The Patience Challenge
I don’t believe I’ve talked about my thesis with you all yet; but I am working overtime to get this thesis proposal done before Christmas (Dana – I promise it’s going to happen)! Yesterday afternoon, I was working on one of the sections of my literature review that focuses on behavioral economics. Henry Farrell (2017) defined behavioral economics as “the subfield known for exploring how psychological biases cause people to act in ways that diverge from pure rational self-interest” (para. 1). Now, I’m certainly not an economist, but I find people’s decision making to be absolutely fascinating. Think about the Patience Challenge that went viral last summer. For this challenge, parents placed treats in front of their young children and instructed them to wait to have the treat until the parents returned. While some children certainly succeeded, many others did not. Why is it that so many children struggled to resist until their parents returned? And you know what, that is something that many people – grown adults even – struggle to manage. All of us often fail to resist something that’s readily available – right in front of our eyes – rather than waiting for the better, optimized choice.
While working on my literature review, I came across a book chapter that discusses “the paradox of consumerism and caring” (Arrington, 2019, p. 78). Despite the fact that the majority of consumers – 70 percent – state a desire to purchase sustainably and make ethical decisions, many of them do not actually purchase that way. In fact, I have seen so much research talking about how consumers demand responsibility, transparency and sustainability out of the brands from which they purchase. The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company’s “State of Fashion 2021” report discusses how, “the luxury consumer of 2020 is well-educated about the product and has high expectations, and they’re only going to become more knowledgeable in the years to come” (p. 35). This all seems promising, right? It certainly seems like consumers want to purchase from sustainable brands; they want to be educated on ethics and sustainability. However, I fear that these are just passing statements. I fear that consumers won’t actually follow up on the demands.
In a recent article for Vogue Business, Rachel Cernansky (2020) wrote, “consumers consistently say they want to buy from brands with high environmental and ethical standards; some even report a willingness to pay more for them. Yet there’s little evidence they act on those values” (para. 2). Later on in the article, Cernansky (2020) explained that humans have two basic needs for psychological wellbeing: “to feel like we’re special and unique in some way, but also to feel like we fit in” (para. 5). The fast fashion industry, and even the luxury industry to an extent, overproduces in such a way that consumers are constantly being presented with more, more, more and new, new, new products that they “need” to have in order to fit in and feel as if they belong.
“The underlying motivation for buying fast fashion is very social…It allows one to meet their identity needs, which are unconscious in many ways, at an affordable price.”
“If you want to change the state of the world – the needs aren’t going to change, so you have to create alternatives. Whether it’s fast fashion or politics, you have to give them an alternative way of fitting in.”
I like to believe that people are inherently good – that they want to do what is best for not only themselves, but also others and the overall environment. Despite the fact that consumers understand and want sustainable fashion, it is often too hard to resist the temptations of what’s readily available and right in front of your eyes. Each and every day, fashion lovers fail the Patience Challenge. What I hope to find out in my thesis research is what luxury brands can do to help its audience succeed in the Patience Challenge – to wait for the sustainable, higher-quality option rather than jumping the gun and purchasing what’s available.
Just something to think about.
Bye for now,
McGee
Arrington, D. W. (2019). Ethical and sustainable luxury: The paradox of consumerism and caring. Engaging with fashion, 77-89. Brill | Rodopi. DOI:10.1163/9789004382435_006
Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company. (2020b). The State of Fashion 2021. Retrieved from http://cdn.businessoffashion.com/reports/The_State_of_Fashion_2021.pdf