Considering my last post, on the revelations that Boohoo Group factories were investigated for practices of modern slavery in the UK, many people on social media proposed the boycott of Boohoo's brands like Pretty Little Thing, Boohoo, Nasty Gal etc. in protest. This has led, to what I believe has become an increased pressure on the individual to shop 'sustainably' and 'ethically'. The countless times I have seen people shamed on social media for wearing fast fashion brands, including 'influencers' and non-influencers. There is so much emphasis on 'ethically consuming', supporting local and small businesses. I personally feel a sense of shame when someone asks me where my shirt is from and I reply with ASOS or H&M, I've even been met with a look of disappointment. The pressure to purchase from multi-seller websites like Etsy and Depop is growing amongst younger generations.
So, why is this a bad thing?
At first glance, the increase in the online discourse on shopping more ‘ethically’ or from ‘sustainable’ brands seems honourable, and one which comes from a place of care for the planet and garment workers. I’m sure it is, however, it also comes from a place of privilege. Having the choice between a £5 t-shirt from say, Primark, and then also being able to afford a top from a brand like Hundred Club (who only manufacture 100 items of each style) which would cost £30-40, is undoubtedly a privilege. This is not to demonise these people who, I believe are genuinely coming from a place of care, shop like so. The problem lies when those who can afford to shop sustainably begin to demonise fast fashion brands and their consumers.
Screenshot taken from the Hundred Club website.
Screenshot taken from Primark's website.
The Classism argument
Thus, an argument has been making its way through the left-wing echo chambers of social media, that being anti-fast fashion is classist. I think there is some truth to this demonization of lower-income people relying on fast fashion companies to fill their wardrobes and to keep up with their peers. But Deschanel (2021) argues it is far more nuanced than that, and that this point of view has become too oversimplified, and reductionist and I think she has a point, to a degree.
I have exclusively discussed sustainable brands, but not charity shopping/thrift shopping to shop ethically. In 2022, you can quickly search for an item online and get it delivered to you the next day, the delivery costing as little as £9.95 for the whole year (ASOS [no date]). Compare this to the possibility of sifting through racks for hours during what is supposed to be time-off.
What about the garment workers?
The people making the garments, that are exploited under terrible working conditions, are themselves working-class, and in a way purchasing the clothes made by them only funds the industry more and more. The bold statement of 'anti-fast fashion is classist' in a way is too simplistic and focuses only on the consumer of the product. It doesn't take into consideration that the garment workers themselves are working-class, on a low income, and are exploited, maquila women in Mexican garment factories are even perceived as “modern-day cyborgs” (Bui 2015, p.131). Thus, there is an argument that when you consume fast fashion, you are perpetuating this problem.
Photo from the film Maquilapolis courtesy of Creative Capital: https://creative-capital.org/2019/10/02/how-maquilapolis-led-the-way-as-documentaries-become-important-tools-for-justice-and-change/
Although I agree that the original statement, that being anti-fast fashion is inherently problematic and classist, is a little simplistic. I do believe that the counterargument regarding the accountability and responsibility of the individual consumer is flawed. I will thus be exploring this in the next blog post, and the final instalment of the series, on what the solution is and whether there is any ethical consumption under capitalism.
Bibliography
ASOS [no date]. ASOS Premier Delivery. Available at: https://www.asos.com/payments-and-deliveries/premier-delivery/.
Bui, L.T. 2015. Glorientalization: Specters of Asia and Feminized Cyborg Workers in the US-Mexico Borderlands. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism 13(1), pp. 129–156. Available at: http://10.0.11.163/meridians.13.1.129%5Cnhttps://login.e.bibl.liu.se/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=109258807&site=eds-live&scope=site. [Accessed: 02/05/2022].
Deschanel, B. 2021. 'Why No One Wins the Fast Fashion Debate' [Youtube]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT6Hwx20m5M [Accessed: 17/02/2022]
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