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  Sticking my oar in

  It's long been the case that it's easier to achieve conviction by seduction than by any other means. Hammer people in the head, or help them see the rather obvious benefits of an eco-sensible lifestyle? One way is appealing to feelings of guilt and horror - emotions that never particularly did any good to people and their actions - the other is leading people to make positive choices. Personally I think an attractive surface is perfectly appropriate packaging for an attractive life style. Rather that than attractive and seductive surfaces being reserved for crap contents only.

  Are we after getting some good and long overdue - not to say urgent - changes in the ways things happen, or are we after profiling ourselves as 'alternative', looking the part, etc? I think it's useful to know oneself. It's way easy to end up preaching to the converted if your presentation is overtly opinionated. The sandwich-board-wearing Christian doomsday prophets don't seem to have a very good take-up rate, for example. But the slick marketing people do, whatever one may think about that.

  On a personal level, I think it's far more attractive to find out through conversation or other more detailed interaction where someone is coming from than having it shouted at me via their dress sense. I've been an environmentalist as long as I can remember, so I have kind of lost the interest in looking like one. However, I live in an 'alternative' type of place, and there is a never-ending stream of fresh kids who've moved away from home, got the dreads, the T-shirts, gone veggie, etc. And some of them can be extremely shallow in their way of assuming that anyone who doesn't look the part can't share their convictions. Most, but not all, grow out of it.

  Some critics of the article claim that in order to effect change we must not be concerned with the surface - in which case it shouldn't upset them that some environmentalists fancy updating their look towards the nattier end of the scale. I like recycling too - glamorous vintage dresses and accessories being some of my favourite objects for re-use. And no, I'm not rich, I'm just getting by as a single mum. Doing the hair shirt thing just doesn't turn me on. Heaven knows there's enough misery and things to panic about if you want - but neither penance nor panic is going to help. Positive choices might.On Yes, clothes really do make the activist posted 4 years, 8 months ago 24 Responses