Own Less, Smile More and Save the Planet: The influence of neoliberalism on narratives of lifestyle minimalism

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Media Studies (MA)

Perazzetta, Angel (2021)

Own Less, Smile More and Save the Planet: The influence of neoliberalism on narratives of lifestyle minimalism

Master thesis | Media Studies (MA)

Authors of books on minimalism often frame a simple lifestyle as a countercultural mode of resistence to a society made unbearable by consummerism. Decluttering and deciding to severely limit one's purchases are seen as reliable ways to achieve happiness and to live more sustainably. What this thesis argues is that, far from proposing alternatives to a late-capitalist system that is alienating and environmentally disastrous, narratives of lifesyle minimalism fully embrace a neoliberal ethos of personal responsibility, individualization and faith in the free market. These recurring themes, together with a thoroughly depolicized view of social engagement, emerge over and over again in my analysis of two central topics in minimalist how-to literature: the pursuit of happiness and the attempt to reduce one's environmental footprint.