Softening the Stigma Around Fast Fashion
Why shaming is harmful to those who shop fast fashion out of necessity
By Tracy Pham, Creative Team Member
Contributing to our world’s climate crisis, fast fashion brands rapidly pump out hundreds of new clothing items to keep up with the constantly changing trend cycle. This is nothing new; overconsumption and mass production of clothing only leads to textile waste and pollution (Huang & Holl, 2021). Putting aside these brands’ reputation of ripping off small business designs, fast fashion is also widely known to be unethical for its exploitation of its workers.
Fashion activism is a growing trend and rightfully so. There’s a lot that needs to change in the fashion industry, such as size inclusivity, trend volatility and cultural appropriation. With Shein, now worth $100 billion and other companies close behind, sustainable fashion activism is more prevalent than ever (Yipp, 2022). Although there is a crucial need for sustainable fashion, much of this activism can be performative and classist.
Nowadays, social media activism is the best way to spread awareness or at least the best way to passively relay hollow posts full of buzzwords. Although many social media activists shed light on the dark side of fast fashion, others fail to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Sustainable fashion is more complicated than Instagram posts like “Three Steps to a Greener Wardrobe” make it out to be. The sustainability that comes from not shopping fast fashion is a privilege not accessible to people who come from marginalized and low-income backgrounds.
Sustainable fashion activism can be one-sided and there is a duality to the effects of fast fashion that privileged shoppers (the ones generally “canceling” the brands) don’t notice. The main question I had in mind before writing this piece is whether guilt-tripping people for shopping at Forever 21 actually benefits or progresses this movement. The classist idea that people who shop fast fashion are inconsiderate and “cheap” is toxic to those who shop these brands out of necessity.
In most activism posts, there are two main recurring alternatives to fast fashion: buying from slow fashion brands and buying second-hand. It would be unfair to say this change is easy for everyone. Slow fashion brands are generally expensive because their methods of production are sustainable and, in turn, costly. Although slow fashion prices are often justified, this is not a straightforward solution for people from low-income communities who can’t afford them.
Similarly, sustainable fashion options such as thrifting are not always accessible in low-income areas. It also doesn’t help that thrifting has gotten more expensive with the growing popularity of vintage and y2k items (Allaire, 2022). Because of the skyrocketing popularity of Depop, an online second-hand marketplace, people often thrift to resell the items at a higher price, limiting options for people resorting to thrifting as their only affordable alternative.
Growing up in New York City, I was fortunate to be surrounded by many opportunities to shop second-hand. Although the growing trend of thrifting is critical because it promotes sustainable shopping, it is clear that overconsumption, no matter where one shops, is still an issue that needs to be addressed. The need to thrift every week to get the most valuable “finds” is also damaging to the accessibility of these stores to people coming from low-income backgrounds.
Overconsumption is not a big issue either; people coming from low-income backgrounds don’t generally consume much either since many can’t afford or don’t even have time to shop for unnecessary items. Preaching that these alternatives are the only way to shop sustainably is only normalizing classism.
Instead of perpetuating this shaming culture onto others, sustainable fashion activists should shift their attention to detrimental spending habits that are more substantial. The temptation to buy everything in your shopping cart because there is a one-day $5 sale is real, but it also perpetuates a big reason why fast fashion is so “fast”: overconsumption. With a quick Youtube search, you will find thousands of videos of people spending hundreds of dollars at Shein for the sole purpose of filming monthly hauls and having a lot of “trendy” clothes. Not only is this contributing to what fast fashion is all about, but it also promotes textile waste and the glorification of having a large number of clothes rather than quality items.
Similarly, “greenwashing,” or creating a false narrative of sustainability, now garners popularity among fast fashion brands. Many shoppers unintentionally support what I like to call “invisible fast fashion brands” like Gap and Zara, which tend to sell pricier clothes and have a more “luxurious” reputation. Yes, the misleading “green” descriptions are alluring, but they are also extremely detrimental to people who do try and shop sustainably and end up falling for the greenwashing traps. Jumping on the performative bandwagon and bashing people who shop fast fashion out of necessity casts a shadow on other significant issues revolving around sustainability.
The toxicity that stems from sustainable fashion activism can be avoided by understanding that everyone is welcome to be a part of the movement even if it means being able to contribute in different ways. I think the sustainable fashion movement should focus on conveying solutions that are sustainable for the environment as well as financially sustainable.
Quitting fast fashion is not the only way to build a sustainable closet. Other accessible ways include buying fewer clothes, intentionally shopping and upcycling clothes. If you do go shopping, buying clothes that will be used for a long time is helpful in developing a healthier relationship with your spending habits. Being intentional with every item of clothing you buy prevents mindless shopping for unnecessary clothes you’ll probably shove in the back of your closet and never wear again. Rather than jumping on the latest fad, buy clothes that are “classic” and won’t go “out of style” or just an item of clothing you genuinely like. Lastly, upcycling clothes is a great way to reduce textile waste without needing too many materials. From cropping a shirt you never wear to transforming a denim skirt into a bag, there are so many ways you can elevate your closet without needing to buy more.
Living sustainably is a privilege and being conscious of how shaming culture can affect marginalized communities can take the movement further. There is no pick-and-choose qualification for living sustainably. In order to build a fruitful movement, sustainable fashion activism should be encouraging and accessible to everyone no matter their socioeconomic status. Fast fashion brands themselves should be shamed, not the people buying from them out of necessity. Instead of quickly jumping to conclusions about a person’s ethics based on their shopping habits, I urge you to guilt-trip the brands actually benefiting off of them.
Sources:
Yip, W. (2022, April 5). Shein's $100b Value Worth More Than Zara and H&M Combined: WSJ. Insider.
Collinge, M. (2021, April 8). Shaming women out of fast-fashion won't combat sustainability; empowering women will. Harper's Bazaar.
Greeves, M., & Bright, S. (2020, July 22). Shame Fast Fashion Brands – Not the People who Buy their Clothes – Byline Times. Byline Times.
Huang, S., & Holl, F. (2021, March 1). Textile Waste from the Fast-Fashion Industry. Green Consumer Project.
Allaire, C. (2022, 2 25). Like it or not, gaudy Y2K style is roaring back. Vogue.