"I Don't Want More Choice; I Just Want Nicer Things!"

Anyone who's had the (dis)pleasure of buying clothing recently knows that even expensive items are cheaper than ever. On the complicated history of textiles, and how we got here.

Pride in London 2016 - Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as their Absolutely Fabulous characters opening the parade. Photographed by Katy Blackwood. Via Wikimedia Commons.

There’s a scene from the hit BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous that lives rent-free in my mind.

Absolutely Fabulous aired in a clustered mini-series format from 1992 to 2012, followed by a film in 2016. The show is a cutting satire about the fashion and PR industries, told through the lens of a highly dysfunctional family helmed by PR mogul Edina “Eddie” Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and her best friend, Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley)—the executive fashion director of a top British fashion magazine.

The scene in question comes from the episode “Jealous” (Season 3, Episode 4). Eddie has just lost a major PR award to her biggest rival, Claudia Bing. (A horrific slight! After all, Eddie paid for the judges!) A few days later, at an industry luncheon amidst smug, do-gooder colleagues, Eddie stands up for her scheduled speech—…