What Is Lifestyle Activism?
Lifestyle activism is continuously making choices that reflect progressive social, environmental, and political values through daily routines. Lifestyle activism’s purpose is to show how a person’s decisions can create a world that is more ethical, fair, just, and equitable for all.
How I Became A Lifestyle Activist
In 2014 I became a lifestyle activist before I knew about the movement. I wanted to learn more about the ways I could make a difference in my community and be a part of positive change. When I transferred from a private Christian school to a public school I felt lost. The anchor of community service projects and social justice integrated into our lesson plans were aspects of school that I was really attached to.
January 1, 2014: The Day That Changed My Life
On January 1, 2014 I published my very first blog post. My goal was to find an outlet where I could learn about what was going on in the world and how I could show up as a community member. At the time I was struggling to find my place. After all, I was as a teenager who couldn’t vote, didn’t have my own income, and was unsure about what I could contribute to society in an impactful way. Naturally a blog seemed like the most accessible step. Surely someone else online had these same questions and we could connect on our shared interest.
My First Series
Every month I researched a new United Nations Sustainable Development Goal and wrote a blog post with a community challenge. People from the church I went to at the time read it. Classmates pulled me aside to say they liked my latest post, and slowly readers from around the world subscribed and shared how they were participating in the challenges.
I felt like my voice mattered. I was encouraged by how much good is out there!
The Evolution Of My Blog
As I developed and experienced new aspects of life, my blog evolved with me. Over the past decade I’ve learned a lot! My blog has been with me through a lot. It’s seen all of my young adult eras and has been a creative outlet for me to apply basic coding and graphic design skills. It’s been a platform for me to practice writing. This blog has been a tool for me to interview actors, spotlight community businesses, and talk about my hopes and dreams. It’s been a place where silliness, advocacy, memory keeping, and skills building all co-exist.
This journey has guided me overseas and three towns over to explore new neighborhoods. In 2023, this culminated into my decision to start Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago and Illinois. I’ve spent the last few years learning about how much purchasing power and local influence we have — and how much is integrated with our decisions in what to wear and buy.
Spring 2014: Settling In Chicago
In Spring 2024, after a life changing trip to Australia, I enrolled in the Nature Museum’s Chicago Conservation Corp training program. A few months later, I was certified as a Chicago Sustainability Leader!
The C3 program was a wonderful experience where I learned even more about how much impact we have at a local level. The course focused exclusively on resources and systems in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
The Pursuit Of Consistency Over Perfection
While I’m not perfect (that’s not my goal), I try to make decisions that align with my values to live a more ethical, equitable, just, fair, and environmental life. I’m always searching for companies and brands to support that uphold these values, too. For example, my makeup bag is almost 100% reflective of this. I have a few more products to finish using and then I’ll find ethical swaps for the products.
This style of living has been a really fun and more digestible way of making choices. I feel like I have the space to learn, grow, and change my mind. Lifestyle activism is about the constant pursuit of value alignment — not a one-time, giant, decision.
Mostly, I love how being a lifestyle activist welcomes conversation and sparks community! I’ve met so many wonderful people that I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with.
