Carousel (8/1/82)
Going round and round,
Wooden ponies
Up and down.
Up and down,
Painted faces
Red and brown,
On wooden ponies
Up and down.
Never changing
All the while,
Always turning
Same direction,
Sitting still
And looking forward.
Never changing
All the while,
Always turning
Same direction . . .
And yet they smile.
And so it was that I found myself at the mall for four straight hours yesterday, as a chaperone of a group of teenage girls, which means, pretty much, try to stay as far away from them as possible yet still be there.
I feel as though I dropped out of E.T.'s spaceship on the rare occasions when I go to the mall, as if I am from another world. Eco-consciousness, dripping into every other single area of life, seems to have not been able to penetrate the walls of these suburban malls.
I thought about my Carousel poem from so many years ago, and although the new carousel at this mall has plastic, not wooden, ponies now, I was certain that things must be starting to change (even though the just-opened, newly-designed food court has rows and rows of garbage cans and not one, not one, for recycling). I decided I would be a cultural anthropologist and explore the mall for signs of eco-changes.
Granted, I didn't make it to every store, but I tried to be as thorough as I could be in the stores to which I went. I focused on products, not on operating policies or building materials or other things that I didn't think the front-line employees would necessarily know about the corporate company.
Here are some findings:
* Subway (where I bought a Veggie Delight 6" sub, one of the only vegetarian items about which I could feel confident in the food court): There is no whole grain bread option. Also, every order is put into a plastic bag, which customers then dispose of within, oh, let's say about 4 seconds. I asked the employee to skip the plastic bag, which confused her a bit.
* Bath & Body Works is a large, very perfumy place that is almost impossible through which to walk without having some sort of respiratory discomfort, but I persevered and made it to a clerk who told me about Jonathan vegan hair products (the ingredients of which I could not read in the little tiny, pale font on the side of the bottles) and a line of products called 100% Pure, which did seem pure and natural by the short, easy-to-read ingredient list. These 100% vegan products are sulfate, paraben and toxic-free. The company is based in Napa, California and London, UK. The clerk gave me cute little glass-container samples, which my daughter's friend is going to use and then fill with homemade lip gloss.
* L'Occitane is a pretty little shop on the corner with many organic lotions and potions. Its new product, a sunscreen, costs $24 for 5.1 fluid ounces. I asked the clerk what made this product better than the ones I buy at Whole Foods for $10 (which I thought was expensive!) She said, "This one is all natural." I said, "So are the ones at Whole Foods." She said, "Oh . . . Well, I like this smell!"
* Williams Sonoma, a cookware store, has organic oatmeal and organic cornmeal pancake and waffle mix, plus organic olive oil.
* Hallmark Cards has no recycled cards or stationery.
* Godiva Chocolates has no fair-trade and/or organic chocolate.
* Just when I needed a shot of hope in humanity, there it was. A painted wall way in a corner, at one end of the mall, advertised Habitat for Humanity, the Georgia-based non-profit that builds houses in partnership with people in need around the world. This wall highlighted local efforts, had a slot for donating, and gave the address of the nearest Habitat Restore, which are retail outlets where quality used and surplus building materials are sold at a fraction of normal prices, the proceeds of which help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat houses within the community. Not one person that I observed at the mall went anywhere near this wall, even with its sort of pathetic promotion of "donate and get a chance to win a shopping spree!"
* Pottery Barn has an organic bathrobe for $79. It also mentioned some sort of "ecological certification" called Oeko-Tex which means that certain items have been manufactured with "substantially fewer chemicals." The Oeko-Tex website is not very illuminating. It is apparently an International designation--does anyone know anything about it?
Also, Pottery Barn sells about 70 different lamps, none of which have a compact fluorescent bulb in the display model.
* According to the J. Crew clerk, "I know we have a lot of 100% cotton, but no organic. Not that I'm aware of."
* Let's not even go into detail about the conflict diamond coversation I had with the guy at the jewelry store.
* The GAP has partnered with (Product) RED and is donating half the profits from sales of these t-shirts at the GAP to help women and children with HIV/AIDS in Africa. The t-shirts are made in South Africa with 100% African cotton and have sayings on them such as "A t-shirt can change the world," and "What we collectively choose to buy or not to buy can change the course of life and history on this planet. This shirt is a step toward that goal." The shirts are $28 a pop. This is the only item in the entire mall that I considered buying (but I couldn't find my size). Find out more about (Product) RED here.
* And speaking of history, this brings me to my final mall stop, the one that disturbed me the most. There is a very scary store springing up across America called The American Girl Store. If you have not visited one of these places yet, it is going to be hard to describe.
Let me first say that I like that American Girl is teaching history and encouraging girls to play with old-fashioned dolls (all the dolls are from a different time in history and come with a book about a young girl in that time period) rather than hyper-sexed Barbies or Brats, but is the overpriced commercialism direction in which this company has gone really any better? You have seen nothing until you see packs of little girls clutching look-alike dolls (you can custom-order a doll that looks just like you!) riding the mall escalator on the way to a birthday party held at the American Girl Bistro in the back of the store. As for the store's products, this place was designed, I believe, purely to part grandparents from their money.
Now, a movie is about to open about one of the American Girl dolls, Depression-era Kit. Here is what it said on a large sign in the store:
Kit Kittredge is determined to help her family through America's Great Depression.
Like a lot of other people, Kit's dad has lost his business. Now Kit's days are filled with worry about whether they will also lose their house. Kit pitches in all she can, even moving out of her room so the family can make room for boarders.
To escape the hard times, Kit loves to write. Seated in front of her typewriter, she wonders if her family will find a happy ending.
Follow Kit's adventures as she realizes that family and friendship are worth more than anything money can buy.
And right next to this?
* Kit, the Doll: $90.
* Kit's Bedroom Collection, which includes Kit's Bed and Quilt Set, Kit's Night table, Kit's Bedtime Extras, and Kit's Striped Nightie: $135
* Kit's Pajamas and Slippers: $22
* Kit's Bedtime Extras, which includes a tiny book, lamp and phone: $19.
I think there were many wonderful opportunities with this movie to tie in with real ways that Depression-era children made a difference--Victory Gardens (of course), community support, conservation of resources, etc. A nice little hand-out that says "Top Ten Things Girls Did to Help During the Depression That You Can Do, Too!" would be very appropriate, considering the lost jobs, houses and other economic challenges that current families are facing. American Girl, as far as I can see, completely missed the boat on this one.
Oh, and guess what? American Girl is owned by Mattel and every single item is made in China. Didn't we just have a scare about lead and other things relating to made-in-China items this past Christmas?
"Have things changed, then?" my older daughter asked.
"Not really," I answered. "Not really at all."
Malls are called the New Town Square. Where this analogy falls apart, I believe, as a result of my cultural anthropology immersion yesterday, is:
1. Town squares foster community (think about how much time you spend at the farmers market just chatting!). Everyone I observed at the mall pretty much stuck with just the people with whom he or she came. There was very little conversation beyond that, and the majority of clerks do not engage in any conversation at all.
2. Town squares usually offer a diversity of experiences--some shopping, music, artists, natural beauty, etc. Except for food at the food court (which is really more of a series of refueling stations than a pleasant dining experience), the mall is pretty much all about shopping, with many glazed faces and lots of bags.
In short, I never feel so alone or out of place than when I am at the mall. Change may be coming in the tiniest of ways, but far slower than elsewhere. So, for now, I'll take elsewhere.
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12 comments:
Sounds like the last trip I took to my local mall (Northpoint)...last November. Even the non-greenies have got to feel out of place there, especially as prices everywhere continue to rise and income does not...how can they go on with the forced consumption dictated in these colossal cultural vacuums?
I feel for you; I have an allergic reaction just thinking about the mall--but luckily, I have a boy, who will probably never want to go there, at least until he can drive himself.
I first heard about Oeko-Tex through Hanna Andersson--their website has a fairly helpful run-down.
so good to know that i'm not alone in my loneliness. the malls around here refuse to let you leave without a plastic bag blaring their logo on it. and american girls...what an irony. the 'purity' of each era vs. consumerism. happen to go into build-a-bear? : )
I didn't go into Build-a-Bear this time, but at least that store lets kids "fluff" their previously-purchased bears for free. American Girl charges something like 20 bucks for a fresh hairstyle. Didn't little girls used to sit around and braid their dolls' hair themselves?!
And, full disclosure, both my kids have had Build-a-Bears and American Girl dolls (grandparent gifts). BUT both of them have spent days at a time at my mother's house learning how to sew bear and doll dresses. They made the outfits for pennies AND got to spend precious time with their grandmother while learning a fading skill. Maybe I'll take a photo of the dresses they made. My kids liked that they could choose the fabrics and trims that they wanted and that all their dresses were total originals.
They are still going to my mother's house every summer and have been making clothes for themselves for the last few years. My older daughter has now started creating completely original designs (no patterns). I'll post some photos later this week.
Mike: I'm with ya'. And Simpleton, thanks for the info.
I am so glad my boys have grown up and I don't have to go there anymore! Give me Wilson's any day!
I use to anticipate the disorientation I inevitably felt on the rare occasions I ended up at someplace like a shopping mall but with recent events I'm just stunned to see there's so little, almost NO, discernible change. I rode my bike to a furniture store yesterday and almost cried when I was greeted with incredulity by three perfectly groomed Stepford types, "You ROAD your BICYCLE??"
One of my other big irritations . . . in the local outdoor malls like the Forum on Peachtree Parkway, to add to the list of woes, there are major stores (Pottery Barn, for example) that have their front doors wide open and the air-conditioning on full blast inside. Belks, who will not let you leave the store unless your purchase is inside one of their bags, and of course, bed after bed of water-wasting annual flowers which are ripped our every few weeks and replaced, with lots of water used to "water them in" . . . It's just mind-boggling.
Great writing Pattie, you captured "Mall Culture" perfectly.
I am glad others identify with the loneliness and disconnection of "New Town Squares"' what rubbish!
Even sadder is the way people flock to these places and wander aimlessly around, finely taking rest and filling their bodies with even more tasteless rubbish.
At least at farmers markets there are real people to chat and laugh with, and tasty goods to buy.
Spot on! Build-a-Bear? Ugh. Somewhere...back when I was a working writer and writing/thinking about sprawl, I came across an article suggesting that even the "father of the mall" movement was disappointed with the way things turned out.
And, yes, I still visit ours. It's the decent tot playground that gets us, alas.
All that said...with regard to the frustration about over-priced "organic" stuff...hopefully, it's all gateway items that could lead to more substantive change? Maybe? I hope so. Fingers crossed!
Happy Midsummer's Eve!
how very depressing... and yet, how very hopeful that you're at least asking the questions. little changes from each of us, I am convinced, will eventually make a big difference.
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