The Refusal as Resistance

Sor Juana used refusal as a form of power. She refused to accept the limits placed on women's intellectual work by writing anyway. She refused to be silenced by ecclesiastical authority by continuing to publish despite pressure. In ethical consumption, refusal operates similarly—not buying from exploitative companies is a practice of resistance with real economic consequences. When consumers collectively refuse fast fashion, fossil-fuel-dependent products, or goods made through exploitation, corporations respond. This isn't mere individual virtue; it's participatory economics. Strategic refusal means: refusing to update technology unnecessarily, refusing single-use plastics, refusing goods from companies with poor labor records, refusing to normalize exploitation through consumption. Refusal is powerful because it withdraws economic support from harmful systems. Unlike consumption-based ethics that require finding the 'right' product (which may not exist), refusal requires only non-participation. It's also more psychologically liberating—freedom from endless searching for the perfect ethical good and freedom from guilt about unavoidable consumption. Refusal aligns with Sor Juana's legacy by treating ethical consumption as active resistance against injustice rather than passive moral performance. It reclaims agency through strategic withdrawal.