Boycotts, Protests and Diapers, Oh My!

Topic of the day.

Boycotts, Protests and Diapers?

Oh my!

I tend to gather a lot of my inspiration from a certain social media platform and today the women on there struck again.

A post came across my feed that resonated with me in a way I felt I NEEDED to get my point of view on this topic out there.

She said; "This might be a hot take?"

Then wrote about how she was speaking to someone when she said she had to "run to target" to get her daughters diapers as they're exclusively sold there.

She said they gave her "that" look.

In this political climate we ALL know what "that" look is.

That look is judgement for not boycotting Target completely.

For not immediately switching every single brand to something other stores carry.

For not immediately moving your family to an area with more resources available.

The judgement of not changing every single thing in your life at a moments notice because society told us to.

It’s not only judgement though.

It’s also one of two things;

Either utter hypocrisy because they are also not able to give up every single problematic product or store.

Or they are speaking from a place of privilege because they WERE able to boycott everything immediately.

None of those scenarios help the cause.

That takes time.

To switch over, to find a new brand you love and works for your family.

That is totally allergy free, in your price range and available at all times when you need it.

It is NOT an overnight thing.

I was pro the boycott for February 28th.

A whole day of everyone boycotting.

It would get the message out we aren’t allowing this to continue.

We are working towards change.

But it's not realistic, fair or feasible for every person in this country to stop buying everything ENTIRELY from big cooperation’s such as Target, especially not instantly.

We are far too dependent on them for our daily necessities.

Remember also, there are people in our society, like myself, that live in rural areas.

Shopping local is really just Aldi where I live to stay in budget.

Which is a better alternative cost wise but the selection isn't as vast.

Another thing to consider is how much more it costs to shop other places.

In an ideal world, we would all be earning more than enough to live off of and still find life enjoyable, but that isn't our current reality.

It’s one, some of us are working towards though.

We are BROKE out here.

So, the cheapest place is usually our only truly viable option.

There truly are a multitude of reasons why someone cannot just suddenly give up certain companies.

And all are VALID.

One reason why this post caught my eye was the mention of diapers.

I also used Target's Up & Up brand diapers once I switched from cloth diapers.

Tiny Hippie only wore the Up & Up brand her entire diapering stage.

I tried others.

The bigger, bougie brands.

I didn't like them.

The smell, the texture, the price.

It all was off for me.

I tried the Target brand and fell in love.

I'm also a brand loyal hoe, so I stuck with them for the rest of my diapering journey.

So I understand her saying they have the specific diapers she buys.

Someone in the comments told her to cloth diaper and that's where my blood started to boil and I knew I needed to write about this.

I am someone who cloth diapered for 14 months with my oldest.

I started researching years before I even got pregnant.

I started building my stash the moment I found out I was pregnant with my first.

I joined all of the cloth diapering groups I could find.

I even joined one that had a famous wrestlers wife as a very active and popular member who also cloth diapered exclusively and loved that brand as much as I did.

Her name is Rebecca Hardy.

She is Matthew Hardy's wife and mother of his 4 adorable children who she cloth diapered.

I practiced on dolls with what I liked the most style wise.

My go to was either a BabyGenius pocket or a modern take on the old school way of cloth diapering, with a pre-fold and a Nicki's Diapers cover.

Those were my go to combos.

I did include some different styles if I loved the pattern so much I needed it on my baby’s bum.

Cultivating a nice stash of a variety of cloth diapers to decide which you like best takes time.

It is not an overnight thing.

Learning HOW to properly cloth diaper, fold them, wash them PROPERLY (it's not just a quick toss in the wash thing), etc. takes time.

You cannot just suddenly switch overnight.

It does not work that way.

We MUST stop thinking in absolutes.

Nuance and context are everything.

Cloth diapering also is not a one size fits all thing.

It does not work for the vast majority of families.

I was privileged to be a stay at home mom who had the time and resources to actually do the proper research, build a nice stash for myself and actually be able to exclusively use cloth diapers.

It takes dedication, time and money that many do not have.

Working mothers have to find daycare providers who offer services to a cloth diapering child. Or if they can't, they have to then also buy disposables to send to daycare.

Then there are those, that simply do not want to.

And that is also valid.

To just throw out so casually "just cloth diaper" is similar to saying "just adopt" when someone is struggling with infertility.

"Just" does not belong with either of those.

Neither are simple tasks.

Both require, time, money, patience, a desire to actually do them and the knowledge of where to even start.

We are not Thanos.

We cannot simply snap our fingers with a glove, covered in magical gems, to change the world overnight.

Change takes time.

Small steps.

One step at a time.

That also includes the economic climate of our country.

For now, the boycotts are meant to open folks eyes to HOW much they are over consuming.

No one NEEDS to walk aimlessly through the aisles of Target until you find something you do not need whatsoever, have no space for or possibly not even really the money to waste on.

That is what we need to be mindful of.

There are other reasons of course, but for those that are skeptical, even starting small with, just skipping the Starbucks on your Target trip or skip the $1, $3, $5 section (we've all been drawn in by the random, new knick-nacks we don't need).

If you are really jonesing for some cute chatchki's, hit up a thrift store! (A local, small business, family owned one preferably)

Chatchki's galore and you are recycling instead of buying new.

Win, win.

Now there are obviously things we need from certain stores, certain brands we have become loyal to that we cannot just switch from overnight due to a variety of reasons, all of which are valid.

We need to make sure folks know, it's ok to keep getting those, but just maybe start the switch over to a more mindful brand or store.

Be more mindful of where our money is going and who is going to as well as WHAT is going to.

To me, that is the point we need to be making when it comes to this boycott.

Because all of those chastising others for not stopping all activity to these places are only hurting the cause.

Not helping it.

It's pushing people to choose to spend their money deliberately at those places out of spite.

In addition to the boycotts, lets discuss protests as well shall we? 

On April 5, 2025, there was a Nationwide protest organized in all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico *.

5 million people took to the streets to protest what is happening in the United States.

To protest to keep hands off of our rights.

Our rights to our own Democracy.

Our own Social Security.

Our own Healthcare.

Our own BODIES.

5 million people took time out of their day to hit the streets in at least 120 organized protests across our nation.

To show we are standing up against the current state of our economy, healthcare, government, education and our immigration.

WE are the people.

WE are who this administration are hurting.

But WE are also those that are UNITED.

WE represent the UNITED States.

If you look at the protests and the boycotts from the view point of:

"There is not point in this. You're getting nowhere. It's not worth it. This proves nothing. Etc."

You are most likely those that are PROUD of our ancestors who stood up against a Monarchical system to start our own.

A bunch of rag tag, grass roots, humble, proud, brave fathers, sons, husbands.

That walked away one day from their families to fight for an idea.

To fight for a better life for that family.

The only way they knew how.

They walked away not knowing if they would ever see their family again.

The odds were not in their favor.

That was a fraction of what showed up to protest what the current administration is trying to take away from us.

That drive, ambition, compassion and empathy to stand up AGAINST what is happening TO you.

THAT is the spirit of our fore fathers who built this nation for us.

They are 5 million human beings who came together united against one cause.

5 million people who are struggling in their own personal lives.

Some with aging parents who are losing their benefits.

Some are losing access to free and accessible education.

Some are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, how they support and feed their children.

Some are losing rights to their own autonomy and body.

Some are losing access to SOURCED, RELIABLE and FACT BASED INFORMATION.

They are scared and confused and ANGRY.

This is NOT the UNITED States we were promised.

This is NOT a UNITED NATION for ALL.

This is NOT the "LAND OF THE FREE" as we were taught in school.

This is NOT what those that came before us fought for.

This is NOT the nation women and men have been fighting for us to have for decades.

WE ARE GOING BACKWARDS.

AND WE WON'T STAND FOR IT.

We ARE the hungry, poor, sick and homeless.

But we are FIGHTING for our nation in the only way WE can and the only way WE have POWER.

Our voices and our presence.

5 million voices showed up and made us so proud.

They had millions more behind them at home who couldn't make it that day or chose to let their voices be heard in other ways.

I think there may have even been a few who were skeptical and against the entire thing, that were moved by what they saw, sought out reliable information and learned that although ignorance is bliss, knowledge is power.

I was supposed to go with Shermie that day.

There was a protest an hour away and we had a plan in place for the girl’s dad to take them to the movies while we went to the protest but things didn't go as we had planned.

We were able to get our boards made where even Tiny Hippie added her own personal touch. (Will be included at bottom)

Then crisis struck and we were snapped into mom and dad mode taking care of a very scared 6 year old who I had just sleep in bed with me.

The next morning my mental health was at an all time low.

My anxiety was sky high.

To the point my heart rate was sky rocketing.

I knew our protest day was not going to happen.

The girls DID get to see the movie with their dad though!

Shermbot and I worked through a very difficult mental health day for me. (I am so thankful for that man. When they say "if they wanted to, they would..." coming soon!)

Then we were reunited in the evening and all was well in our little bubble again.

So, we had every intention of being out there, among the 5 million, using our voices, but due to situations out of our control, we were not able.

We were the ones at home, trying to make it through one minute at a time, but also having our hearts and support with those out there.

To wrap it all up, we try.

We are human.

This is a weird, confusing, new world we are in.

It's a space we are trying to break out of and move the progress bar forward for the human species.

Some of us are doing more physically.

Some are doing more socially.

Some, politically, etc.

Those of us, who care and are angry... we are TRYING.

Are we perfect?

Nope.

Who is?

We try every day to make conscious decisions about the impact we leave on this world.

It's overwhelming and exhausting some days.

Especially for those of us who live in rural areas with less access to the recourses those in larger cities have.

We are important and valuable as well.

And we are trying.

They may seem like baby steps to you.

They may seem like we don't care at all.

But WE ARE UNITED AND WE ARE FIGHTING.

I am personally using my words online to fight back.

I feel it is my place in this fight and it's where I'm the most comfortable.

It is also important for current events to be told as they unfold to be preserved in human history.

For those that come after us to learn from our history.

Their history.

To keep humankind moving FOWARD.

Never backward.

Besides, like the great Yuval Noah Harari predicts, our modern species only has about 1,000 years left in existence, why not try to make it the best 1,000 years imaginable?!

-The Messy Hippie 🌈✌🏻