Vinted: when selling second-hand clothes becomes 'selling your body'
Vinted: the prejudice of accusing women sellers of selling their bodies. A swimsuit becomes a sexual shop window.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Vinted: when selling second-hand clothes becomes 'selling your body'
The fact that Vinted is one of the busiest second-hand clothing marketplaces in Europe does not stop certain corners of the internet from still seeing women as merchandise. A slogan circulating in digital media sums up that mindset: "Vinted, just another way for women to sell their bodies." The phrase is repeated with a smirk, but the argument falls apart on its own.
Posting a photo of a garment — whether it is a coat or a swimsuit — to show it to a potential buyer is not exposing the seller's body, but the product. Anyone who reads that image as a sensual offer is deliberately confusing the shop window with the merchandise. The confusion between showing an item and showing oneself is an old one; platforms like Vinted have simply given it a new shop window.
From catcall to accusation: the same old gaze
Reactions in that online discussion range from crude remarks to outright accusations. Some go so far as to equate the sale of a used garment with a trade for sens, throwing around the word "prostitution" without a hint of irony. Others do not even bother to disguise their interest in the photo attached to the listing. What is missing from all that noise is the slightest analysis of the real economic phenomenon: the second-hand market has become a business of considerable size, sustained largely by women selling what they no longer wear.
The second-hand economy has no time for prejudice
The platform, as an intermediary, simply handles payments and shipping. A garment's useful life is extended, consumption is decentralised and the environmental impact shrinks. Nothing in that process invites a sensual connotation, unless the viewer brings one of their own. Reading a bikini listing as an invitation says more about the reader than about the seller.
Positions remain deadlocked. Meanwhile, the sellers will keep making sales, and there will always be someone watching. Dignity does not live on a mannequin.
The fact that Vinted is one of the busiest second-hand clothing marketplaces in Europe does not stop certain corners of the internet from still seeing women as merchandise. A slogan circulating in digital media sums up that mindset: "Vinted, just another way for women to sell their bodies." The phrase is repeated with a smirk, but the argument falls apart on its own.
Posting a photo of a garment — whether it is a coat or a swimsuit — to show it to a potential buyer is not exposing the seller's body, but the product. Anyone who reads that image as a sensual offer is deliberately confusing the shop window with the merchandise. The confusion between showing an item and showing oneself is an old one; platforms like Vinted have simply given it a new shop window.
From catcall to accusation: the same old gaze
Reactions in that online discussion range from crude remarks to outright accusations. Some go so far as to equate the sale of a used garment with a trade for sens, throwing around the word "prostitution" without a hint of irony. Others do not even bother to disguise their interest in the photo attached to the listing. What is missing from all that noise is the slightest analysis of the real economic phenomenon: the second-hand market has become a business of considerable size, sustained largely by women selling what they no longer wear.
The second-hand economy has no time for prejudice
The platform, as an intermediary, simply handles payments and shipping. A garment's useful life is extended, consumption is decentralised and the environmental impact shrinks. Nothing in that process invites a sensual connotation, unless the viewer brings one of their own. Reading a bikini listing as an invitation says more about the reader than about the seller.
Positions remain deadlocked. Meanwhile, the sellers will keep making sales, and there will always be someone watching. Dignity does not live on a mannequin.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (43 replies).
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