys limited to two bins provided to them. I like the popular one in one out with my wardrobe.<br /> The thing is it's not omniscient. Taking eg of fashion... My wardrobe first has to have all to implement one in one out. Our parents need / want their things different from us and imposing your aesthetic on them is never a good idea. My kids will use non-toys to play, stuff that should go to dustbin and store even that. I agree with what has been said above, frugality is different than minimalism. And poverty is way, way out of their realm. </p> <p>Sorry for the essay, told ya I was a fan.</p> <p>ETA: Read on some blog, real good quote.<br /> " Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726530 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:52:45 +0000 rachylou 1726530@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Agreed, Greenjeans, that clarity was one of the appealing things about the idea of minimalism. It seems to have devolved is the problem. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726529 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:50:55 +0000 Greenjeans 1726529@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm sorry minimalism is tangled up in these ideas about judgement and superiority. &nbsp;I see it as having more to do with clarity. &nbsp;Speaking clearly, visually, in a media environment that feels like it pulls people every which way. &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726521 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:35:54 +0000 rachylou 1726521@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>One of my favorite moments in life was being given a book on how pathological collecting art is...by a minimalist art historian.</p> <p>'Oh the humanity'...lol </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726517 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:32:28 +0000 Jaime 1726517@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Minimalism as a design concept is interesting to me, minimalism as a lifestyle not so much. My house is full of stuff; clothes yes, but also books and cooking and serving equipment and mementos and more books. Minimalism as a lifestyle has always struck me as a different way to shop, i.e. for the 10 (or whatever) perfect things that you have to spend lots of money on. Some people prefer 10 cheaper tops to one perfect expensive one. Some cannot afford one expensive top that will leave them naked if they ruin it. Some people don't have time or interest for the hunt. And some people can afford 10 very good tops and prefer variety. Minimalism of that sort has been overplayed. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726514 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:26:00 +0000 Anonymous 1726514@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not a maximalist, but I don't apologize for what I have. I do think that many minimalists are judgmental. What concern is it of theirs if I have a lot or just a little? I don't even feel like I owe anyone an explanation. It would not change their mindset anyway. People will think what they want to think, so no need to confuse them with a true story of struggling, scrimping, saving, supporting parents, sending kids to college and still managing to have something. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726512 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:24:35 +0000 Sal 1726512@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wonder how many people are adopting and sticking to this lifestyle...I suspect not that many...especially not once they have children, houses to maintain, older parents to support etc...</p> <p>I do admire people who cut their consumption of material goods, or eliminate packaging (my struggle right now), or who mostly shop second hand or ethically.. &nbsp;I think minimalism is also a way of making money (books, selling the perfect sofa or phone or wardrobe)...</p> <p>My personal issue at the moment is the cult of the good looking person giving lifestyle/diet/exercise/quasi medical advice for which they have no qualifications to give.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726508 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:13:34 +0000 Aziraphale 1726508@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Unfrumped -- yeah exactly! I was actually thinking of my garden shed, which is full of random stuff that I don't need all that often, but sometimes I do. Like extension cords. And various yard tools. My basement is the same -- I keep all kinds of things down there (hello WD-40, paint cans, solvents and seventeen different kinds of tape!) that you only need a bit of, once in a while, but it's wasteful to buy a whole new can/roll/bottle etc. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/why-minimalism-gets-up-my-nose#post-1726505 Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:08:18 +0000 unfrumped 1726505@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Agree akso that folks who " do" a lot of things themselves- paint the house, fix the toilet, sew clothes, can produce-- need a lot of "things" to do that, and some entropy is inevitable.<br /> Sure, every crafter and sewist can identify with no- longer- lived stufv that needs to be weeded out, and the tool bench, garage, sewing room etc don't function well when junked up- same as a wardobe does not, when too crammed, clothes rumpled or disappearing- but a log of the minimalism blogged would not be satisfied with a well- organized and well- STOCKED closet.<br /> Actually clothing is almost the most suitable for mimimalsim, due to changes in styles and body- renew, replace, update. Whereas, a set of wrenches..... </p>