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UIS Professor Blogs About Thrift Shopping

Rachel Otwell/WUIS

When it comes to shopping, I'm not a fan. Take me to a thrift store however, and I can dig around for hours in search of the perfect bargain. My house is decorated in odd old knick knacks and paintings from antique malls and second-hand stores. It's not unusual that most of what I am wearing is from Goodwill.

I have yet to buy my daughter a stitch of clothing that's brand new (with my own money that is - gift cards are still welcome, family!) My husband is probably even more into thrift shopping than me - regularly digging around town for vinyl records or a cool old pair of boots. 

But enough about my life... All this is to say -  I have been really loving a blog about thrift shopping, which Holly Kent is the co-founder of. It's called Thriftanthology and she runs it with Kelli Oliver. The fact Kent teaches women's history at UIS gives her an interesting, nuanced perspective. "Fashion tells you a lot about a culture and a society ... it gets us into a lot of big questions." Kent says learning about fashion provides info about society, class, and consumerism. In the interview above, Kent and I talk about the implications of fast fashion, and whether or not buying second-hand is an adequate way to feel like an ethical consumer. 

Kent says it takes the same attributes of being a good person as it does to be a good thrifter. "It's about being open to the unexpected and being willing to be surprised about what you find, and not going in with an agenda ... being able to embrace that chaos." 

She is currently working on a project with her blog called "Catch and Release", in which she is analyzing what new things she acquires, as well as the cycle of getting rid of the old. "I have three closets in my home and I have very successfully filled them all - letting things go serves both that very functional purpose ... but I feel like it also takes up psychic space."  Kent says this was highlighted when she moved to Springfield from the east coast for work. She was loaded down with outfits she had since high school.  "I am not the same person I was in high school. I do not want to wear those dresses anymore. So they were not just taking up room in my closet, they were also just kind of blocking me from finding out who I wanted to be here in my adult life." To find out more about Kent and her thrifting obsession and expertise - be sure to check out her blog, here.

Rachel Otwell of the Illinois Times is a former NPR Illinois reporter.