Until I started playing around on Polyvore, the infamous time-suck/fashion template website, I had no idea that there were so many things to want. I have never wanted to spend money (that I don’t have) more than when I’m perusing Polyvore.
When it comes to me and shopping, the old adage “out of sight, out of mind,” rings ridiculously true: unless I’m staring at some torn and dirty pants or I’m flipping through catalogs, I don’t think about what I want/need to buy too often. I like thinking about ways to fart around with the clothes in my closet, which accessories to add, which skinny jeans to squeeze my ass into, but shopping doesn’t come to mind.
Until you set me loose on Polyvore. All of a sudden, I want to drop my whole yearly shopping budget on a fancy-pants gemstone brooch in the shape of a fairly anatomically correct bee. It’s unnecessary ““ I get grabbed by the shopping-fever and before long, I’ve lost all sense of self and proportion: all of a sudden, I understand how weddings grow to such mammoth proportions.
What’s unsettling is how this shopping-fury divorces me from how I normally am. I don’t normally go for the super-expensive, super-ornate, super-everything look that I lose myself in with e-window shopping and Polyvore. All of a sudden, I want things I never before knew existed. That’s not even accurate ““ I want things I could never have dreamed would exist. I want things that shouldn’t even be real. I become a mouth-frothing ad-driven capitalist rampaging for a pair of gold stilettos. That’s not me.
The good news for me is that by closing the tab, I end all of this. I no longer feel the push to Get More Stuff. I no longer want all those ridiculous doo-dads. I get back to my normal instantly. I don’t like the feeling of wanting to buy. I don’t judge others who do, or anyone who just loves to shop, but for me, e-window shopping takes me outside of myself and not in that cool out-of-body experience way. It’s unsettling.
So for the sake of my budget and my own sense of self, I think I have to say good bye to Polyvore and e-window shopping ““ at least until I’m looking for something I actually need.
Do you like e-window shopping? Does Polyvore get you carried away?
6 replies on “Polyvore is Evil”
I feel the same way about Pinterest; it’s full of people saying “I want this!”
I just don’t get it. I like the idea of it because I can window shop without suddenly having to want all the things, but I find the selection just too overwhelming. I usually just play around with brands I already like or designers I admire.
I think of it more as playing with paper dolls than as e-window shopping. Divorced from any notions of actually spending money, it’s kinda calming fun.
I came here to say the same thing. I definitely think of it as paper dolls, and I don’t even look at the prices of things or consider buying them.
I have avoided all thing Polyvore for these very reasons. :)
I have several I-will-buy-this-when-I’m-rich lists at Polyvore. It’s addicting and usually the need for creditcards and me being afraid of buying clothes online is the only thing that doesn’t makes me go bankrupt in those moments.