SOCIAL MEDIA’S “THRIFT FLIP’’ HAS ITS DRAWBACKS

Thrifting has become exceedingly popular among the younger generations. Not only is it eco-friendly, it is also wallet friendly making it a top choice for those concerned with the planet as well as their budget.

Social media trends of thrifting, like thrift flipping, have risen, especially during the pandemic when money is low.

Thrift flipping isn’t particularly new. It is just a fancy term for taking thrifted clothes that need a couple of sizing adjustments here and there. With retro and vintage styles becoming trendy again, thrift stores have gained popularity for those who search those styles. Popular thrift organization Goodwill, generated $5.9 billion in resale profit in 2018, while ThredUp, an online thrift and resale app, predicts that the total resale market will reach $64 billion by 2028, according to the United States census.

However, shopping thrifted clothes sometimes means that the buyer won’t find something in their size and the obvious solution is to tailor the garment to fit.

The trend that has swept social media app Tik Tok, with the hashtag “#thriftflip,” shows buyers tailoring an obviously large garment to fit their size. Although frugal and with the best environmental intentions, thrift flipping this way causes a shortage to a certain demographic: plus-sized wearers.

Many of these buyers don’t buy their clothing a size or two above, which would be the more considerate way of thrift flipping. In one popular video, a buyer gets a pair of men’s denim shorts size 44 to thrift flip. The buyer is then seen cutting large amounts of the fabric off to reach their desired fit.

Many people in the comments of the video, which gathered more than 50,000 likes, pointed out the assumption of buying plus-sized clothing for the sole purpose of thrift flipping: plus-sized clothing is ugly until it’s tailored to a smaller size. This not only further the complexities of fatphobia in the fashion industry, but it also creates a greater shortage in an already short supply for plus sizes in thrift stores.

Thrift flipping is trendy, frugal and eco-friendly, but let’s be considerate of others when it comes to buying second-hand clothing, and allow everyone in every size to have the opportunity to be part of this trend.