Fast fashion is a prevalent issue in everyday society. The term “fast fashion” originates from different businesses fastly adapting to the new fashion trends shown on celebrities or on the catwalk. Due to the everchanging and quick-growing pace these trends take, the clothes are usually produced in bulk amounts by brands that use factories.
These brands include Shein, Romwe, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Amazon and so many more. Learning how to cater to a younger audience by using social media and being affordable has been these brands' number one priority.
The question of affordability has not had a fulfilling answer. Companies tend to dismiss the question with other answers that might help calm concern, but do not provide full details. These brands are constantly questioned.
Usually, in order to grab audiences' attention, sites like Shein use greenwashing on their social responsibility pages.
Along with being questioned, reviews for products on fast fashion websites are all over the place. Shipping, sizing and quality are almost always questioned and oftentimes consumers are let down.
Child labor rates have increased during COVID. Although 2021 has been declared the “International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor,” these promises will not be kept if fast fashion continues to grow in trend.
Although these problems are obviously an issue, TikTok hosts a multitude of videos mocking child labor and glorifies the purchasing of cheaply made clothes. Many TikTokers host hauls of the Shein or Romwe clothes that they have purchased, ultimately influencing a new, uneducated audience to do the same.
TikTokers avoid the knowledge of child labor and choose to not show any care. Captions are nothing close to an apology. These continuous hauls are dangerous and poking fun at child labor should not be tolerated. Making fun of child labor has become “dark humor,” but it’s not a type of humor at all — it’s wrong.
TikTok and YouTube creators claim that they buy from these online stores because they can’t afford expensive clothes. However, they end up buying an abundant amount of clothes and the cost definitely adds up.
Buying clothes as a teenager is difficult and money is scarce, but supporting these brands can be avoided.
Resources, like Good on You, are made to educate its users on which clothing brands are sustainable and which brands aren’t.
These apps and websites are marketed to help younger audiences find affordable fashion. Keeping up with the fashion trends is important to many but if saving up more can help stop child labor, why is it even being questioned?
Thrifting is another alternative and, when researched, it can be done properly.
Apps like Depop and Poshmark are made to sell second-hand clothes for lower than the ticketed price. These apps can help reduce the landfill of unwanted clothing by selling it to new owners, instead of just throwing the clothes away.
Fast fashion has become a rising issue in the past year and continues to be a concern with no follow-through. Change needs to happen and hopefully, people want it to happen. Even taking small steps like buying fewer clothes from these corporate brands can be a start to making a difference.
Kayla Bennett is a freshman studying journalism. Please note that the views and ideas of columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Kayla? Tweet her @kkayyben.
