Consumer Culture
Social Media plays a big role in our lives. It has revolutionized the way we consume information and buy products.
Social Media
In today's world, social media plays a big part in our lives. Before you meet someone, you might check out their Instagram to learn more about them. Old friends keep in touch through Facebook. Influencers use their platforms to promote a lifestyle or discuss issues. But on social media, we only see the perfect parts of people's lives. Behind the scenes, there is constant stress about a next post, or what to wear. Many feel that once you post an outfit, you can't wear it again. This fuels the fast fashion industry. By creating a culture where we always need more, we are destroying our planet and the lives of others.
Marketing and Targeting
Some of the other big consumers of fast fashion are kids or teenagers who are going through growth spurts. There aren't really sustainable fashion companies that cater to teenagers who want less mature, and more colorful clothing. Kids and teenagers grow out of their clothes quickly, making it hard to make the bigger investment to buy more expensive and better quality sustainable clothing.
This is an example of a clothing tag from Zara's "sustainable" line called 'Join Life'. Notice how the tag says they are using less water to make products, but does not give any specific information. Saying that they're using 'less' water is very ambiguous.
The statements about Zara's join life line on their website are also very ambiguous. They don't talk about specific goals, but rather say that they are trying to decrease environmental impact and social impact. This is definitely a start, but the whole fast fashion model is based on using cheap materials and incredibly fast labor, which cannot be ethical and environmentally responsible.