The following article states the social problem of fast fashion, namely wrapping around the question on how the U.S. focuses so much on social justice and freedom, if the “norm” is that we sell and consume clothing from people chained down by horrible working conditions.
Two years ago, I saw the documentary “The True Cost” about the fashion industry. The drawn faces of garment workers rattled me as much as the facts about this industry producing clothing as quickly and cheaply as possible without consideration of harmful effects. This greed-fed disregard for our planet and people drives me to prevent future fast fashion consumption; from organizing clothing swaps to giving presentations at my school.
“We claim that human rights and justice are key values of our culture, but choose clothing made by people who are deprived of these promises.”
Fortunately, recent media attention has put a spotlight on this problem. However, the market is expected to expand by 15.6% in 2023, according to Forbes. The desire for that trendy jacket overrides our reasoning that we are actually paying for workers who rush to make one garment after another without adequate pay. The George Washington University reports that less than 2% of the 75 million factory workers are earning a living wage. The U.S. Department of Labor reported in March 2023 that fast fashion workers are paid some of the lowest wages, sometimes as low as $1.58 per hour, and that 80% of contractors violate minimum wage. “You basically have to kill yourself in front of a sewing machine in order to provide for your family” says Maria Valdinete da Silva, according to the 2019 New York Times article “Who Made My Clothes.” In the same article, Rukhsana says “it’s not just difficult, it’s impossible to survive on the salary the textile mills pay. Are we supposed to choose between buying food and roti or paying for clothes and medicine? […].”
Consciously or unconsciously, consumers are supporting a system that forces families to put their children to work to make ends meet. Yes, fast fashion brands do use child labor. The Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign points out that the work children perform amounts to modern day slavery conditions.
The freedom of choice to shop where you would like and that ethically made garments can be unaffordable, is understandable. However, there are alternatives that do not sweep workers’ rights under the rug, such as thrifting. Not all fashion brands violate workers rights, some garment workers enjoy their jobs. The fact remains, that millions of people are continuously underpaid, and their rights disregarded in a time when we recognize that all lives matter.
While we enjoy the fundamental value of freedom, fast fashion denies the freedom that comes with a living wage and binds children to a life of labor. We claim that human rights and justice are key values of our culture, but choose clothing made by people who are deprived of these promises. Simply cutting fast fashion brands out of your closet will, over time, drastically improve the state of our planet and people’s lives.
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