Boycotting Halloween's Spookiest Overconsumption Offenders

This Halloween, let's direct our spending power away from filling up the landfill, ethically-questionable trends and instead move toward creativity, longevity, and real spookiness. Here’s your definitive guide to what to boycott this season.

1. AI-Generated, Mass-Produced "Artisanal" Decor

• The Offense: We’re seeing a surge of "spooky cottagecore" and "goblin core" decor on mega-retailer sites. These items are often designed by AI, stripping the soul from folk-art traditions, and produced en masse with cheap labor. They impersonate authenticity but are the ultimate in disposable trend-chasing.

• The Sustainable Amor Alternative: Support a real local artist on Etsy or at a craft fair. Learn a simple craft like a punch needle to make your own ghostly portraits. Or, better yet, embrace the imperfect charm of handmade paper and ink drawings.

2. "Viral" Micro-Trend Costumes from Ultra-Fast Fashion Brands

• The Offense: We know to avoid the plastic-packed costume kits. The new enemy is the "viral TikTok costume" hawked by brands like Shein and Temu, which are cheaply made, branded outfits designed to be worn once for a video before disintegrating in the wash. 

• The Sustainable Amor Alternative: The thrift store is your best friend for costume ideas. Build a character from what already exists. Swap costumes with friends, or invest in a high-quality piece you’ll actually wear again, like a great corset or vintage coat, and build your look around it.

3. Pre-Carved, Plastic-Wrapped Pumpkins

• The Offense: Yes, this is now a thing. To "save time," companies are selling pumpkins that are pre-carved, sprayed with preservatives, and shrink-wrapped in plastic. This is the absolute pinnacle of pointless waste, eliminating the entire joyful, messy, creative process of pumpkin carving.

• The Sustainable Amor Alternative: Go to a local pumpkin patch. Enjoy the experience of picking your own. Get your hands dirty. And after Halloween, compost your pumpkin or roast the seeds, don't just toss it in the dumpster.

4. "Smart" Home Decor with E-Waste & Subscription Fees

• The Offense: The latest innovation is Halloween tech: Wi-Fi-connected, app-controlled fog machines, LED projectors, and talking skeletons that require a phone app and, in some cases, a monthly subscription for new "content." This creates inevitable e-waste and locks you into a pay-to-play model for a seasonal holiday.

• The Sustainable Amor Alternative: Go analog. A simple flickering candle (or flameless LED tea light) in a jar creates more atmosphere than a pixelated projection. Use your own speakers for a spooky playlist instead of a gadget with a single purpose.

5. Single-Use Themed "Experience Kits"

• The Offense: Boxed kits for a "Witch's Apothecary" or "Mad Scientist Lab" filled with tiny plastic bottles, synthetic ingredients, and disposable lab equipment. They promise a curated experience but deliver a mountain of packaging and worthless trinkets.

• The Sustainable Amor Alternative: Create your own experience. Gather jars from your recycling, use food coloring and baking soda for potions, and forage for interesting twigs and leaves. Creativity is the experience, not the pre-packaged result.
  

The Classics to Continue Boycotting

Let's not forget the foundational boycotts that remain as crucial as ever:

• Plastic Spider Webs: A death trap for wildlife and a microplastic nightmare.

• Non-Biodegradable Glitter: The chaotic mess of the craft world, so just say no.

• Disposable Tableware & Decor: We got bills to pay tbh. Invest in reusable thrifted plates and spooky cloth napkins you can use for decades.

• Individually-Wrapped Candy: Support smaller, ethical candy companies if you're buying new, or consider non-food treats for a more inclusive trick-or-treat.

The Heart of Sustainable Amor

Boycotting isn't about scarcity; it's about abundance.

It’s the abundance of creativity you find in a thrift store, the abundance of community when you swap with friends, and the abundance of a cleaner planet when we choose to refuse.

This year, let's boycott the things that disrespect our time, our intelligence, and our world. Let's choose the authentic, the durable, and the soulful.

xoxo, ellie rose