The Joys of Vintage and Thrifting

Caroline Barron, a senior in the Humanities Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, is the co-author of this post.

Researchers have addressed the surge of interest in vintage shopping. Used clothing, once a last resort, is now a thriving, creative, and practical enterprise. Whether it's bins of random clothing or high couture, thrifting and vintage shopping enhance both society and personal well-being and health. How?

1. Meaningful Connection to the Past. Research suggests that during times of loss or chaos, vintage shopping offers a meaningful or soulful connection to the past.
2. Quality for Less. Older items often have higher-quality craftsmanship or materials. One can acquire finery without buyer’s remorse and within budget. In the age of fast fashion tossed into landfills, secondhand also preserves quality in our environment.
3. Slow Time. Hand crafted or vintage items recall a sense of slow time. Time is a luxury.
4. Finding Beauty. Finding beauty missed by others boosts confidence in one’s eye or intuition. Dishes, trinkets, or clothes from other eras can have enduring beauty or design.
5. Tactile Pleasure. Lovely textures create tactile pleasures: silk, shearling, cashmere, or a carved object.
6. Creative Process. Exploring, choosing, and editing—keep this, leave that—represent a creative process: a curation. This can boost mood. It can also become an engaging hobby or an area of expertise.
7. Identity and Treasure. We might identify with a de-valued object that endured in an unconscious way, as if it is rescuing or working through a part of a self that was rejected or disregarded. A "displacement" defense is when we manage a personal concern by externalizing it. Sublimation—when we channel discomfits into focused activities—also plays a part.
8. Loving What You Love. Knowing and owning what you love, honoring one’s own leanings when there is pressure to do otherwise, is not always easy. Practice at heeding internal cues, instead of automatically succumbing to external ones in decision-making builds a psychological skill. One develops a self-awareness that can be applied to other endeavors, from education to work to relationships. A vitalized "internal life" is good for well-being. When it is integrated into one's choices, happiness is more likely.
9. Treasure Hunt. Unpredictability and thrill imbue a treasure hunt. This small adventure creates momentary distraction, positive anticipation, and pleasure.
10. Uniqueness Opportunity. Vintage is a one-of-a-kind world for those seeking to express individuality in a time of mass-produced clothing.
11. Sense of Control and Self-respect. Being less about brand and more about style offers us a sense of financial control and a feeling of self-respect. Some vintage shops do not distinguish much between luxury brands and others, price-wise.
12. Sustainability. This may be the most important positive. By reusing, donating, and exchanging instead of buying fast fashion items, we protect the environment and decrease waste.

Source: By Chloe Barron

Whether one prefers online or brick-and-mortar, secondhand shops are cropping up and offering possibilities. The search for unusual designs, rare finds, graphic tees, or "what's me" provides a positive process and some happy moments. It can even create a joyful bonding time with loved ones who provide helpful opinions.