Fashion: Why it is a 'trigger' word for me

According to Wikipedia “Fashion is a popular style, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle products, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and body” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion).

Everyone has their own style, and some people seem to be outdated based on the fashion of the time. I am not here to judge, and that is why I have trouble with people who sum up the character of a person based on the outer appearance. It is superficial to think that if I do not have the latest trend, I am insecure or not confident in who ‘I am’. The opposite is actually more true. I am a minimalist, and so I wear clothes until they are irreparable. I use patches on old jeans and sew the holes in my clothes because I know it is better for the planet than to buy new again and again. When my grandmother used to say “They don’t make things like they used to”, there is so much truth in that, because Capitalism condones a ‘consumer based economy’. Again I return to The Story of Stuff video:

The best 20 minutes of my life!!! If you have not seen it, please, I urge you to watch it now.

So not only is the fashion industry ruining the planet, but it also destroys lives by not giving back to the people producing the clothes.

In 2016, I was on a flight to Berlin and sat next to a man named Rahul Jain. Little did I know that this film director was in the process of creating Machines, a documentary about a textile factory in India. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5690244/).

The fashion industry rubs me the wrong way because not only does it encourage consumerism without thinking about the resources, but also because it creates unrealistic expectations for what people should look like. Little girls are becoming sexualized younger and younger, and those who do not ‘fit in’ are bullied. I was bullied.

Image from http://www.loltribe.com/funny/then-vs-now/66836/

My family did not have a lot of money, and because I often wore ‘hand-me-downs’ or unstylish clothing, I was not cool. I recall some of the nine-year-old girls in my class making fun of another student because she was overweight! As if kids do not already have enough problems during their ‘Identity Crisis’ phase, then they are judged in comparison with airbrushed models in magazines. Anorexia and Bulimia are very real disorders and affect families psychologically. https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/onecompletelife/body-positivity/

So, you can see why I have a problem with the fashion industry. It is superficial and mentally draining to keep up with the latest fads.