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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think you should be able to class shopping as a hobby

51 replies

LardLizard · 14/12/2016 19:32

According to my mother, shopping/ having an interest in fashion and beauty is not a hobby

But I would say it is
Because it's what I enjoy doing

OP posts:

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 20:22

Indeed zebra

Pluto30 · 14/12/2016 20:23

Shopping has nothing at all to do with appreciating design...

Shopping is not a hobby.

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 20:26

Hobbies don't have to have anything to do with appreciating design.

Shopping is a hobby.

bloodymincepiez · 14/12/2016 20:30

I don't know, in fact.

I've always been a bit rubbish with things like this, although when I was younger I used to enjoy buying clothes. I think though, as I've got older, this interest has seeped into home things more and I'm more likely to shop at ikea or the range or similar than top shop and h and m like I used to. I think I just like pretty things but I've gained a lot of weight since having my second daughter and lack the confidence to wear nice colours and designs.

But I do know a couple of women who really do turn makeup into a hobby. I'm more a foundation and mascara person myself!

GoodyGoodyGumdrops · 14/12/2016 20:30

Of course shopping can be a hobby.

How is finding pleasure in selecting and buying clothes, sorting your wardrobe etc any different to selecting and buying stamps, sorting your collection etc?

If stamp collecting is a hobby then so is shopping - for some people.

Andcake · 14/12/2016 20:33

Fashion yes shopping nit sure if it is a hobby it's a very pathetic and risky one.

TaraCarter · 14/12/2016 20:33

Choosing clothes, designing outfits, keeping up with current fashion could all come under the umbrella of hobby and leisure pursuits.

However, standing at a till and paying for stuff is not a hobby, and I will fight you tooth and nail on this, both out of personal principle, and because the last thing we need is for supermarket grocery shopping to be further categorised as a "leisure activity for women". Fulltime working women in relationships with men often struggle with parity of leisure time as it is.

BingBongBam · 14/12/2016 20:34

Well, what value does shopping have? It's just consumerism for the sake of it. I have hobbies which improve my health and mental well being and some give pleasure to others (I'm an artist) but shopping, well where is the value in that? I don't think that it has any and that if it's your only hobby then that's pretty sad (as in sad, not pathetic)

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 20:34

Fashion yes shopping nit sure if it is a hobby it's a very pathetic and risky one.

When you say fashion, what do you mean by that to count as a hobby? Fashion isn't a doing word.

Zoflorabore · 14/12/2016 20:36

I agree op:)
I too love shopping. I prefer to shop alone though when possible and the phrase "retail therapy" certainly resonates with me.

I love to buy things for my house, dc and products, though not at massive expense ( apart from dd's Oilily clothes ) which are worth every penny.

I've never thought of it as a hobby, more of an interest but either way I love doing it and wish I could afford to do it a lot more

specialsubject · 14/12/2016 20:36

Shopping is a bore to me, but then so is spectator sport.

Reading is a hobby, that is passive too but at least there is a chance of learning something.

Maudlinmaud · 14/12/2016 20:37

Well, it's certainly my favourite past time.
Never considered it a hobby as such but I suppose it is.

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 20:38

Well, what value does shopping have?

What value does watching football have? What value does painting your nails have? What value does watching a train go past have? Why do you define a hobby differently than what a hobby actually is? "An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure" no mention of providing any value there.

HopeClearwater · 14/12/2016 20:39

Reading is a hobby, that is passive too but at least there is a chance of learning something

Therefore, not passive

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 20:40

I don't think that it has any and that if it's your only hobby then that's pretty sad (as in sad, not pathetic)

Did it occur to you that some people may Be unable to pursue other hobbies for various reasons? FYI, I don't think a hobby is defined by what other people think of it. The fact you find it sad does not make it not a hobby.

BingBongBam · 14/12/2016 21:21

But if you can get to the shops you can get to somewhere to draw, bird watch, take photos etc. That can be free and accessible.

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 21:49

Original poster

LardLizard · 14/12/2016 21:50

Oh it certainly isn't my only hobby there are loads of other things I enjoy doing like seeing friends and family, reading' horse riding, skiing , holidays, again maybe not a hobby on some people eyes

Swimming, crafting, gardening, interior design
Cooking painting drawing

Three charities I actively support and am passionate about

Loads of things I enjoy doing
So shopping is certainly not my only hobby

OP posts:

Klaphat · 14/12/2016 22:38

Shopping definitely used to be a hobby of mine when younger (and less mindful of money!).

IAmNotACat · 14/12/2016 22:42

I think it's just a thing you enjoy. Like watching TV/movies. That's not a hobby either.

A hobby to me is something crafty/sporty etc.

But that doesn't make t wrong that you enjoy it.

gillybeanz · 14/12/2016 22:46

Yes it can be a hobby, of course.
It's a modern day leisure activity and retailers go to great lengths to create an experience.
It is a huge part of leisure and recreational planning.
It involves all sectors Private, public and Voluntary.

So there ............

Bluntness100 · 14/12/2016 23:02

Can I proffer the opinion that 'women's interests' are often belittled and rubbished, whereas those of men are deemed important.

JenLindleyShitMom · 14/12/2016 23:24

Please tell me you're not suggesting that shopping for clothes or make up should be deemed in your eyes as a "woman's interest" and that foot ball is a "mans", please tell me that's not what you meant.

I think you've misunderstood. Zebra wasn't saying it should be deemed a women's interest but that it already very much is deemed as a women's interest in society. That can't have escaped your notice.

GoodyGoodyGumdrops · 15/12/2016 07:13

The difference, I think between shopping and, say, stamp collecting as hobbies, is that shopping to some degree is an essential, whereas stamp collecting is not.

I enjoy cooking, and do most of the cooking at home, but I wouldn't consider cooking as one of my hobbies - unless I was cooking purely for pleasure, rather than to feed my family.

So it depends what the hobbyist is shopping for as to whether it is a hobby.

ivykaty44 · 15/12/2016 07:18

If shopping is a hobby then drinking wine and going to the pub is a hobby, as I enjoy drinking wine and going to the pub and it's not essentialism

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