During quarantine, online shopping was the only safe and convenient option. Teens everywhere, including myself, were looking for trendy and affordable clothes. At that time, Shein was a popular online clothing retailer. A few of my friends had purchased clothes from the service, telling me that they were “so cheap and cute!” 

   I decided to give Shein a try. Besides, I would rather do that than play Barbie with my little sister. Plus, I was hoping to score some trendy clothes for the end of quarantine.

   When I went on the website, the first things that popped up were coupon codes for purchases over fifty dollars or one-hundred dollars. On the top of the page, I was bombarded with promo codes, expiring limited-time sales, and first-purchase-only shipping coupons. 

   Cute crop tops, oversized sweaters, and a rainbow of bathing suits were all around ten dollars each. The clothes were in-style, and represented everything I have ever wanted in my closet.

   After spending over an hour on the website, I headed to check out, only to be shocked by the subtotal.

   It was over one-hundred dollars!

   Also, the delivery would take an entire month to arrive. Of course, if I wanted express shipping, that would come at an added cost. 

   When my package finally arrived, however, I was beyond excited. The clothes were stored in cute, mini-pink Ziploc bags.

   However, the shirt inside was not what I expected. The material was so thin and insubstantial. When I tried it on, it did not look like what the model was wearing in the picture. I was disappointed. 

   Later, I found out that Shein’s clothes are marketed as fast-fashion. This means that they are trendy clothes that last longer in the dumpster than your closet. The material was polyester, which can take hundreds of years to break down. 

   I learned that I would rather buy clothes that are a little more pricey, but will last longer and help the environment. Ultimately, you get what you pay for in life, and shopping for clothes is no exception.