ETHICAL GLAMOUR

Ethical & Glamour…. a juxtaposition of words! … Not two words you would necessarily put next to each other are they? Well why not?

I would say the two words work very well together; in fact I have proved they work immensely well together here at Mooshy La La! 

 

Just as Ethical works very well with Consumerism…….

An ‘ethical consumer’ is someone who buys things that are produced ethically. Something that is recycled, products produced without the use of slavery and child labour, or food that is raised organic or free range. The whole point of the ethical consumerism movement is that you ‘know’ what you are buying and that you buy things that are produced ethically because not ‘knowing’ leads to abuse and exploitation.

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Yet! … Every ‘Festive weekend’ or every ‘Payday weekend’ for that matter,  the masses head for the City Centre & Retail parks, they sit in traffic jams, battle through crowds, grasping at any item they think may sell out,… they stand like soldiers in long queues to “Pay Here”

They are spending their hard earned cash (maxing their credit cards) in these huge conglomerates that send that money to their offshore banks making the shareholders richer & richer and we wonder why oh why there is such a gap in the local economy???????  I’m sorry but the thought of that really makes me want to hyperventilate ……

I know in this world of Mass Consumerism, it’s a big ‘Ask‘ to expect everyone at holiday time to boycott big stores & supermarkets, let’s face it, that will never happen, but just slow down …..Think! Think!!

We all know that an astronomical amount of money is spent nationally at Christmastime, (we only have to view our own January bank statement, to see with horror how much cash we get through ourselves) but is it all worth it?

I certainly don’t mean is Christmas worth it, because I love Christmas, I still get Goosebumps when I see all the lights & the festive displays, and I’m certainly not going to refuse that mouth watering Easter egg, or the obligatory Valentine rose – but I hate the fact that every time I go into the shops, during any festive season, I am being manipulated & coerced into spending more & more money by these aggressive marketing campaigns – yes the M&S ads are wonderful, even Aldi & Lidl have it nailed now …& …Oh! How we all anticipated what tear jerking epic John Lewis would bring to our TV screens last Christmas. Well for £7 million did you think 2016’s boxer dog/trampoline advert lived up to expectations?

I’ve made my views perfectly clear about my abhorrence of mass consumerism, and ‘Black Friday’ epitomized this!!!! This vile import from the USA brought out the greed and avarice of so many fools who fell for the grim marketing techniques of the huge global retailers.

It really is time to rethink the way we shop!  Just remember it doesn’t have to be expensive to be original! It just takes a bit of thought!

On that point I want you to think of all the small independent businesses, the small producers, the designers, the craftspeople, the vintage & antique shops …there are plenty & I mean plenty! We have an abundance of magnificent Independent shops & businesses here in Liverpool (& I don’t just mean Liverpool City Centre …. on your DOORSTEP!) 

Just remember when you spend local – it stays local, your money doesn’t get siphoned off to offshore accounts, it doesn’t go into the pockets of the ‘Non-Doms’ it goes to put food on the table of local people & keeps independent restaurants & bakers & butchers & florists & boutiques & hairdressers on your high street, it gives local people jobs !!!

“So this year let’s rethink the way we shop…

Shop independent, shop local, & shop ETHICAL”