living with less but looking like more

my bank account loves this

i remember the days when my wardrobe felt like a revolving door—new dresses, tops, and jackets coming in faster than i could wear them out. every event needed something new, as if the right outfit could somehow fix everything else in life. the dopamine rush from clicking ‘add to cart’ was real, but the satisfaction? fleeting. it’s funny how we convinced ourselves that happiness was tucked inside a shopping bag, and not, you know, in actual meaningful experiences.

and now, like some collective epiphany, here comes tiktok’s “rule of five,” telling us to pause, breathe, and ask ourselves: am i really going to wear this five times? suddenly, i’m looking at my closet full of one-hit wonders, those items i wore exactly once before they were banished to the back, like the ghosts of past shopping mistakes. this rule isn’t revolutionary in its complexity—five wears is hardly a high bar—but in a world drowning in throwaway culture, it feels like a rebellion.

you have to admire gen z for this. they’ve got a knack for taking the most basic ideas and making them feel like a movement. they’re ditching the never-ending chase for “new” and shifting focus to what’s already hanging in their closets. turns out, they’re not here for the endless cycle of disposable trends. they want their clothes to stick around for more than just one photo op.

the shift is so clear: it’s not just about owning stuff anymore. it’s about owning the right stuff—the things that will survive the fickle winds of fashion, and hopefully, a couple of laundry cycles. there’s a certain elegance to the simplicity of this idea. less about excess and more about intention. which, honestly, is something we could all use a little more of.

the fashion industry, predictably, is sweating. their bread and butter has been built on convincing us that every season requires a brand-new wardrobe. fall comes, and suddenly nothing in your closet is good enough. but now, the kids on tiktok are calling them out, one "rule of five" video at a time. brands are realizing they might need to change their tune or risk becoming irrelevant, fast.

but the thing is, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword anymore. it’s not about slapping a green label on something and calling it eco-friendly. gen z isn’t here for the marketing gimmicks. they’re holding brands accountable, demanding transparency and real change. and you know what? it’s refreshing. it’s like a wake-up call that we didn’t even know we needed.

it’s also forcing us to rethink the way we approach consumption in general. this isn’t just about clothes. it’s about how we interact with everything we own. instead of buying into the idea that more is better, maybe it’s time to start embracing the notion that less can be more, if we let it be.

i can’t help but laugh when i think about the sheer absurdity of my past wardrobe choices—those wild, trendy pieces i bought on a whim, convinced they’d transform me into someone new. spoiler alert: they didn’t. the rule of five is like a friendly little reminder from the universe to slow down. because in the end, maybe it’s not about the next big thing. maybe it’s about making what you already have count.