Materialism and the Environment

This week in class we explored the relationship between materialism and the environment. Jennifer Good's study "explores whether materialism may be mediating the relationship between television viewing and environmental attitudes as well as the possible implications for such mediation," suggesting that the more TV one watches, the less apathy or concern one feels for the environment (Good, 2007). It was also found that within every hour of TV broadcasting, approximately 7-21 minutes are dedicated to sales pitches for a variety of goods and services. In reading this, it occurred to me that environmental activism in advertising is almost non-existant when it comes to materialistic desires of our capitalist society. I am not an environmental activist by any means, but as I was applying my makeup the morning after reading this, I began thinking that my seemingly harmless cosmetics are probably tested on animals, and that a sacrifice is being made for me to enhance my appearance every morning; a superficial practice that takes place in many women's lives on a daily basis. Although I would never give up my daily makeup routine, I would consider purchasing makeup that is cruelty free. Youths are especially susceptible to media messages. Churchill & Moschis found a positive correlation between adolescence' TV viewing and their materialism according to Good (2007), therefore, it is important to introduce rookie makeup artists to cruelty free cosmetics, so they too can make educated decisions when purchasing makeup. It is nearly impossible to be materialistic and consumed with environmental awareness. Schumacher argues that "an attitude of life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth - in short, materialism - does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited" (Good, 2007). In response to this, I've provided a link to PETA's list of cosmetic companies that test on animals, so myself and others can make better assumptions when buying our next favourite lip gloss or eye shadow!

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/162.aspx?SearchUrl=%2Fliving%2Fbeauty-and-personal-care%2Fcompanies%2Fsearch.aspx%3FTesting%3D1%26Range%3D5

Happy purchasing!
Marlee