The Plastic Between Us

Hello World Pulse! I’m so excited to have access to this amazing group of women!

I am a filmmaker, mother and activist. I live in Atlanta, but I grew up in Brazil, Argentina and... New Jersey, USA. Is that who I am? Not quite. I’m passionate about freeing myself and everyone from the stranglehold of consumerism. I have watched my parents, my friends, and now my husband work themselves into sickness and depressionto maintain a life that neither brings them joynor wealth, all to maintain an illusionsold to our society by advertising. I didthe same thing for a long time. Thislife relies heavily on buying stuff that we don’t even keep- the vast majority of it gets thrown in the trash. I want to free us from this way of living but I’m just as addicted to it as everyone else.

In exploring this story, though, I have found that it trips over white, American feminism in some critical ways. After all, you can’t reduce trash without spending many more hours a day preparing food. Andhow can both the woman and the man work if someone needs to stay home making thefood? That hook in this story really intrigues me and that is what I want to explore. How can we free women and men from our addiction to consumerism without threatening women’s right to work outside the home? Maybe it’s impossible and if so, I’m interested in what it is about domestic work that is so rejected in our society. Why does domestic work have so little value in America? I believe the idea of “Home” was manipulated so heavily by advertising that we have forgotten its importance to our health, and that of our connection to our families.

Isthere anyone out there in this group interested in something similar?