I’ve been living a minimalist lifestyle for over a decade now. As a former shopaholic and workaholic, it’s been a pretty massive shift.
First, let’s sum up the most common criticisms of minimalism: - Minimalism is elitist - Minimalism is bad for the environment - Minimalism is bad for the economy - Minimalism is boring
Some people in the minimalist community believe minimalism is about living with as few things as possible. They preach that you shouldn’t keep anything “just in case” because you can just pop down to the shops and repurchase it later.
Personally, I think the people who genuinely believe this represent a small minority of minimalists. But yes—that view of minimalism is very elitist.
But here’s the thing: I don’t believe that minimalism is about living with as little as possible. Instead, I believe the minimalist lifestyle is about alignment. You have to find that sweet spot between “too much” and “not enough”, and that’s a line in the sand that will look different for everyone.
All this to say that I don’t think minimalism is elitist when you subscribe to the belief that “how much” is personal. It’s not about judging others for what they own. Instead, it’s about looking inward and asking, “What feels right for me?”