Why is fast fashion so addictive?
Shein. Forever 21. H&M. We all know them, we all love their cheap prices. These three are just a few examples of many fast fashion brands that dominate the clothing industry. Fast fashion is a method of production where clothes are inexpensively manufactured and rapidly produced in response to the latest trends.
Sounds great, right?
It’s not. Why? In the process of bringing you the newest, hottest clothes at the speed of light, fast fashion overuses plastic, contributes to ocean pollution, and is responsible for producing 92 million tons of textile waste per year—according to Earth.org.
However, none of this disturbing information is shared before you click “buy.” Fast fashion brands are some of the most popular, most shopped-at clothing companies in the world. So, why are they so popular? Why is everyone addicted to fast fashion?
Greenandbeyondmag.com says that “it’s simple to follow trends” because it is something that “everyone is doing around you – so it’s easier to join that team. It’s super available” (Ahmed). Being that people often dress in order to fit in, these companies which can produce and sell trendy clothes faster than Usain Bolt allow people to feel “with it” and part of a community. People add to their cart and checkout so as to not be the next outcast. Further, fast fashion is cheap because the companies that produce clothes using this method do not compensate their workers appropriately. This contributes to the attractiveness of fast fashion.
Although there are psychological issues that come with fast fashion, the environmental issues are incredibly important as well. In order to keep the clothing prices low, the manufacturers use cheap materials using toxic chemicals. Greenandbeyondmag.com shares that “those toxic chemicals get released into our water and air and soil, all of those get polluted.”
We have a problem on our hands. These unhealthy shopping habits are contributing to the active destruction of our Earth. Since fast fashion products last fewer than ten wears per article of clothing, the need for new clothes never stops. Thus, we continue to waste textiles, send plastic into the ocean, and add to the increasing landfills in America. Additionally, these fast fashion habits contribute to potential health problems. The toxic chemicals used to produce fast fashion clothes pollute the soil, water, and air. This results in toxic chemicals in the food and water produced. You are eating and drinking the toxic chemicals you are wearing. Further, this is not just for humans, the polluted waters are poisoning aquatic life, depriving them of habitat and nutrients.
Fast fashion is an addictive process that directly contributes to climate change and the decline of Planet Earth. We need to rethink our priorities.
Contacts:
