I chose to go through my dresser for this assignment. My parents have always been encouraging me to do a similar task of going through my clothes and picking out what I no longer want, so that we can give it away. However, their reasoning was not so much focused on the importance of material objects and their significance, but rather trying to clear up closet space in the room of an online shopaholic. I always knew I owned a lot more clothes than I probably should. I spend way too much of my free time browsing online for sales at my favourite stores and often when I’m stressed I tend to just “treat” myself to a new outfit or ten. However, like the reading proposes, you never really know how much you have until it is a pile right in front of you. While the clothes from my dresser wasn’t as big of a pile as I have suggested, given how frequently I’m shopping, it made me reflect on the clothes still in my closets at school, and both my mom and dad’s house at home. Yet, I never viewed my clothes as important material possessions, rather what just interested me while I was scrolling online, or out at the mall with friends.
As I was sorting through my clothes, I didn’t expect this assignment, after reading sections from the book, to really have that much of an effect on me. I owned so many random shirts, pants, even crazy socks that I haven’t thought twice about since purchasing. However, as I was completing this assignment I didn’t find that to be the case at all. It really opened my eyes to a new perspective on how I viewed these everyday objects. As I get changed everyday, I never put much thought into what I am dressing myself with, rather just if it all matched, and if it was warm enough to leave the house in with all of this crazy weather. Yet sitting down and being surrounded by all of these articles of clothing I actually had time to think about each and every piece I picked up.
Organizing these piles I found a lot of clothes that I haven’t worn in forever and to be honest don’t really know why I have in the first place. I found shirts that I have some amazing memories in, as well as clothing that I wish getting rid of would also rid me of the traumas that happened while I was wearing them. Overall, tidying up my dresser helped me to realize that some of these clothes I thought were insignificant held a lot of meaning to me after all. I put on the top of my drawers those clothes that I want to continue wearing and feeling happy in and get rid of those that really don’t hold that much more importance in my life. This assignment helped me to tidy up my room a bit, find new meaning and significance in old items and hopefully put an end to my online shopping addiction.
The Materials of History, Thought, and Art 
I too, am a not quite reformed online shopper. PayPal, Amazon, coupon codes, and free shipping have fed my retail beast in the past. What I happily do now is scroll and shop until I am bleary eyed, put any item (s) that tickle my fancy in the cart/basket, then logout of the site. Virtual window shopping has saved me a small fortune. Very rarely do I think about the items I chose again. If it stays in my thoughts, I will revisit the site. If a sale was going on with an the item going out of stock or no longer available in my size, it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe shopping sites need to have a ‘does this spark joy?’ option. Might be on to something here.
I really loved the approach you took in this assignment, especially how you got the last laugh about the plaid pants. They are probably comfy cozy, right? Kudos to you for keeping them!
I, too, usually treat myself to a new outfit or ten. I am always convincing myself that I need more clothes, adding more and more sweaters to my online shopping cart on the American Eagle website while my mom persistently (and truthfully) tells me that I don’t need any more clothes. I had actually purged my clothes prior to this assignment but, like you, I did not really think deeply about my clothing until it was all laid out on the floor around me and I could relive memories through these items. I love how you articulated that some things which you thought were not valuable were actually incredibly meaningful to you after all; I experienced the same thing with my clothes, coming across shirts from middle and high school that I rarely wear anymore but which are near and dear to my heart, so I refused to get rid of them (like old t-shirts from my high school music department and my all time favorite AP Calc t-shirt, which I still wear as a pajama shirt). Would Marie Kondo approve of me keeping things that I barely wear? Probably not – although it seems you fared a bit better than I did in terms of tidying up your clothes. I hope your online shopping addiction has met its end (I doubt that the KonMari method has cured me of mine, though).