At Matter, Mary Mann talked to (mostly) law-abiding people who have a secret penchant for shoplifting.
Here's Miriam, 29:
I never bought anything in high school. At all. I worked at an upscale clothing boutique for a year, and I would steal stuff while working all the time. I was very strategic about it: I would stash things throughout my day, one at a time. Once I got home and realized I'd stolen a thousand dollars' worth. I remember laying it all out on my bed and feeling so powerful. It was a rush before, during, and after. It's a way to be like: Fuck the man and all this consumerism and shit. Like, who pays for stuff?
These one pair of jeans I wore every single day for four years until they fell apart. All my lingerie, some clothes—I still wear it all 16 years later, and I'm like, thank God I took this. What's wrong with me?
"Tis The Season For Shoplifting!"
(illustration by Danielle Chenette)
