Are Selfies To Blame For Your Impulse Buys?

Does the number of selfies you take equate to the size of your wardrobe and how frequently you add new pieces to it? TelegraphUK just released a study from Barnado, the UK's largest children's charity, suggesting social media directly impacts our wardrobe shopping habits. While the existence of impulse shopping isn't news, apparently the phenomenon of the rising "wear it once and toss it" approach is.

After interviewing 1,500 women over the age of 16, the study found 33 percent of women deemed clothes "old" after being worn more than 3 times. Furthermore, the average purchase was generally worn a max of only seven times. The writer covering the story argues social media is to blame for our flippant attitude toward clothing.

One Telegraph fashion employee admitted "I often buy stand-out pieces for a party —usually backless or sequined — that seem like a good idea at the time but are not subtle in the slightest. I can't wear it again, because I get concerned if I've worn the same dress twice as it will appear on my timeline on Facebook."

A senior writer echoed her sad sentiment, explaining, "It does irritate me when something I have bought appears on someone else's Instagram feed, mainly because I instantly go off it, reasoning that everyone else might buy it too and look the same as me. Or, even worse, they might think I had bought it because I saw it on Instagram." Has the need for all of us to feel original in our online presence forced us to turn to wasteful shopping practices?

With documentaries like The True Cost exposing the high price we all really pay for fast, disposable fashion, maybe it's time to take a step back and think beyond the pic we want to upload to IG this weekend. After all, isn't it even more creative and original to learn how to overhaul your wardrobe on a non-existent budget than constantly buy new pieces?