And Just Like That, the patriarchy is still pulling the strings

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It's not hyperbole to say SATC series was one of the most culturally influential shows, particularly on women. Even though it ended in 2004, its influence on culture - style, women, fashion, relationships, people, etc is undeniable. For me, it was only about the style. When the reboot, And Just Like That was announced in 2021, it nearly broke the internet. Most of the episodes of the first season have aired and the momentum online hasn’t stopped.  

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I won’t bother going over all the controversial hot topics from recent episodes because they’ve been thoroughly covered - from AJLT’s attempt at diversity, cast feuds, inclusion, cultural appropriation, LGBTQI, etc and then there’s ageing. The show has gotten a lot of praise for addressing the issue of women and ageing head-on. It’s rare in Hollywood and mainstream to feature women in their 50s with grey hair and wrinkles as main characters, amp up their style and tell their stories.

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 A basic tenet of patriarchy  

Anyone familiar with the whole patriarchal ideals on women knows that for centuries the value of a woman was primarily based on her youth, her beauty or both. These standards still very much exist in modern society but the momentum of movements like feminist, humanitarian and equality have moved the needle a little bit in the last few decades. People are far more aware of these dynamics than ever before.

The double standards, lack of equity, misogyny, oppression of women and so on are seen in every industry. As women get older and therefore no longer fit into the super narrow confines of these shallow standards, their value in society according to the patriarchal system diminishes and they become less visible. As women are commodified in this way and as they age, it gets harder for some women to find employment, get financial opportunities, date, maintain self-esteem or even be treated with basic dignity and respect by society.

Patriarchy influence on media and culture

The tv, film and media often have the power to shape cultural perceptions, shift narratives and attitudes towards gender for better or for worse. Women occupy only 27% of senior executive leadership positions in media and entertainment according to McKinsey Consulting.

It’s not surprising that the perception of women continues to be skewed in the direction of inequality and double standards. Film and television for as long as I can remember has been flooded with patriarchal commodification standards of and towards women. These standards have seeped into our personal and collective subconscious. Even as women or people from marginalised groups, it takes effort to unlearn some of these biases. In some cases, it requires an exorcism. Which is why the patriarchy is still puling the strings by making women dislike parts of themselves.

AJLT is no exception.

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Desperately trying to seem cool (young)

As much as AJLT has appeared to embrace ageing in some contexts, it’s still following the patriarchal playbook. In episode 8, we meet Carrie’s new young neighbour who keeps Carrie awake in the middle of the night with loud noises with her friends. Carrie frantically asks them to stop the noise. Then Carrie is devastated because she’s worried she won’t be seen as cool. Not simply because of a reasonable fear of having bad blood with a new neighbour (which would be totally understandable) but for not no longer being cool.

The connotation was that she wanted to come off as someone in her 20s(ish) who also stays up all night. She even lies to her neighbour the following day insisting that she had been awake writing in the middle of the night and the noise only bothered her cause she was writing. As opposed to the truth that she was trying to sleep because apparently sleeping in the middle of the night (instead of partying / hanging out) implies she’s old. And it’s apparently taboo to be age. Carrie desperately trying to fit into this mould signals other ways that women still need to fit into a standard to feel validated. It might not even be a conscious thing but it’s there. That old patriarchal notion of a woman being validated by her youth definitely played itself out here albeit in a micro way. But the implication is big. 

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The implication

Carrie could have fully embraced where she is. There’s nothing wrong with going to bed early and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going to bed early cause you’re older. That’s life. We go through different stages and should not feel shame for it or any other behaviours that people do as they move through stages of life.

The more we normalise them and not vilify someone for doing what is natural, the sooner we can realise more equality for women and other people. In other words, stop making older women wrong all the time and younger women right all the time. They’re both valid, they’re both equally prone to right and wrong.

I’m sure it wasn’t the intention of the show but it’s just another way of seeing the lingering patriarchal hold on women, how it manifests unconsciously or otherwise and how we perpetuate it.  

Where to go from here

Being the culturally influential show that it is, there’s an opportunity to embrace more than the physical side (grey hair and wrinkles) of ageing. It can go full circle in normalising the psychological attitudes and behaviours of ageing too. It will go a long way in shifting the status quo with women and the people that have criminalised women for ageing.

I’ve been inspired by the style of the series courtesy show stylists, Patricia Field and now Molly Roger. And I don’t want to join the ranks of people criticising the show for sport. I’m not even sure this is a criticism as opposed to an observation that we have to be vigilant with our minds on how streams of patriarchal ideals make us feel about ourselves when we’re not looking. And how we perpetuate them in our lives or the lives of other women. With all the years of service given, experience, wisdom and knowledge accumulated over years, women getting older are to be treated with plenty of RESPECT.

We have to undo these brainwashed ideals in all areas of life and stop making ageing a crime in media, entertainment and everyday life.

 ♥ Nina Gbor

Insta: @eco.styles

Resolving the waste crisis

Image credit: Chantel Bann

I was out on a walk the other day and spotted a ‘FREE’ sign in front of someone’s house above a couple of art frames, a lamp, clothes rack, mirror, a chair and some books. It’s pretty common to see household items on the sidewalk, free for passers-by to take. I’ve come across everything from sofas to tvs, suitcases, washing machines, clothes, printers, desks, electronics and even fresh fruit.

I found out about a community Facebook group called Street Bounty Inner West where locals in a suburb can post reusable items they see in the street for anyone to pick up. The group aims to “promote the recycling and reuse of materials, keeping kerbs cleaner, landfill emptier and wallets fuller.” Movements like this divert so much stuff from going to landfills. However, sometimes these items can get damaged on the sidewalk by exposure to weather conditions: rain, extreme sun and wind. And/or eventually still end up in landfill if nobody takes it.

Images credit top row L to R: Kimberly Scott, Fi Paskulich, Anna Bailey, Obaydah Vetter. Second row L to R: Nicky Lewis, Sarah Bea, Carolyn Veg Ienna and Vanessa Jimenez.

The world’s waste

According to The World Counts, the world dumps 2.12 billion tonnes of waste each year. If it were all put on trucks, it would stretch around the earth 24 times! Part of the reason why this figure is so high is that 99% of the stuff we purchase is trashed within 6 months. According to the World Bank, global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050. A huge majority of the world’s waste is generated by countries in the global North like Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada.

According to Australia’s National Waste Report 2020, Australians generated around  74.1 million tonnes of waste in 2018-19 (this includes household waste, organics, masonry materials and ash). Community efforts like Street Bounty that salvage household waste from landfills by donating to random strangers are a noble act. Many movements like this are doing fantastic work in tackling the waste problem but they can only capture a tiny fraction of the overall waste that exists.

Planned obsolescence

It’s fair to say that planned obsolescence is probably the biggest factor behind the tremendously high amount of waste. It’s a modern capitalist trend that’s been a massive catalyst for manifesting more waste in the last few decades than humanity has ever witnessed. Planned obsolescence is a strategy during manufacture that ensures products are deliberately designed with an artificially limited useful life or designed to eventually slow down or become obsolete. This guarantees that consumers will regularly want to replace these products in the future. The purpose of this strategy is for corporations to gain stable and increased profits. The outcome is a massive increase in waste to landfills and huge greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and environmental degradation.  

Image credit: How-To Geek

Common waste streams

E-waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) is the quickest growing domestic waste stream. On a global scale, we generate over 50 million tonnes of e-waste each year. Only 20% of this is formally recycled. That comes to about 7.3 kilograms per person and the equivalent in weight to 350 cruise ships. The e-waste produced annually is worth over $62.5 billion. A lot of e-waste is toxic and gets exported to poorer countries in the global South where they end up polluting the environment in these countries and also in their landfills. 

The average Australian household produces about 73 kg of e-waste a year. With a projection of a global total e-waste increase to 74.7 million tonnes (almost twice the amount of new e-waste in just 16 years). Planned obsolescence is a big feature in the electronics industry.  

In 2018, Italy fined Samsung and Apple for purposely slowing down older models of their phones. Their plan was for people to get annoyed with the slowness of their phones to the point where they were forced to buy the newest and much more expensive models.

Image credit: Carolyn Veg Ienna

Furniture waste

With the popularity of flatpack furniture over the last few decades, there’s been a boom in furniture waste. When people are relocating, it can be more convenient to throw away old or damaged furniture instead of repairing or paying to move them to the new location.

Each year, Americans throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture and furnishings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Only a small percentage is recycled. And in Australia, households dispose of around 24 kg of wooden furniture each year.

Image credit: Blake Milne

Images credit: Bee Yolanda, Clare Marshall, Jobi-Zane Pixus and Tom.

Waste from fashion & textiles

We’re producing about 150 billion garments a year with only 7.8 billion humans. It’s not surprising that 84% of all new clothing produced ends up in landfills each year. Fast fashion is to blame for these alarming figures.

Fast fashion brands through clever marketing amongst other things manipulate consumers into buying new clothes every few days or every week. These clothes usually get thrown out very quickly as trash and a huge portion is exported to countries in the global South where they eventually pollute those environments. Overconsumption is a modern cultural trend that’s detrimental to people and the planet. Fashion trends are one of the things that fuel fashion waste.

Image credit: CALPIRG

Solving the waste crisis

Australia has a national target of recovering 80% of waste by 2030. To make ambitious goals like this in Australia and other countries a reality, we’ll have to do a lot more than sidewalk donations. It’s so necessary to break the planet-destroying linear cycle of stuff that goes from retail to buyer then landfill in less than a year. In spite of planned obsolescence and our behaviours around consumption, many items are still useful and can be repurposed. A couple of ideas:

1. Make profits for yourself and charities

Reselling has always been a phenomenal way to divert waste from landfills and make a profit. However, CharityBay is next level! On this platform, you can do both of these things and help charities at the same time. People can sell items and donate some or all profits to a chosen charity. Imagine if all the stuff abandoned on the street and the useable stuff sent to landfill were resold for charity.  

2. Rescue, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose

There are many community groups like the Street Bounty Inner West group that support waste reduction. You might find similar groups through a search on social media platforms. If you can’t find one for your local community then create one.

With a little love, imagination and a makeover, many items have the potential for a magical transformation into something ‘new’, useful and maybe even beautiful. Imagine what our societies would be like if repairing and upcycling were as much a cultural habit as overconsumption?

Image credit: Imran Zainal © Imran’s Ark via iProperty

3. Legislation and policy change

Local community action is very powerful but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. We have to have laws in effect that ban planned obsolescence. And

• hold corporations accountable for ensuring durability and lifelong repair guarantee in the products they make

•  limit the number of goods manufactured to a reasonable number in harmony with planetary resources and product demand / usage

•  hold corporations accountable if they do not comply with these laws.

 ♥ Nina Gbor

Insta: @eco.styles

Christmas is the greatest annual environmental disaster

Black Friday (November 26th) marked the annual initiation into this season's global overconsumption ritual. It usually starts with Black Friday, goes into Christmas, gets hotter on Boxing Day, then New Year's and all throughout January. It's a lot! Our modern culture has set up this period as the festival of superfluous consumption. So it’s primed for voracious use of material things far beyond any other time of the year. This is why environmentalists say Christmas is the greatest environmental disaster.

Marked by the biggest displays of excessive advertising, manipulative sales tactics, oversupply and mindless buying with almost no consideration for the environmental cost to the earth, the wellbeing of humans involved in supply chain and raw materials extracted to manufacture the products.

80% of clothes purchased on Black Friday are reportedly thrown away after one wear. Some environmentalists say Christmas is the world's greatest environmental disaster.

To be fair, the underprivileged & marginalised groups, the season is an opportunity to afford little luxuries and needed items beyond regaular price range.

However, there's more than enough resources to cater for everyone's basic needs if we commit to taking care of people and planet. Especially if we embrace systemic global equity, equality and let go of capitalism's principles of placing profiteering well over the wellbeing of humans and the earth.

If we did this, there will be far less poverty, fewer marginalised groups and very likely little need for charity.

Holidays have become far removed from their founding history, origins and cultures. And morphed into meaningless, superficial rites of spending to enrich corporations that often contribute to high emissions and human exploitation.

So, what if we had new ways to celebrate the holidays from now on by completely moving away from the outdated model of buying stuff we don't need for others and ourselves? Like showing our affection for loved ones in ways that go beyond the material e.g. giving our loved ones the gift of our PRESENCE instead of material PRESENTS (unless absolutely necessary)? Presence can mean several things! Like new experiences, listening without judgement, volunteering to help, donating your time to do what the other person wants, making sure someone(s) feels heard, etc.

Alternatively, meaningful secondhand or handmade gifts to support small businesses that have minimal carbon footprint.

My love for vintage Japanese kimonos

Images by Elena Delaver

Pretty sure it was love at first sight when I chanced upon this 1950s vintage Japanese kimono while thrift shopping on a random Saturday afternoon in November 2019 at a secondhand market. I must admit, even as a lifelong secondhand clothing shopper with an extensive and eclectic wardrobe, I was entranced when I first saw this beautiful piece of wearable art. It nearly had me feeling somewhat unworthy.

I was also blown away by what I was learning about traditional Japanese kimono history and culture from Shona as she taught me how to wear it before selling it to me. My love for kimonos has grown stronger ever since!

This is a wedding kimono, called a kakeshita. Based on the embroidery style, it's likely from the 1950s and it's 100% silk. So rare, if not impossible to find 2 identical kimonos of this type.

I belted the kimono with a vintage, silk, gold sash I found in the bargain bin at a thrift store.

Photos by Elena Delaver

♥ Nina Gbor

Insta: @eco.styles

Superman, retro t-shirts and sweet memories

*Entire ensemble is secondhand.

If you’re familiar with my style, you’ll know I’m into 1950s vintage dresses or just feminine style. Never been one to follow fashion trends cause my style has always been about self-expression. This is probably why my wardrobe is so eclectic. Lately, memories of a few little adventures from my childhood have been resurfacing through retro t-shirts I’ve found in thrift stores. Wearing superhero retro t-shirts has been an opportunity to reconnect and express that part of myself. And it lets me pay homage to some of those sweet, precious memories.

Retro Superman t-shirt worn here over a dress.

I remember when I was introduced to Superman as a 4-year-old. For weeks, Superman was all that my brothers and their friends talked about. The excitement was even more intense when the Superman movie was scheduled to be on tv one night. On that fateful night, I wanted to watch The Sound of Music on a different channel. I mean, it was seeing the trailer of the Von Trapp children dancing in formation and Maria singing The hills are Alive… on those green rolling hills that did it for me. There was no question, I WAS HOOKED!

Thus, began the showdown: 4-year-old Nina vs her 4 older brothers. Was it going to be Sound of Music or was it going to be Superman? The man of steel or the singing nun? Who was going to be the victor? The 4 little boys who waited to see the flying superhero or one very determined little girl? Mom had the final say. I revved up my last-born charm and it worked. Baby Nina had her way. My mom chose my movie! The boys were understandably livid (at first). As we settled into it though, they began to love Sound of Music as much as I did. Eventually, we watched Superman and loved it too.

Those are the kinds of sweet memories that come up when I see superhero t-shirts. I’ve always believed that style, like a fingerprint, is a very individual thing. It is and should always be about expressing who you are on the inside externally. It’s how from a style perspective, we validate our individuality, confidence and develop a stronger, more positive self-image. Allowing ourselves to be exposed to the plethora of styles that are served up in secondhand markets, thrift stores and garage sales helps further that process of fabulous self-discovery and expression. Following fashion trends on the other hand can be fun but they can slow down personal growth through secondhand sustainable fashion. Not to mention the fact that trends contribute heavily to overconsumption and fashion’s environmental crisis.

Another cool thing about secondhand clothes is that consumers reduce their carbon footprint by 82% when they buy used items instead of new items according to Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group. They believe that the CO2 emissions of the clothing industry will likely rise to about 2.8 billion tonnes a year within a decade. This level of emissions is equivalent to that produced by about 230 million cars driven within a year!

♥ Nina Gbor

Insta: @eco.styles