I love getting dressed and sharing my outfits, but the world of fashion influencing? It’s just not for me. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much stuff we’re constantly being told to buy – how every scroll comes with a new “must-have,” and how influencers push hauls like it’s their full-time personality. At one point, I was so caught up in it that I found myself buying pieces I didn’t need and barely wore. The cycle of overconsumption was sneaky, but once I noticed it, I couldn’t unsee it. From Amazon gadgets to Shein swimsuits, it all started to feel excessive and, honestly, a little gross. 

This post isn’t about being holier-than-thou. I’ve been there. But I think a lot of us are hitting our limit and starting to question: do we really need this much stuff?

Why I Would Never Be a Fashion Influencer

If you take a look at my Instagram and TikTok, you’ll see my daily outfits – and that’s exactly it. Daily outfits, and nothing more. Last year, I unfollowed a lot of fashion influencers when I noticed my spending had increased, and I had packages arriving almost every other day. They were doing a great job, influencing me to buy another blazer or top just to achieve a certain look.

I hated it. Once I realized I was getting only a few wears out of the things I bought, I hated it even more. I told myself I’d never peddle clothes and accessories like that. What bothers me the most is the sheer amount of stuff being pushed every single day. There’s always a new post or reel about how they absolutely “love” this sweater and why everyone needs it in their closet ASAP. Or another white t-shirt they swear is the best they’ve ever owned –  even though they were gushing about a different one two months ago.

I’m not anti-consumerism, but the amount of clothing and accessories being pushed onto thousands of followers is honestly… sickening. No one needs that many clothes. No one needs to own 10 different white t-shirts. At that point, it’s just adding to the billions of tons of textile waste piling up around the world.

Now, am I a hypocrite for saying all this when I post daily outfit reels and share affiliated links? I don’t think so. I’m sharing what I wear –  not trying to convince anyone that they must buy this pair of jeans for their next vacation. My outfit reels feel more like daily journal entries, as I learn to dress and play with style.

I still follow fashion influencers, but now I’m more drawn to the ones who share five or more full outfits for different occasions, rather than showing up every day to push one single item. I’ve realized I enjoy seeing how people style clothes more than hearing someone rave about a single product.. 

Excessive Amazon Hauls

There’s no such thing as “Amazon must-haves.” You don’t need a 20-piece plastic container set to organize your fridge. You don’t need another pack of Stanley straw caps or a cute dispenser for your laundry beads. At first, I liked watching those fridge restock videos, but eventually I started to feel grossed out by the fact that so many people were buying extra plastic bins just to store juice boxes.

Amazon is everywhere, and I think that’s why we see so many Amazon hauls. It’s one of the easiest platforms to shop and earn commission from

Excessive Shein Hauls

I wanted a cheap swimsuit once, and my local Walmart was sold out in my size, so I ended up ordering one from Shein. That was nearly two years ago. I feel like Shein has declined a bit lately, probably due to the growing awareness around fast fashion, labour violations, and poor quality, but I could be wrong.

I used to be obsessed with Shein. I literally had the app and opened it every day to see what new items had dropped. But I started shifting away from it when I realized I was only shopping for trends and not even liking the quality of things, a year or two later. It was a huge waste of money.

It blows my mind when I see people spend $600+ on Shein. At the peak of my Shein usage, my “hauls” were around $120 for about 12 items, so I can’t even imagine the volume of a $600 haul. In what world?!

Sure, there are a few decent pieces on Shein, but 98% of it is cheap, fast fashion that gets tossed within a few years. I hate seeing young girls proudly sharing their hauls, not realizing they’re encouraging others to do the same and waste their money too.

Excessive Vacation Prep

I used to be guilty of this. We all want to look cute in our vacation pics, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend hundreds on brand-new outfits or get your hair, nails, and lashes done like you’re prepping for an overseas wedding.

I once bought a sparkly $20 dress from Shein for my friend’s Jack-and-Jill party in Mexico. I wore it once. Just once. It sat in my closet for years until I finally donated it. Events came and went, and not once did I feel inclined to wear that dress again.

Excessive Fast Fashion Hauls

Just like with Shein, I started unfollowing influencers who were constantly doing $300+ hauls from H&M, Zara, Mango, etc. It all felt like too much. Most of us don’t need that many clothes, especially the everyday people these influencers are trying to reach. I get dressed almost daily, and I’m 100% sure there are things in my closet I haven’t touched in over a year.

So many items from these hauls are seasonal or trendy, and when the season ends, they move on to the next $300+ haul. It’s a cycle that repeats every year with whatever happens to be “in” at the time.

So… What’s the Future of All These Hauls?

Like I said, I’m not anti-consumption. I’ve had my moments of impulsive, wasteful spending. But lately, I’ve been getting the ick from people who constantly engage in excessive haul behaviour. I tune them out and remind myself that I don’t need another plastic kitchen gadget or a “better-than-basic” top.

Whether it’s clothes, plasticware, home decor, tech, baby stuff –  whatever – I think a lot of us are waking up and realizing how abnormal this level of overconsumption really is. We’re starting to shift our algorithms and rethink how much we actually need.