Thrifting is an activity that has been recently trending all around us, in all sorts of age groups. Everyone finds it exciting and interesting to take part in. On TikTok, I see things such as thrift hauls or good places to go thrifting. Which I love because, I too, love to participate in this activity. I almost always go out thrift shopping in my free time, I find it to be one of my most enjoyable hobbies. I enjoy thrifting because sometimes I have a specific piece of clothing that I like to be on the lookout for, but other times I like to keep an open mind and see what I can find. I think one of the great things about thrifting and what I find is any type of name-brand clothes, I find it to be so cool that I can get this name-brand item for 8 dollars rather than for 45 dollars. Although this does require some digging.

With my growing interest in thrifting, I started to wonder where it originated from, how it even became such a popular thing. So popular that even Macklemore & Ryan Lewis made a song about it! So I looked into it and I found that it first started in the late 1800s, early 1900s. The reason it flourished was that as the US population grew larger, there was mass production of clothes for Americans. With mass production, people wanted to buy these newly produced clothes. This soon filled up their closet, making them have to get rid of the clothes they do not wear or do not want anymore. Allowing pawn shops and thrift stores to find the value in such items, to make a profit by buying off the clothes of people that did not want these items anymore, and then selling these clothes for lower prices for the pleasure of other people. 

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, are the three R’s that we are taught to use! Something we have all heard of but never really realized is something we can take part in. Thrifting uses the three R’s by the number of clothes, we reuse the clothing to enjoy for ourselves, and we recycle it by donating clothes to a thrift shop. I  have been to thrift stores that are very aesthetically pleasing and have seen the three R’s used as a decoration inside of these stores. Thrift shopping is considered a good thing and a great help to society. If you look hard enough, you can find some pretty amazing and well-taken care of items that still look and feel brand new. These items have yet to live out their full potential and thrifting is a great way to make it happen! 

With that being said, if it were not for the mass production of clothes in the late 1800s to early 1900s we would not even know what thrifting is. The way thrifting came to be and has grown to have many benefits that people find interest in is so amazing. These benefits are as simple as the way that the three R’s are used, which helps our community. Also because I feel that thrifting allows for you to find clothing and items that speak to you and express who you are as a person. When thrifting you never know what to expect, which is what makes it so exciting.

If you currently love thrifting, then continue it, because you are making a difference in your community! If you have never been thrifting or you are not sure if you will find interest in it, give it a try. Some great places to look can be Goodwill or the goodwill bins in downtown Phoenix. There is also Curtsy and Poshmark, these are considered to be online thrifting shops. Although when and if you decide to look into these places, you do have to be willing to take the time to look and find what speaks to you. You are not always going to find something so you can not get discouraged. Thrifting can be exciting and rewarding in the sense of what you find and how you make use of it.