Alternative hedonism may be
motivated in part by concern for the consequences of one’s con
sumption habits, but
what sustains it is “the sensual pleasures of consuming differently” (Soper 2009, 5).
Most promising is that the alternative hedonism model takes a middle ground in itsconception of the consumer, seeing her as neither a completely sovereignindependent agent making consumer choices nor as cattle, whose choices are simplythe reflection of the needs of capitalism or the power of marketing. Instead theconsumer is envisioned as reflexive but within an environment where they are
“immersed in consumer culture”
(Ibid, 11). Slow living fits directly within this modelof alternative consumption in that it is motivated not just by external concerns but also this desire for right living, regaining agency over everyday life (Parkins andCraig 2006, 67) and seeking deep pleasure, the very heart alternative hedonism