Behind all the social and financial appeals of “fast fashion” lies many dark truths that trump the benefits. Personally, I have fallen victim to fast fashion, however I am gradually learning the risks associated with it.

Fast fashion is the inexpensive, rapid production of low-quality clothing that mimics whatever clothing is currently trending. What’s in and out of style is changing every day, and so companies constantly make/scrap new lines of production, throwing out the old regardless of if it sells or not. 

First and foremost, fast fashion is terrible for the environment. Because trends are constantly changing, brands need to constantly create new pieces of clothing in order to make a profit. A study done by the UN Environment Programme found that fashion itself is the world’s second-biggest water consumer when it comes to agricultural leads. This leads to the pollution of water sources, causing toxicity that can never be fixed. 

It is important that everyone understands exactly what fast-fashion is doing to our world. Just because it doesn’t seem to directly affect your everyday life, does not mean it never will. Eventually, the problem of pollution will lead to extinctions of ecosystems, scarcity of resources and water shortages. No amount of clothing is worth risking our primary needs as humans.

Fast fashion is one of the highest contenders when it comes to carbon emissions. Nearly 10% of global emissions come from fast fashion due to transportation and transforming plastics into textiles. Again, the issue of carbon emissions can seem irrelevant as it is not something that individuals think about on a day-to-day basis. 

However, it actually is affecting our lives every day. Just a few weeks into January, it was nearly 48 degrees in DeKalb. A few days after that, many of the neighboring schools shut down due to below-freezing temperatures. This rapid drop in temperature is due to climate change, which is directly caused by carbon emissions.

Not only that, but these emissions also affect air quality, making the air we breathe dangerous over long term exposure. 

Consumers care more about fitting into society than our world. Modern-day societal expectations are to wear certain things, act a certain way, talk a specific way, etc. If you do not do so, then you are at risk of being seen as “weird” or “out-of-place.”

I know this because I have been in that same position before. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes, so buying items that were cheaper, but appeared to look the same as high-price things, was enticing. 

Once I began using fast-fashion to buy things that were in style, I began to get more compliments, which reinforced the idea I needed to dress a certain way for others to see me as attractive or worth speaking to. I truly believe society is the root cause for the increase in fast-fashion. Individuals want to be perceived a certain way and dressing in-style is one of the main ways to feel like one fits in.

As opposed to buying off-brand, low quality, quickly produced slop, it is better to go to a local thrift store, or patch up clothes yourself if they are damaged.

Resorting to damaging our earth just to feel like you match the day’s ever changing aesthetic is disappointing and frightening. Are we really willing to put our futures in harm’s way just to wear what society tells us to wear? When is enough, enough?