A woman on the internet in a hipster, tree-hugging world

As a woman on the internet, I find myself bombarded with new hipster diets, vegan food and clothing, paleo this and eco that, and all things of this sort.  The world is constantly telling women that they need to be more environmentally friendly from what they eat, wear, and entertain themselves with, and sometimes I feel guilty that I’m not living up to these standards.  I see all these celebrities promoting vegan and eco-friendly products and wish I could do the same.  But then I thought – of course they can do that, they make an extreme amount of money and are able to afford this expensive lifestyle.  It is a sad reality, but money allows you to live as a better person.  You can buy the more expensive healthy, sustainable, and responsibly sourced products that are more expensive.  For most people though, especially young and new college graduates, this is not feasible.  So as much as I’d like to be able to live this kind of life, I simply am not able to. 

In saying this, I’d also like to criticize the media for feeding this image, especially to young women, that this is the best way of life and shaming those who aren’t able to participate it. From the companies themselves to the celebrities who agree to promote them, the blame is shared by all of the people and groups pushing this image of our way or no way.  Indeed, as a Christian who values the world for its beauty and inherent sanctity, I’d love to be able to protect the world more through what I buy and how I eat.  But I have also had to come to terms with not being able to live such a lifestyle at this time.  Hopefully one day, we can get to the point where sustainable, eco-friendly, and responsibly sourced are standards and not overpriced high-end alternatives.