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The relationship between fast fashion and feminism

The relationship between fast fashion and feminism

Posted on July 26, 2021October 24, 2022

I think all people are secretly feminists. Feminists want equal rights for all genders. I mean, who doesn’t want equal rights for everybody? Some people think of something dirty when they hear the word feminist. I don’t understand this. And also, calling yourself a feminist is just the very beginning. It’s the first step and after that you can evolve your mindset and learn more. But feminism isn’t just about your values. It’s about actions too. Today I want to talk about feminism and it’s relationship to fast fashion.

Mindset vs. Actions

I mean, values are great, but if we don’t act alike it won’t do the whole job. Cognitive dissonance, I see it all the time. People saying they love animals, but eat them. People who think pesticides suck, but don’t buy organic products. And people who are against slavery, but buy fast fashion. That’s why I feel actions matter. You can’t be against something but then financially support it. That way it will never be solved. 

For me, the same goes for feminism. If you want equal pay for all genders, you can’t support companies who don’t pay equal because then you won’t make a change. And if you want women to be able to wear whatever they want, you can’t vote for parties which prohibit women from wearing a niqaab. If you want gay people to feel safe in this country, you can’t curse with f****t. Then your actions are simply not in line with your values. That’s why I want to talk about fast fashion today, along with the relationship to feminism. Supporting fast fashion companies simply isn’t a feminist thing to do. 

Fast Fashion

Just a little fresh up here: what it fast fashion again? I wrote an entire post about why it sucks and you can read that here. Fast fashion companies are companies which sell clothing for very little money. At the same time they do this fast, there’s a new collection almost every other week. And very important: they have no labels. No organic fabric label, no fair trade label, nothing. You can’t find where, by who and how the clothing was made exactly. Examples? Zara, Boohoo, H&M, Primark, that kind of parties. If you want to avoid fast fashion brand you can use this tool: Good on You. Just type in a brand name, the website shows you if it is sustainable and ethical or not. If not, Good on You gives you great alternatives.

Women

As a feminist today, I fight for women’s rights and queer rights. The people who suffer most from the fast fashion industry are women. They are the ones working long hours for little money under terrible conditions. According to campaign Labour Behind The Label, approximately 80% of garment workers are women aged 18-35. We can only help these women by boycotting fast fashion brands. Instead, we buy slow, sustainable and ethical fashion. This lift women out of poverty, creates a healthier environment and provides them a better life. This then again makes better chances for their children because they can afford an education. 

If we want to do even better, we should support female or queer owned fashion brands. It’s usually men at the top of businesses, that’s unfair. We should give women more power. Lifting women from poverty gives them opportunities to get an education. This is great for the women, but also for the environment. It is scientifically proven; the longer a woman follows an education, the less children she has. Poor women have more children and this way the poverty continues to exist.

More education means less children and a better life. The difference between an uneducated woman and a woman with 12 years of education is four to five children. Also, the amount of women dying when giving birth falls, less infants die, there are less forced marriages, there is less HIV/aids or malaria, etc. etc. Giving women an education has been proven to be highly effective way to decrease emissions. It fights climate change, but at the same time it makes women more resilient against climate change as well.

Resources

Yes, ethical and sustainable fashion is more expensive. That’s the whole point. Think you can’t afford this? Think again. Most Dutch people have to swap some luxury in order to spend more money on clothing. One holiday instead of two. Going biking instead of by car. Cooking at home instead of going out for dinner. There are options. The key is also to buy less. One ethical t-shirt from good quality material instead of 10 cheap t-shirts from Primark. Did you know that the average Dutch person owns 173 pieces of clothing? 

I know some people really don’t have the money. Not everybody in the Netherlands has privileges. Then secondhand clothing is a good solution. Secondhand clothing is way better than fast fashion. I usually buy secondhand too. As long as I don’t support fast fashion brands I’m a happy feminist.

Did you know about this relationship between fast fashion and feminism?

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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Dit is de route van de interrail die ik maakte de afgelopen maand! Over die interrail staat vandaag het eerste artikel (in een reeks van meerdere) online op mijn blog. Ik deel daarin namelijk mijn ervaring én wat tips en tricks. Je kan het nu vinden via de link in mijn bio 🚞.#duurzaamleven #duurzaamreizen #interrail Dit is hoe ik met de trein van Krásná Lípa (🇨🇿) naar Bratislava (🇸🇰) reisde. Dit was reisdag 3/6 van onze duurzame interrail reis. Ik ben vandaag 25 jaar geworden 🥳. Ik hoop heel hard dat dat betekent dat ik ongeveer op een kwart van mijn leven ben. En wat een verjaardag is dit! Ik mag het vieren in Kopenhagen met mijn favoriete persoon @casperchristiaanse , terwijl ik met de trein door Europa reis 🚃. Ik ben een gelukkig mens. Op naar de 50! Dit is hoe ik van Dresden (🇩🇪) naar Krásná Lípa (🇨🇿) reisde. Niet een bijster lange, maar wel een prachtige treinreis, omdat je door het nationaal park Boheems Zwitserland gaat. Dit was de tweede reisdag van onze interrail (2/6). We zijn op de helft van de interrail. Terwijl ik dit typ zijn we onderweg naar Warschau (8,5 uur vanaf Bratislava). Nog twee bestemmingen te ontdekken, maar wat hebben we nu al veel genoten. Elke dag goed en lang slapen, nieuw vegan eten proberen, bijzonder lang wandelen, spelletjes spelen, weinig schermtijd, genieten van de mooie uitzichten en zon: deze reis is genieten 💜. Dit is hoe ik met de trein van Amsterdam naar Dresden reisde 🚃. De interrail is officieel begonnen! (1/6) Vandaag verschijnt er geen artikel op mijn blog. En de komende twee weken hierna ook niet. Dat is voor het eerst, in de 7 jaar dat ik schrijf. Een heel leuk onderdeel van duurzaam leven is tweedehands kleding. Hier zijn 4 tweedehands outfits die ik droeg in augustus 2023 🌞. Je zag het al in de reel van vorige week: ik ben op vakantie geweest naar Gent, in België. Het was een ontzettende aanrader, en daarom verscheen er vandaag een artikel op mijn blog over de leukste en duurzaamste hotspots in Gent 🌆. Check it out via de link in mijn bio

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