How Minimalism Got Toxic: The Dark Side

UPDATE! The Minimalists have come on the channel to give their take on this video. Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/y00DW5PNUeo?si=3lZ3rIfBu6j8NLo8

My brain can’t even get past the fact that there’s a minimalist community with drama. I’m gonna go take a nap under my rock again.

Social media takes things to the logical extreme. Reasonable minimalism shouldn't be that complicated. Think twice before buying, and enjoy the stuff you buy or already have.

You know, I fell into the minimalism rabbit hole in 2017 with everyone else. The thing is, I carried it to its logical conclusion: I ended up deleting pretty much all social media. No instagram to post minimalist pics to. No Twitter to wax poetic about the pleasures of having less crap. No Facebook to try to evangelize to people I knew in high school. I watched a few videos, took a few steps over time and decluttered, deleted time-sink nonsense apps, read a few self-help books for good measure, integrated the philosophies of minimalism and self help into my life, and kept it at that. It's a lifestyle, not a community. You can and should do things as an individual without trying to please the many. Minimalism itself isn't the problem; people who never got the point to begin with are the problem.

Minimalism is not toxic, people are. Trying to live your life by other people's standards or ways is a great way to lose yourself, which is why old people have said since the dawn of time, "Don't compare yourself to other people"

I like the practical side of minimalism where you sort out your things, reduce any unnecessary duplicates of items, and organize them to have a proper place so you can easily find them later. I'm not into the weird aesthetic minimalism that is so prominently featured on social media, or wasting money on fancy containers to be super organized. I want my home to be cozy looking but not cluttered. Also, I don't make a ton of money so I rather thrift wood furniture and repair/clean things so they last longer.

it always bothers me that whenever i see examples of minimalist influencers online they're just living the greige lifestyle. like no one ever said being a minimalist means you should own nothing with any personality and live in a depressing white walled hell but here they all are. having a colourful blanket or interestingly patterened jacket isn't going to suddenly make you not a minimalist anymore but they just own only black white grey and beige coloured things it's insane.

The only problem with minimalism is people don't understand that there's no only one way to be minimal. You can adapt it to your needs, it is about a life with purpose and consciousness, not about seeking being liked by others based on the looks of your house.

The most fucked up thing about minimalism is how elitist it seems. Minimalism is cool unless you are poor. Almost empty apartment is perfect unless it is almost empty because you can't afford anything. Every minimalist apartment looks very very expensive.

I get that the initial message of minimalism is to keep things that bring you joy, but the aesthetic movement would shame someone who keeps shelves of precious objects, and I think there's something insidious about pushing the idea that we simply should not have things. It feels like a message the wealthy would spew at the poor. "Don't you know you shouldn't have things? Money can't buy happiness, you know. No things for you, it's better this way, we promise."

i think you can be more intentional and consume less without being sad and beige all the time. thrift, collect meaningful things over time.

This makes me think of another phenomenon I've seen on Instagram lately - people who decide they're going to be more eco-friendly and go out and buy a bunch of "eco-friendly" products, as though that's what it takes to protect the environment. One reel that stuck with me was someone showing all the eco-friendly products she'd bought - like bamboo cutlery - and saying that she regretted buying them. The example that keeps coming to mind is the bamboo cutlery she bought, and after using it she realised that she had plenty of perfectly good metal cutlery already and this purchase was unnecessary.

This happens in every niche community. It gets to a point where no one is ever enough (e.g. not minimalist enough, not vegan/paleo/keto enough, not grinding hard enough, etc.). It always becomes toxic because people take it to extremes and police each other. I learned to stay away from these movements and just do my own thing and not worry about what other people are doing or what they think.

At it's core, minimalism is just - don't buy shit you don't need and will never use. Problem with that is that you can't monetize and milk it as a content on social media. You can live minimalist lifestyle without needing to buy minimalist style furniture. Lot's of those apartments look sterile and fake, no personal touch, no life, it looks like nobody actually lives there. As someone who is essentially minimalist i find lot's of those videos and content creators cringe. I don't buy lot of stuff, but when i buy stuff, i buy good quality stuff. I like functionality and usefulness. Also, i like sentimental stuff, like souvenirs from traveling or books that have special meaning in my life, old photo albums etc. In essence, only online stuff got toxic because it went to extreme and if people want to make money, they need to go to extreme because that's whats bringing eyeballs to content.

I've been a practical minimalist for the last 5 years and couldn't imagine going back. I do not suffer a beige boring aesthetic, I just don't own crap I don't need or enjoy. 2 pairs of jeans gets me through the week fine, but I have a butt load of undies because that works for me. My bedroom and wider living areas are both very simple and uncluttered yet still cozy because owning less things means less cleaning. I don't suffer or feel uncomfortable because all my needs are met and I'm not an extremist. Real life minimalism is not what you see on social media, even labelling it feels stupid because to me it's just being a normal person 😂

I’m soooo tired of people hating on Marie Kondo. She’s literally so unproblematic. She personally is a minimalist but never said other ppl have to be 😭 you could follow Kondo’s advice and be a maximalist…(responding to the beginning with the article showed of her and the problems of minimalism)

Minimalism isn’t toxic. People are. I highly value having minimum items. 7 socks, 7 underwear, 7 shirts, 7 hoodies. Man it just makes it so easier. De clutter. Nothing on the counter except decor or things with purpose of daily use

I became a minimalist after a breakup in 2011 before I ever heard of the word. I moved a two bedroom apartment to a room and now a bike and trailer. For me it's about being mobile after everything falls apart.

As for me, it's absolutely clear what this phenomenon is. Just moneymalism, not minimalism.

Once again, minimalism is not the one that's toxic, social media is. It destroyed a really good philosophy that can truly improve someone's life and bring contentment. I still believe in the philosophy although when done right: don't follow the trends, be content with what you decide to keep, no matter the amount and look inside, not outside for satisfaction and validation.