Consumption as a Justice Practice

Sor Juana lived within rigid hierarchies of power and spent her life asserting the equal dignity and rights of those marginalized by them. This vision of justice directly applies to consumption: each purchase either supports human dignity or participates in its violation. When we buy from companies that exploit workers, destroy ecosystems, or perpetuate inequality, we are not merely consuming—we are voting for those systems with our resources. Ethical consumption becomes a justice practice: a deliberate commitment to using purchasing power to reinforce dignity, fair labor, environmental stewardship, and community flourishing. This is not performative morality but essential integrity—aligning our actions with our stated values about human rights and justice. Sor Juana refused to accept the world as given; ethical consumption asks the same of us: to recognize that consumption patterns shape reality and that our choices matter for the justice we claim to value.