Gen Zers regret their Shein harvests when the effects wear off

• Members of Generation Z share regrets about their shopping trips to fast fashion sites.
• Shein, the TikTok store and other sites all offer clothing at very low prices.
• Studies show that Gen Z’s shopping habits often conflict with their interest in sustainability.

When the “10-minute Shein high” is over, reality collapses.

Maddy Lane, a Gen Z TikToker, shared what it looks like in a recent video, showing the detritus of her latest harvest all over her bed.

Her room was covered in wrappers, skirts and tops, all from the budget-friendly fast fashion site Shein.

Lane turned the camera to his face – a slightly embarrassed and regretful face.

Commenters sympathized and said: so do we.

They were responding to a familiar dynamic, stocking up on cheap clothes they saw in fashion, even if it went against their principles.

During Lane’s Shein trip, she realized that half didn’t look good on her and the other half didn’t even appeal to her that much.

“Post-Shein clarity,” one commenter called it. Another described the feeling after the rush of opening new things: “Then life becomes boring again.”

Buying heavy items for so little reward may seem irrational, but many Gen Zers can’t stop. As a result, Zoomers are accumulating credit card debt and falling behind on payments faster than any other generation.

Some on TikTok say it’s less about what they buy and more about the frenzy of “blackout shopping” — the rush to spend and the feeling of anticipation before products arrive.

A 2022 report from ThredUp, an online thrift store, surveyed some 2,000 college students and found that 72% said they had shopped at a fast fashion retailer in the past year. A third describe themselves as “addicted”.

Things could speed up. A January survey of 1,000 people by digital analytics platform Quantum Metric found that 64% of Gen Z respondents were buying more than last year.

The advent of the in-app TikTok store that offers inexpensive clothing makes the drumbeat almost constant.

(Neither Shein nor TikTok responded to Business Insider’s requests for comment.)

Some popular items on TikTok right now include a $5 carry-on, a flower-adorned cardigan for around $10, a swimsuit for less than $1, and a flood of dresses, skirts, and pants from summer.

Sharmin Attaran, a marketing professor at Bryant University, described the Shein-haul paradigm in an interview with BI.

“Once the packages are opened and the novelty wears off, many young buyers begin to feel a pang of remorse,” he said.

“Even though the initial purchase may feel like a victory, the consequences may not be as pleasant.”

Contradictory to Generation Z’s beliefs

Cheap clothing doesn’t mesh well with Gen Z’s much-discussed passion for environmentalism.

Fast fashion has a huge environmental cost, as it consumes large amounts of water and creates huge carbon emissions.

Clothing is often made of polyester, nylon and acrylic, which can take decades to decompose. And it may seem easy to throw them away, unlike better, more expensive parts.

Melanie Parncutt, a Zoomer who works as a publicist at Otter Public Relations, said BI Gen Zers probably realize their races aren’t helping.

But, she says, social media ads make it hard to resist the “traps of compulsive buying.”

“Due to the constant bombardment of targeted advertising and online deals, younger consumers like me are more likely than ever to buy on impulse,” Parncutt said. “It can be difficult to break out of the cycle.”

Gaby Mendes, a Zoomer and founder of Talk Twenties, a media and events company for Gen Z, told BI she tries to avoid fast fashion but has her mistakes.

“I get easily caught up and have to remind myself that something is often cheap because either it’s low quality or because someone was exploited during the manufacturing process,” she said .

“When products don’t last, don’t fit properly, or break, I remind myself why I shouldn’t give in to the effect.”

Break the cycle

Siena Barry-Taylor, marketing manager at Zoomer and head of marketing at second-hand clothing marketplace Thrift+, told BI that disposable clothing isn’t the whole Gen Z fashion story.

They are also driving the second-hand market, she said. There has been a surge in Gen Z shopping and selling at digital thrift stores.

In recent years, teenagers have turned their side hustles on social shopping apps like Depop or Vinted into full-time jobs. Generation Z has been dubbed the “Depop Generation” by Vogue Business and makes up 90% of the app’s user base.

Barry-Taylor said she now wonders if she would wear something at least 40 times before buying a new item — or at least if she would be able to resell it.

“It’s getting harder and harder to justify buying new things,” she said. “As much for the planet as for our wallet.”