Debuting in the United States March 2023 and traveling worldwide in September, the Eras Tour has taken the globe by storm. This tour has been a milestone for Taylor Swift’s career. As she has gallivanted along breaking records and reigniting live music post-pandemic, Swift’s tour carried with it a masked disaster.
Popularly executed throughout Swift’s tours, fans dress up in outstanding, flashy outfits. Outfits correlate to song lyrics/ titles, recreate iconic looks, or set the stage for the country’s biggest fashion show. When considering how much it costs to go to the Eras Tour (or any Taylor Swift tour in general) the outfit(s) must always come into account. Personally, when I went to the Santa Clara shows in July; I spent around $30 on my outfit. Luckily this cost was low because I homemade my accessories and thrifted my dress. But typical outfits range from zero dollars (items in the closet) anywhere to hundreds of dollars. These handmade pieces, or hyper-specific costumes serve one purpose: a concert outfit. Unless fans who purchased the “Fearless Tour” dress plan on attending a 1920’s themed flapper party, the dress will find residence in the back of a closet or… the landfill. As the blonde artist whirls in and out of cities, thrift stores pile up with tour costumes. It is in no way fans fault, or Swift’s, it is just a shame to see fabric (and the production) go to waste for only one use.
Aside from Taylor Swift’s tour, festivals and events in general call for new outfits. With the rise of fast fashion stores such as Shein, terrifyingly Temu, and Target, it is easy to gravitate towards the quickest, easiest, and/ or cheapest options. Furthermore, these dazzling outlandish pieces are not always used after the magical night of your favorite musician’s performance.
We are trapped in a world, consumed by consumerism (and social media).
As the world—the United States especially—loses itself to the popularity fashion show, teens and adults alike will go far lengths to look the best, prettiest, most expensive, or handsome. And will typically resort to shopping to achieve this. In my article from 2022, Consumerism: The Fuel of Fast Fashion emphasis is made on the need to “buy buy buy,” to spend money on all of the trendy clothing pieces or home decor. As concerts and events evolve into the fashion they have become, the issue represents itself. Trends of Consumerism (and the economy) now lies in the hands of our pop stars and celebrities. These influential figures directly impact what we buy. Concert? New outfit. Bikini of the Summer? Run to checkout. All new self cleaning automatic DIY reusable sustainable biodegradable miscellaneous items? It is now the new big thing. Influencers—get this—influence you. Once your trendy sneakers, your organizational dividers no longer serve you a purpose, or the trend fades away, the once beloved items fall victim to the landfills.
There is not much of a solution to this problem, the world is too far gone, lost in the battle with staying relevant and loved by the public. Thrifting and repurposing pre owned pieces is always an opinion. It is just good to be aware; aware of what you, the consumer, are purchasing and if it is worth your pretty penny. In this economy, we need all the help we can get. And a good place to start and by breaking the cycle. These landfill lovers will feel the pain in their pockets sooner or later.
The Earth might melt, or be totally fine. Maybe the human race moves to another planet to destroy as well. Only time will tell.