Minimalism Is For Brown Girls
Iâve been feeling overwhelmed with the sheer volume of stuff that I own, and I want to minimize and simplify my consumption habits. I read Marie Kondoâs book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a few years ago, and that helped to set the wheels in motion.Â
My quest for minimalism, simplicity, and organization has really heightened in the last few months, possibly because of the increasing pressures of school and other things. All of my excess stuff just seemed to become more salient to me during this time.Â
To help guide my quest, I tried to get guidance from bloggers and lifestyle folks. I tried following a few minimalist YouTubers, like Jenny Mustard, and I listened to exactly 0.5 (half) of a podcast by The Minimalists, but there is just this disconnect that I cannot seem to bridge.
Most minimalist bloggers that I've found are white and/or men (and definitely western), and I honestly cannot relate. Like, just because I want to declutter and simplify my life, doesn't mean that can live in a bare apartment with white walls. Similarly, makeup and accessories are important to me, I don't want to dress in neutrals, and I don't want to be preached to about "slow" or more âintentionalâ living.
I want to still feel like myself - which is a vibrant, colourful, fashionable, chubby, unapologetically ethnic, Pakistani, woman, artist, designer - and I donât know how to be all of those things and a minimalist. So much of minimalism is stripping away stuff, and that always seems to manifest as being a skinny white hipster. Which I am not.Â
The context of me wanting to be minimal in a world that wants me to be smaller, thinner, quieter, and take up less space, is difficult to navigate. Figuring out a balance between paring down and including all of my complexities is challenging.
I cannot and will not strip away a lot of myself, because some stuff is important. I need some stuff. Physical stuff helps me with some of my emotional stuff. I need tangible things to hold on to, as memories for a third culture kid who canât go back to where she was raised, as reference for a diasporic adult who wants a connection to homeland, as affirmation for a plus size girl who spent a lot of time curating a style and wardrobe, and as an archive for an artist who looks to stuff for inspiration.
Anyway, I am trying to figure it out. If youâre interested in following me while I try, then Iâll be posting updates here and on my YouTube channel:Â https://www.youtube.com/wearivebeen.
How have you made minimalism work for you?
