The Dark Side Of Fashion
It is indeed true that fashion influences the way we feel about ourselves and others. While looking good has its benefits we must not forget everything has a good and bad side. People love to dress up but at the same time, we cannot deny the fact we do feel the pressure to look good at times and this is not just common with teens and college-going students. The pressure of looking your best has led to its effects on mental health. People have become more cautious about how they look in a social setting and that often leads to comparison. Also, did you know that the fashion industry is the second largest industry polluter? Well, we will come back to this but for that, you need to understand what we mean by the term “fast fashion”. Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that gets its ideas from the celebrity culture and turns them into garments to meet consumer demand. It leads to overproduction and overconsumption that has made fashion one of the largest polluters. Taking a stroll down the history lane, during queen victoria’s reign, fashion became far more accessible. To meet demand, fashion production became faster and working conditions deteriorated. the tragic death of 146 workers trapped by fire at triangle shirtwaist company in new york city in 1911 prompted the introduction of legislation requiring regular hours, paid leaves, sick benefits, and better working conditions. although this benefited workers, fashion became less elaborate. sadly, more than a century later, we are still witnessing disasters at fashion sweatshops. Many fashion retailers, even those who claim to be ethical, exploit social causes like environmentalism for capital gain. Brands like Zara announced their own crowd-pleasing sustainability goals last year, yet continue to follow a fast fashion business model that produces huge amounts of low-quality, low-cost clothes. This is a perfect example of greenwashing, a term coined in the 1980s by environmentalist Jay Westervelt. Although the consumers are becoming educated about the environmental problems resulting from the fashion supply chain and manufacturing process, they still tend to buy more than they need. More interest in fashion trends and the availability of products has also indirectly led to effects on the mental health of people. The FOMO on fashion trends causes low self-esteem, anxiety and creates a sense of extra demand which might be unnecessary. sometimes, when a particular piece of clothing does not fit you the way you wanted or expected, it automatically makes you lose confidence and leads to body image issues and decreased self-esteem. In the race of taking up on trends and looking the best possible of themselves, people have forgotten the idea of accepting and loving themselves the way they are and practicing self-love. While fashion is a great way of appreciating oneself and having a positive sense of self, we must remember to not get carried away with the trends and everything social media suggests. Hope this article helps you find your boundaries even when it comes to fashion.
