Brand Me

Stump, Nikki Barker

Protecting the environment is something we can all appreciate, I think. We live on this beautiful Earth, so let’s take care of it! The thing that I can’t handle though is the trendiness of it all. If I hear another celebrity say that they’ve “gone green” I think I’ll punch a small child.

Activism is awesome! I consider myself an activist, at least in the queer community, but tell me this – why do we feel the need to wear our activism on our sleeve? Does this make us more legitimate? Do we wear the “Recycle” button on our Value Village winter coat to spread the word about environmentalism or to show people around us how hip and trendy we are?

Then I hear, “I don’t wear name brands. I’m anti-consumerism! I hate those girls who wear Uggs with their Lululemon pants tucked into them!” Well aren’t you just branding yourself in another way with your various buttons or your “Vegan” t-shirt? There seems to be far too much ego attached to everything we do and less attention paid to the actual cause.

I considered writing some paragraph to escape the possibility of attack on this article, but I’ve decided against it. If you’ve got a problem just come and find me – I’m the girl with the “Uncensored” and “Freedom of the Press” buttons on her backpack…

Oh, and also: I wear Uggs and I love them! They’re practical and really warm. How about them apples?