im a long term shein hater so i LOVE that you covered this. i feel like "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" has been used as a shield to intentionally make more unethical choices because it is faster to go to something cheap and trendy than do the research to make the lesser unethical choice, theres likely never going to be a lack of unethical consumption in any industry, because of capitalism, but there are definitely places to steer clear of. i love this video and the insight you added!! also love that you always have the captions ready to go
“there’s no ethical consumption under capital-“ then maybe let’s work together to destroy capitalism instead of just sitting here and complaining about it
I recently made a simple miniskirt from scratch. I would guess I could buy a similar item for like $8. now that my hands have experienced the process of assembling a garment, it makes the idea of paying $8 for labor, materials, administration, marketing, and transportation seem WILD.
Right? My family has sewn our own clothes for generations and materials even a simple dress or pair of pants will cost at least 20-30 USD, usually more. Even then, the fabric isn't made in good conditions either. In my parents' childhood, most garment work was still done in relatively rich countries with relatively high wages. Thus making clothes at home was genuinely cheaper. Now garment work is so low-paid that it's usually cheaper to get a ready-made garment than to make your own.
i think more people should try their hands at some sort of craft for this exact reason. like, i’ve started learning how to crochet, so now i feel even more miffed when people accuse others of selling their handmaee products at too high a price. the materials alone are sometimes more expensive than what these people are willing to pay!
Exactly. It means make the best choices you can and don't feel bad you can't afford the ethically sourced, fair trade, vegan, non-gmo slow fashion eco carbon neutral farm to table linen sheets or whatever tf is definitely better for other people and the environment but way out of your price range and not worth just sleeping on a bare mattress on principal over.
Yeah, that's what it means, guilt is a useless feeling to have for living under capitalism. I think many people liked your comment cause they thought you were being serious. edit : i read the first comment as saying "least unethical" instead of least "ethical" My bad.
@@cortexavery1324 Well isn't that justification for participating in extra exploitation that isn't nessicary convenient for you. You need clothes, you don't need to participate in every trend at the expense of people you are supposed to have solidarity with.
@@JoeyisDREADful Saying you can choose the least unethical company and not feel guilty is something totaly different than to "participate in every trend". Idk what you're responding to.
I feel like the influencers are partially at fault for taking the brand deal but i also believe the shien was intentionally talking advantage of smaller influencers
That's such a nuanced approach. One that I failed to see in my desire to look for someone to blame. I forgot just how much control these companies have over more desperate influencers.
There's also a degree of blissful ignorance that comes with privilege. Not talking about rich white boomer man privilege levels, but the privilege that children of families who have improved their conditions and have shielded their offspring of all adversity type of privilege.
Definitely! I feel like they were banking on the accusations of poor working conditions to then fall into the influencers instead of looking past the influencers they took advantage of
Considering how many scandals there have been with things like those lordship "titles" and the like, it seems like the right thing to do. It's not like a lot of these things are so obviously scams that creators can be expected to see through all of it. That being said, things like NFTs and crypto should have seen all sorts of red flags.
@@AC-bk1jg you can literally never trust an internet audience, she couldve said their names and shown their faces while spreading amazing flowery loving words and some group on youtube would still take that as a chance to go run after those people and dog pile them with hate. its kinda just necessary now online (wow, not surprised you all condone literal witch hunting. how about lets not support chasing after random ass influencers and focus on boycotting the mega corpos???? fake activism at its best)
It’s not like SHEIN would have shown them an inhumane factory… and the company doesn’t deserve props for doing the BARE MINIMUM of having a clean room???? But I don’t blame the influencers (although this definitely yikes)
@@leeliang1751but the whole thing is not transparent, that's like calling North Korea transparent for letting people have guided and guarded tours through pyongyang
I feel like it was definitely targeted. I don't know the ages of these influencers but they sounded naive. If they had gone and said this factory looks like this but I don't know about the other ones. But they were girl it was nice they treated me nice case closed if you think otherwise your racist. THAT'S on them.
Watching this just added more fuel to my desire to learn to make my own clothing. As a 6ft tall woman who straddles the boundary between straight and plus sized garments, my best choice has lately been an online retailer that caters specifically to tall women, but a pair of pants I bought from them are nearly worn through after just ten months. The fast fashion-led environmental decline we live in is bad enough, but considering I usually have to pay a premium for pants long enough to fit me, and how difficult it is to find replacements when the trend cycles are so short styles I like are impossible to find after two years, I'm getting fed up. Thanks for making this, I always love your videos
Yeah, I need a 34" inseam for trousers, which is $$, but I am also plus, so $$$. I still have some of my jeans from the early 2000s which are cotton, and I've worn through so many of the poly-blend ones that I'm comfortable saying the quality nowadays sucks. I am finding 100% cotton coming back, but at $100 plus per pair for something that's still probably fast, it's a mess
Making your own clothing is super fun! I’ve been sewing for years, and if you want to learn how to make good quality garments that will last you a long time I highly recommend the book Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer
Do it! I am learning because I could never find what I wanted, wrong fit, wrong fabric, wrong style. TH-cam videos are a good start, Craftsy has some good ones (make them remove your card so they can’t renew. I buy the classes individually). They ticked off the best sewing teachers and many are doing their own zoom classes. You can totally learn to sew what you want.
As a person who makes their own clothing - while you will not be producing 10,000+ new items a year, there are also ethical problems with purchasing the fabric required to make said garments. This is not me saying you shouldn't, it's me signing up to The Good Place theory of modern life: that even when you do the least bad thing, it's still probably bad in some way.
That was a concern of mine too@@SunnyMorningPancakes. I watch Rachel Maksy and she's a huge proponent of sewing with thrifted fabrics or old bedsheets, so I imagine I'd be doing much the same, it's just fabrics like denim and corduroy for example (my biggest issue for finding clothes is unfortunately pants) I'd probably have to buy from suppliers who might not be as clean as I'd like. @mcomeslast @natalieoswald2944 thanks for the recs!
"No ethical consumption under capitalism" isn't an excuse to not TRY to make better choices, but rather, a statement of awareness that, under our current system, someone is always being exploited. It is inherent under capitalism. We can still attempt to do LESS exploitation. It's like when people bring up poverty-reduction as a way to reduce crime. We get the excuse handed back to us that, "There are always going to be bad people who just do bad things." Like, yeah, but why are you saying that as if to mean, "We can't get it down to zero, so why bother trying?"
As a poor kid, I've always embraced hand-me-downs growing up - my mother would also wear my granddad's old shirts to school (some people mocked her for it, but honestly it's just how things worked for her - if she could she'd tailor the clothes to suit her or even take them apart and make a new piece of clothing from that fabric!) and I actually loved wearing decades-old dresses because it made me feel closer to my Ukrainian heritage. Apart from that, I've always loved browsing charity shops and second-hand sellers for clothing; it's so much more interesting! Fast fashion has nearly reeled me in a number of times but I can't bring myself to be consumed by the latest trends. I like what I wear; it shows parts of my true self and uniqueness. Luckily, any fast fashion I do own is easily mendable or has held up over time, but I built a sense of style that suits me, and when I look at my clothes I appreciate the memories they hold, when I wear my clothes I think of the comfort or beauty I feel. Just like other belongings throughout my life, they are precious, and I love to present myself with a story.
It feels so hopeless, refraining from buying from fast fashion, pleading with your friends to do the same and have them dismiss you. This kind of video helps a bit I suppose. Thanks for your work
It is no use to try to talk people i to doing smth with you, neither it is your responsibility. Although you do it with best in mind, it may lead to resentment from your friends. You just do you and find other people who share your mindset with. When i quitted drinking, i didn't tell all around me to do it also, just told my experience and how good i felt and how much money i saved, and if someone decides to quit as i did i will help them, but i am not their mother ultimately
@@JL_Lux yeah what I do is when they take me shopping I tell them about fast fashion and stuff and how we could go thrifting instead (thrifting is accessible to us btw) I'm not just telling them to stop buying stuff
@@Lonely_Raven_666 that’s good. Thrifting is nice for “some” things especially jeans and t shirts but realistically we need to find a solution for other things.
fashion may one day be fair, at least it can get fairer, but fast fashion never can be. fast fashion is fundamentally held up with sweatshop labor and environmental damage period. there’s just no way around it. when buying firsthand, either you pay more for your clothes (throughout most of history clothing has been a large expense for most/regular people and you just didn’t have an endless supply of new clothes) or you’re wearing stuff made by exploited people (usually women and girls) and paying to companies that dump the waste of such large scale production onto the poorest people and countries in Asia and Africa. i’m not saying it’s easy to avoid it (hello recent weight gain and none of my non stretch clothing fits me anymore), but we can all make efforts small and large.
@@straberryshinigami15g97 physical thrift stores became inaccessible to me since covid started, but ebay is my friend! it certainly takes more effort, but i enjoy taking my time and finding quality stuff for a good price. also helps i don’t have a typical 9-5 so i can get away with waiting on a new item before i really need it. and i know theres more nuance to all this depending on every individual, but im glad you’re able to find good stuff secondhand as a fat person! i’m not fat myself but i’ve read and heard how hard it can be to find clothing.
yes, like i understand wanting to support these workers, but there’s no way to sustainably support the through continuing to buy fast fashion, i wish that was addressed more in detail
as a seamstress, it’s fundamentally shaped the way i value clothing, and i wish more people valued the skill that goes into even making a simple shirt. the reality is that clothes SHOULD be more expensive, because anyone who’s ever tried to make something will know that it’s not an easy task. as a society we need to see clothes as something valuable that you keep with you for a long time, and recognize that factory production doesnt negate the fact that each worker is insanely skilled at what they do. i’d charge someone probably at least $150 for a pair of pants, and while factory optimization will of course cut down on a lot of that cost, the fact that we expect a pair of pants to be under $50 means that we are expecting the workers to be exploited. of course, this doesn’t address the major issue of the huge amounts of people who couldn’t afford to buy a $50 pair of pants, but i think society not expecting us to buy new clothes every month would help everyone at least a little bit.
As a mere hobbyist, my rule of thumb for any sewing project is: "It always takes at least three times as long as you think." Because there are just so many steps of work that aren't readily apparent but take effort and time.
Exactly. I took a tailoring course and someone asked what this jacket would cost if a client commissioned one. $7000.00. 40 hours of work that comes to just under $200 an hour. Less if you are including the cost of materials. More if it’s an expensive fabric or an especially difficult fabric. I have had folks want me to drop my personal projects to do their projects for free. Then get angry when I refer them to a local tailor or seamstress as I have my own projects to do. Some people don’t just want cheap clothes, they want things nearly free and don’t care how it needs to happen.
I started making a circle skirt for my first project and even that is way harder than I thought. And since I'm an amateur it can take even longer than usual since I'm inexperienced 😭
@@anorakquest4004 I think 150s high too imo but in this perfect world the minimum wage would be livable also, we'd have enough to buy clothes like this. In this world also, people would probably buy clothes less often but 🤷♀️
whats so sad is that smaller influencers (not the ones talked about here just in general) work with them bc they probably are excited that a brand reached out to them a didn't wanna turn it down.
The farther I progress into anti-capitalism and eco-friendliness, the more I see just how multi-faceted the problem is to tackle. Corporations spend millions of dollars on people whose sole job is to convince us to spend more. Culturally, buying goods is tied to love, celebration, holidays, recovering from sadness, etc. Untangling ourselves from hyperconsumerism is a long haul process, and I've learned to have a lot more compassion for myself and others even when it feels like the process isn't going fast enough.
My consumption habits changed so fast once my partner started working as an Amazon driver. It was awful, and it's heartbreaking how people don't realize people are delivering 100s of packages everyday. The dispatch is almost always pushing people to go faster. And the amount of harassment that my partner got for "going onto peoples property," even though everything they were wearing says Amazon, made me afraid they would get hurt on the job. Also the pee bottles are real, and sometimes ppl just leave them in the vans overnight 🤢
I actually think of this all the time. I am looking for a side gig and decided if apply for amazon. My husband panicked and said he didn't want me to because it's dangerous. So sad people just keep consuming and consuming
So unrelated but I need to add this, I’m babysitting and set up my niece with a film whilst I work on a painting in the other room, love listening to Shans essays while I work. Well I didn’t know she snuck in behind me until she said “that lady is pretty, is she a teacher?” She came in to ask for a snack and melted my heart at the same time. Girlie gets beautiful intelligence❤
I think individual work counts on an local level. I bought a t-shirt made in my city from a local boutique and it was soooo expensive - but I also felt like I put food on the table for someone, rather than making the number go up in a corporate bank account. Of course, I could’ve bought half a wardrobe from H&M with the same amount of money, and that could’ve been the right move if my financial situation was different. We can’t take down the fast fashion industry as individuals, but if we’re able to, purchasing from local artisans can make a difference on a very small scale. As cheesy as the story is, that starfish story has some fair points. You can’t save every starfish that washes up on the beach, but choosing to help just one makes a difference to that one starfish.
Oh my god, finally. A video about how bad the fashion industry is that doesn't just tell consumers to stop buying from like 2 companies. I always feel these kinds of videos are way to preoccupied with the feelings of consumers and how "clean" they feel instead of actually empowering the workers behind the brands.
1: your hair and outfit... GORGEOUS OMG??? 2: i literally forgot this happened, so thank you for bringing it back onto my (and many other's) radar lol 3: you laid this out wonderfully. straight to the point, organized, and so respectful great vid as always! EDIT: i also want to add, i am someone that watches videos with captions when available, and i just want to thank you for ALWAYS editing and captioning your vids and not just letting the closed captions be auto generated. idk about anyone else but it at least means a lot to me
hooting and yippeeing and hollering. your art has raised the bar every time, and you've made me interested in topics i've brushed past every. single. time. thanks for making such insightful and nuanced essays! i'm always so so so excited to see you in my subscription box.
The ethical capitalism idea makes me feel a bit better about my one woman Nestle boycott 😅 I’m not goin around shaming anybody or preaching. I just can live without Nestle… so My family and I do. I gotta watch that piece !
Lol, I've boycotted Nestle too. They are such a horrible company. I love that more people are becoming aware of company ethics and no longer spending their money with brands that violate their morals. It makes me so happy 💝
Okay but can we talk about how the internet absolutely tore down and savagely went after these marginalized creators in a way that it absolutely Never does for the tons and tons of thin YT creators making brand deals or doing huge shein hauls? I'm not saying it's correct but I can at least understand why someone might think "okay I'm going to see if this company is really as bad as everyone says for myself" while not understanding that companies can hide their dirt as it were as a PR stunt.
That's how it is. When Rick and Morty man was outed for being trash, and when Headphones man beat on Dee, it was "separate the art from the artist!" But now that Doja and Lizzo are problematic, no one let's it go. Coincidence? No.
@@gensai93because we still fuck with shein and Temu . We not gonna stop buying because mfs who want sustainable clothes want everybody to join in on their misery .
lovely, nuanced video -- thank you for this Shanspeare!! also, just always appreciate that you immediately have incredible and accurate captions available WHEN you upload videos. that commitment to accessibility means so much to me!!!!
These kinds of videos helped me discover the ethics of and sustainability of fashion which I'm very passionate about now! I even wrote an essay about it last year at school and it was the first time I got to research about something I was interested in.
also, I worked at winners, and it's lowkey a sweatshop if you're working downstairs in the inventory department. I can't tell for all locations, but the one I worked at - definitely sweat shop adjacent
Personally I was feeling pretty cynical about these influencers essentially hiding behind their marginalized identities as justification for their decision to team up with Shien. It seemed very tone deaf that they were waving the victim flag whist stepping on the victims of these sweatshops and not being aware of their own privilege compared to those workers. I really appreciate you touching on that subject; I feel like a lot of American do not realize how privileged they are to live in America (without resorting to whataboutism).
I found it funny/surprising you had to clarify “made in America” doesn’t mean “produced ethically”. A lot of consumable goods produced in the US (like food & cosmetics) don’t pass other countries safety regulations and are infamous for being produced by -sweatshops- private prison inmates and free-to-fire labourers. Not saying the US is worse than China on ethical production, of course, but from the outside, the US reputation has gotten abysmal for the 20 last years.
The complexity of these issues can be too much for me sometimes, and I usually just choose not to buy any clothes. Most of my wardrobe is fast fashion that is 5-10 years old. When I do need something I spend a lot of time searching to find something that I like, can afford, and uses as much organic material as possible. Even then I'm still not perfect because I usually only find new rather than used items. The industry is so twisted it's almost impossible to do something as simple as clothe yourself without hurting anyone.
Me: **hears about some online drama** Also Me: **waits until a trusted TH-cam video essayist makes a video about it to find out what the hell is going on**
Ive been trying to practice ethical consumption for a few years (thrifting, supporting fair trade or other socially certified businesses, only going fast if i feel like i cant find what i need in my price). I havent done much research on it in a long time, so i didnt know that there were orgs to support the workers rights for the affected companies. I will definitely take a look at those, thank you
And we’re doing so much better here? Prices are sky high im not charging where I get my clothes just bc of that if h guys are rich and have a choice great bit don’t expect everyone to jump on the bandwagon they are affordable idc that ppl say omggg it takes so long to make ok I’m not spending my whole check on this one item u made sorry I’ll just goto shein byeee
@@cutekittycat521It's pretty easy to find cheap alternatives to fast fashion like Shein that is less exploitative, environmentally destructive and generally immoral. Stop using price as an excuse for laziness and selfishness
always appreciate the nuance you bring to topics of ethics!! it's easy to condemn influencers and people for shopping at Shein while ignoring that our phones, our shoes, our beauty products, and our own clothes are also products of unethical production practices, harm the environment, and suck the life from our souls
that logic is an appeal to futile fallacy, which suggests that unless everything is perfect, it’s not worth trying. It’s what a lot of people use when saying “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”. They use that phrase to then justify their continued supporting of unethical behaviors and immoral practices such as buying animal products or fast fashion. Yes, it’s impossibly to be 100% ethical, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We as consumers actually have a lot of power.
@@straberryshinigami15g97 not saying we shouldn't try! echoing the video in that it's very easy to scapegoat a few and ignore larger issues/reflect on our own actions
I bought from Shein once. The clothes were actually fine and I still wear them. But I learned about the company and so I didn't buy from them again. I don't like how we're conditioned to view clothes as disposable.
okay im just really happy that you aren't giving any names out! i came across this in recommends and i finally decided to hop in to get a better understanding of what was going on, but i dont want to hate these girls. ive heard that one of them in particular (plus size as well?) that has gotten a lot of the hate targeted directly at her :( that's not helpful for them or us or the world.
After watching the doc “The Real Cost” a few years ago, I started shopping for clothing 90-95% ethically. It’s easier for me as a single person, but remember, thrifting is also ethical!
And thrifted items are so much better than people think they are! Me and my mom once went to a thrift shop to buy campy clothes for a theatre show, but we couldn't find anything bad, just really nice stuff. Which usually is really good, just not what we were looking for XD
I hate that so much. We don't have many thrift shops in my city. I've been to all of them and none of them carry cute stuff that I want to or even can wear. I'm a tall girl and finding jeans that fit is nearly impossible. And most other basic stuff are even worse. We have like 3 thrift shops in total, one of them being an hour and a half away from where I live. Not worth it. I wish we had more cute things to buy here :(
I always love watching your videos. You surprise me so much! No matter how popular a topic is you always bring an interesting perspective or dig into a specific aspect that doesnt get attention. I'm so glad I watched this! You always teach me something new 💚
when i tell u my day lit up when i got this notif, these videos are always so entertaining to watch and captivate my full attention (unless ive already watched them lol)
At first I was a little taken aback by you not naming the influencers, but after taking a minute to think about it I totally respect the decision. Of course I think that they messed up taking the trip, it was actually such a crazy moment when one of the influencers said something along the lines of “the factory was nothing like I thought it would be”. But like girly why did you go in the first place. However while I don’t like the choices made they are not the problem, they may be apart of the problem but they ARE NOT the problem. Brands, companies, massively rich ceos are the issue. I have such a complicated relationship with Shein, today it can be so hard to find nice clothing for a decent price. Even the cheap clothing in terms of materials is expensive nowadays. So I totally understand the need to order from Shein. As a broke college student I get it, I’m lucky that I can thrift for my clothing, wait for sales (or ask my mum to buy it lol). And I can thrift because I’m about a US size M, so it’s easy for me to thrift. My mother on the other hand is about a US 2x-3x depending on brand. It’s incredibly hard for her to shop at retail stores, let alone thrift clothing. My sister is about a 2xs or xs and she struggles just as much as my mother. While neither my mum or sis have never ordered from shein I know that sometimes they are heavily tempted when they NEED a garment for work, church, or school. So I understand why people do shop shein and right now companies still want to cut out plus size people, or “poor” people. So I would feel for those who need to shop shein if it all of a sudden died out. I would also feel for those who have a job somewhere in shein, and like their job or what have you and just lost it. It’s easy to pick and choose parts of the problem because, attacking 1 person or 1 company is easier then tackling the whole problem. I think the best thing we can do right now as a community is go back to the elementary school mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle”. Currently we love to preach the third option, but this little saying isn’t recycle first. We need to REDUCE first. Cut down on what we buy, ask ourselves, “do we need it? Will we use it more then a handful of times?” So on so forth. After that we need to reuse, stop tossing things into the recycling bin or donating to the thrift shop, just to feel good. Find ways to reuse what you have, use things until they have hit their last time. I think a skill that definitely needs to come back is the act of mending something, fix that button on a shirt instead of buying a new one, find way to use your pasta sauce glass jars instead of tossing them ect. And finally once you have used something to the point it is no longer possible to be used, see if you can PROPERLY recycle it. If you can’t that’s okay, at least you were able to slow down on consumption and make a small change in how much we buy and throw away.
21:58 This reminds me of a certain NYC fire from 1911… hmmm…. Both garment factories, both with long hours, both with barred/locked areas… it’s so similar, just one is waiting to happen and another has already happened.
Your hair is FIRE in this video and that outfit looks so gooood! Thank you another interesting, entertaining and informative video to start my work day with 💙
I loved your video, it's amazing how much work you put behind it and delivered it with such professionalism🤩. It was really nice especially how you didn't end it with the simple answer of just boycott fast fashion, but instead found out about better options for the workers. I'm glad I have never purchased anything from Shein, but I surely have from other fast fashion brands. Nowadays I try to thrift most of my clothes and furniture and at least where I live we have great thrift stores. Thanks again for your superb video❤
I personally, am very sorry with the workers in those factory and i will for sure support the union for basic workers rights, but i'll continue avoid buying from those brands, i stopped two years ago due to the enviromental issue... This will not be solved by keep buying new things. PS. Nice hair!❤
Agreed. For me workers' rights are a big aspect but it's not the only aspect of why I refuse to buy fast fashion - the inherent unsustainability of fast fashion is also a major factor for me
@@evab521 Yeah I don’t know why they think that’s productive. They are giving too much credit that the corporations will give in to worker demands. If they see people willingly giving them money they have no incentive to stop doing what they are doing.
I've been binge watching your video essays while doing a sewing project. It's not even making a garment, it's just embroidery. And its taken about 12 hours of work, AND I'm not even halfway done. Even if the garments they make aren't always as complicated as embroidery, they're making FIVE HUNDRED. EVERY DAY. with few breaks and not enough money to live. I've been going crazy sitting for 3 hours straight sewing, getting up to fill my water bottle, switch to another video to watch, ordering pizza, taking a break to go outside, texting, sleeping, getting back to work, and then taking another break. I take as many breaks as I want and even then sewing and sitting for hours is still driving me crazy. I can't imagine never being able to take breaks when I need, not having enough to eat or a comfortable place to relax in when I'm done, working 18 hours a day and in the worst conditions. And with my life literally DEPENDING on it.
I live in Europe and ordered expensive dresses from a high-end German internet store. They sell joggers for $600, and coats for $2000, for example. I had ordered from their sale before (only way I could ever afford a dress there). So when I got the dresses I tried them on and they were beautifully made. Imagine my consternation when I saw “Made in China” on the label. That’s when I realised that garments produced in China aren’t necessarily cheap sweatshop products. They definitely were different to my Shein clothes from my younger years. It’s just not possible to know what working conditions in factories of different brands are like. What I will say: if I buy a T-shirt for $7 and factor in the material, electricity, rent, machine maintenance and shipping, there can’t be much left for the worker who produced the item. Pennies per item. And I refuse to be part of that injustice and perpetuate the abuse. I know, not everybody has the luxury to choose, but I’d rather buy a second hand T-shirt for $10 than Shein for $7.
Every bullet is a horror, buying pants is a horror. Even if I'm considering cheese, I have to walk in the dark. I've never considered Shein. So far at least, my box from Amazon hasn't had a note asking 'help me', but it's just a matter of time at this point.
thank you so much for such an amazing video! I learned a lot and you presented it in such a great digestable way that's got me really looking more into the topic of mass overseas production.
i’m also tired of using the c word to explain the pit of fire that surrounds us- i love your take on how your perspective changed from the individual boycotting to consumer lobbying for better worker rights. this is something i want to look into locally! as always thank you for the time and effort put into your work ❤️
it may have taken me a couple days to finish watching this video but that was bc i wanted to watch for comprehension, not just as background/getting the gist of it etc Shanspeare keeps putting out videos worthy of the Fullest Attention eventually i'm gonna start taking notes
You might be interested in the “follow the thing” research approach. It’s a newer approach to conducting research which focuses on how items get to the consumer, and the the people involved and impacted in between. They have a website that mimics a shopping website that shows you where your stuff comes from.
you looked amazing in this video wow!! Also I really appreciate how you make such complexe topics easier to understand for people who might not know much about them, thank you so much!
Splendid video! I already shop 90% of clothing second hand and for my business only use ethically produced clothing but I didn't know anything about how bad sweatshops were untill I was like 30. So I am not surprised influencers went on this trip. The issue is with the company, not those who they fooled. ❤
what i hate is that we’re happy to produce this whole system that is reliant on attention and being the most eye catching but then we also are happy to shame people for seeking attention that is explicitly monetarily rewarded
wonderful video and research shan!! love u so much, i never thought about the actual workers losing their jobs due to boycotting the brands and now think that advocating for the workers themselves makes so much more sense and hopefully we can see some change in the future!
"my own eyes did not see what everybody else is talking about" this sentence stuck with me... I don't feel like i can necessarily analyse it, or that it's my place. I'm not even mad at the person who said it. it's just... harrowing tbh
I would never shame someone for buying fast fashion out of necessity, but when you are making an ad for it and actively promoting and defending the company, I don’t have a drop of sympathy left. The nuances are an important conversation, but nothing could make promoting Shein okay
i’m not done watching but “they weren’t even sweating” is such a wild statement i had to pause to recoup
like i’m screaming
All I can think of is Peg’s line from Glass Onion, “Please tell me you did not think sweat shops… are where they make sweat pants…”
i had to take a minute to just sit and think after hearing that
I was baffled when I heard that! She really thought that's what a sweatshop meant?!
so deeply unserious it's almost admirable
you raise the youtube bar so high that for the rest of us it's just a speck in the sky... you're so talented
Legitimately one of the most dedicated creators I've stumbled across
FR like damn this channel is ART
@@inactive120this comment is kinda weird and out of pocket, ngl
😂😂😂 this comment is hella poetic ❤
Lovely to see you here, I love both of your channels so so much. I know you're complementing Shan but you are also very talented love
im a long term shein hater so i LOVE that you covered this. i feel like "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" has been used as a shield to intentionally make more unethical choices because it is faster to go to something cheap and trendy than do the research to make the lesser unethical choice, theres likely never going to be a lack of unethical consumption in any industry, because of capitalism, but there are definitely places to steer clear of.
i love this video and the insight you added!! also love that you always have the captions ready to go
Faaacccts
Yeah mega corporations are bad but shein and temu are particularly bad.
@@KaleighCee yep and I don't have enough of some pieces but I try to buy q h at I love and hope it doesn't fall apart
@@KaleighCee some cheap stuff lasts for years others days lol
“there’s no ethical consumption under capital-“ then maybe let’s work together to destroy capitalism instead of just sitting here and complaining about it
I recently made a simple miniskirt from scratch. I would guess I could buy a similar item for like $8. now that my hands have experienced the process of assembling a garment, it makes the idea of paying $8 for labor, materials, administration, marketing, and transportation seem WILD.
FRRR, its really weird to think about :/
Right? My family has sewn our own clothes for generations and materials even a simple dress or pair of pants will cost at least 20-30 USD, usually more. Even then, the fabric isn't made in good conditions either.
In my parents' childhood, most garment work was still done in relatively rich countries with relatively high wages. Thus making clothes at home was genuinely cheaper. Now garment work is so low-paid that it's usually cheaper to get a ready-made garment than to make your own.
i only understand cheap prices in things like thrift stores
i think more people should try their hands at some sort of craft for this exact reason. like, i’ve started learning how to crochet, so now i feel even more miffed when people accuse others of selling their handmaee products at too high a price. the materials alone are sometimes more expensive than what these people are willing to pay!
I had a similar revelation when I started a small farm. It's wild how cheap food is when it takes so much to grow it
people like to think that no ethical consumption under capitalism means choose the least ethical option possible without guilt lol
Literallyyy. No one is making you buy 30 new shirts a year bc you’re bored of the clothes you already have
Exactly. It means make the best choices you can and don't feel bad you can't afford the ethically sourced, fair trade, vegan, non-gmo slow fashion eco carbon neutral farm to table linen sheets or whatever tf is definitely better for other people and the environment but way out of your price range and not worth just sleeping on a bare mattress on principal over.
Yeah, that's what it means, guilt is a useless feeling to have for living under capitalism.
I think many people liked your comment cause they thought you were being serious.
edit : i read the first comment as saying "least unethical" instead of least "ethical" My bad.
@@cortexavery1324 Well isn't that justification for participating in extra exploitation that isn't nessicary convenient for you.
You need clothes, you don't need to participate in every trend at the expense of people you are supposed to have solidarity with.
@@JoeyisDREADful Saying you can choose the least unethical company and not feel guilty is something totaly different than to "participate in every trend".
Idk what you're responding to.
I feel like the influencers are partially at fault for taking the brand deal but i also believe the shien was intentionally talking advantage of smaller influencers
That's such a nuanced approach. One that I failed to see in my desire to look for someone to blame. I forgot just how much control these companies have over more desperate influencers.
@@trenvert123Same.
There's also a degree of blissful ignorance that comes with privilege.
Not talking about rich white boomer man privilege levels, but the privilege that children of families who have improved their conditions and have shielded their offspring of all adversity type of privilege.
exactly this
@@rubenvasquez8592
Definitely! I feel like they were banking on the accusations of poor working conditions to then fall into the influencers instead of looking past the influencers they took advantage of
i really appreciate you covering up the creators faces and giving them aliases. it is such a humane touch and it really warms my heart
Considering how many scandals there have been with things like those lordship "titles" and the like, it seems like the right thing to do. It's not like a lot of these things are so obviously scams that creators can be expected to see through all of it. That being said, things like NFTs and crypto should have seen all sorts of red flags.
Yes, exactly ✨
Why? nothing wrong with saying their name as long you don’t bash them
@@AC-bk1jg you can literally never trust an internet audience, she couldve said their names and shown their faces while spreading amazing flowery loving words and some group on youtube would still take that as a chance to go run after those people and dog pile them with hate. its kinda just necessary now online (wow, not surprised you all condone literal witch hunting. how about lets not support chasing after random ass influencers and focus on boycotting the mega corpos???? fake activism at its best)
Nah she should expose them
Living for the thumbnail and then we have a sad reality in the background too!
Not this detective seductive confessional, I want a cigarette moment now
Idk I’d wish the girl boss hellscape on my worst enemy 🙈 10:58
I watch your video, hiii !
It’s not like SHEIN would have shown them an inhumane factory… and the company doesn’t deserve props for doing the BARE MINIMUM of having a clean room???? But I don’t blame the influencers (although this definitely yikes)
ppl always believe what they want to believe. Anyway, for Shein's supporters, transparently showing innovative factory is very meaningful.
I blame the influencers!!!
@@leeliang1751but the whole thing is not transparent, that's like calling North Korea transparent for letting people have guided and guarded tours through pyongyang
I feel like it was definitely targeted. I don't know the ages of these influencers but they sounded naive.
If they had gone and said this factory looks like this but I don't know about the other ones.
But they were girl it was nice they treated me nice case closed if you think otherwise your racist.
THAT'S on them.
it’s a great day for a shanspeare video (everyday is)
🥒🥦🥬🍏
Watching this just added more fuel to my desire to learn to make my own clothing. As a 6ft tall woman who straddles the boundary between straight and plus sized garments, my best choice has lately been an online retailer that caters specifically to tall women, but a pair of pants I bought from them are nearly worn through after just ten months. The fast fashion-led environmental decline we live in is bad enough, but considering I usually have to pay a premium for pants long enough to fit me, and how difficult it is to find replacements when the trend cycles are so short styles I like are impossible to find after two years, I'm getting fed up. Thanks for making this, I always love your videos
Yeah, I need a 34" inseam for trousers, which is $$, but I am also plus, so $$$. I still have some of my jeans from the early 2000s which are cotton, and I've worn through so many of the poly-blend ones that I'm comfortable saying the quality nowadays sucks. I am finding 100% cotton coming back, but at $100 plus per pair for something that's still probably fast, it's a mess
Making your own clothing is super fun! I’ve been sewing for years, and if you want to learn how to make good quality garments that will last you a long time I highly recommend the book Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer
Do it! I am learning because I could never find what I wanted, wrong fit, wrong fabric, wrong style. TH-cam videos are a good start, Craftsy has some good ones (make them remove your card so they can’t renew. I buy the classes individually). They ticked off the best sewing teachers and many are doing their own zoom classes. You can totally learn to sew what you want.
As a person who makes their own clothing - while you will not be producing 10,000+ new items a year, there are also ethical problems with purchasing the fabric required to make said garments.
This is not me saying you shouldn't, it's me signing up to The Good Place theory of modern life: that even when you do the least bad thing, it's still probably bad in some way.
That was a concern of mine too@@SunnyMorningPancakes. I watch Rachel Maksy and she's a huge proponent of sewing with thrifted fabrics or old bedsheets, so I imagine I'd be doing much the same, it's just fabrics like denim and corduroy for example (my biggest issue for finding clothes is unfortunately pants) I'd probably have to buy from suppliers who might not be as clean as I'd like. @mcomeslast @natalieoswald2944 thanks for the recs!
"No ethical consumption under capitalism" isn't an excuse to not TRY to make better choices, but rather, a statement of awareness that, under our current system, someone is always being exploited. It is inherent under capitalism. We can still attempt to do LESS exploitation.
It's like when people bring up poverty-reduction as a way to reduce crime. We get the excuse handed back to us that, "There are always going to be bad people who just do bad things." Like, yeah, but why are you saying that as if to mean, "We can't get it down to zero, so why bother trying?"
As a poor kid, I've always embraced hand-me-downs growing up - my mother would also wear my granddad's old shirts to school (some people mocked her for it, but honestly it's just how things worked for her - if she could she'd tailor the clothes to suit her or even take them apart and make a new piece of clothing from that fabric!) and I actually loved wearing decades-old dresses because it made me feel closer to my Ukrainian heritage. Apart from that, I've always loved browsing charity shops and second-hand sellers for clothing; it's so much more interesting! Fast fashion has nearly reeled me in a number of times but I can't bring myself to be consumed by the latest trends. I like what I wear; it shows parts of my true self and uniqueness. Luckily, any fast fashion I do own is easily mendable or has held up over time, but I built a sense of style that suits me, and when I look at my clothes I appreciate the memories they hold, when I wear my clothes I think of the comfort or beauty I feel. Just like other belongings throughout my life, they are precious, and I love to present myself with a story.
I love that!
It feels so hopeless, refraining from buying from fast fashion, pleading with your friends to do the same and have them dismiss you. This kind of video helps a bit I suppose. Thanks for your work
Just educate ppl don’t try to get them to stop doing anything because it’s just weird. Let them come to that conclusion
@@JL_LuxThey never will, so just leave them to rot 😂
I agree. Don't waste your breath on people who don't want to change
It is no use to try to talk people i to doing smth with you, neither it is your responsibility. Although you do it with best in mind, it may lead to resentment from your friends. You just do you and find other people who share your mindset with.
When i quitted drinking, i didn't tell all around me to do it also, just told my experience and how good i felt and how much money i saved, and if someone decides to quit as i did i will help them, but i am not their mother ultimately
@@JL_Lux yeah what I do is when they take me shopping I tell them about fast fashion and stuff and how we could go thrifting instead (thrifting is accessible to us btw) I'm not just telling them to stop buying stuff
@@Lonely_Raven_666 that’s good. Thrifting is nice for “some” things especially jeans and t shirts but realistically we need to find a solution for other things.
fashion may one day be fair, at least it can get fairer, but fast fashion never can be. fast fashion is fundamentally held up with sweatshop labor and environmental damage period. there’s just no way around it. when buying firsthand, either you pay more for your clothes (throughout most of history clothing has been a large expense for most/regular people and you just didn’t have an endless supply of new clothes) or you’re wearing stuff made by exploited people (usually women and girls) and paying to companies that dump the waste of such large scale production onto the poorest people and countries in Asia and Africa. i’m not saying it’s easy to avoid it (hello recent weight gain and none of my non stretch clothing fits me anymore), but we can all make efforts small and large.
so well said!!
It’s easy for me a fat person to avoid fast fashion. I ship exclusively at thrift stores. The only thing I don’t buy secondhand is underwear.
@@sparkylikestrash3788 thanks lol i don’t think i’m generally well spoken so i’ll take it!
@@straberryshinigami15g97 physical thrift stores became inaccessible to me since covid started, but ebay is my friend! it certainly takes more effort, but i enjoy taking my time and finding quality stuff for a good price. also helps i don’t have a typical 9-5 so i can get away with waiting on a new item before i really need it. and i know theres more nuance to all this depending on every individual, but im glad you’re able to find good stuff secondhand as a fat person! i’m not fat myself but i’ve read and heard how hard it can be to find clothing.
yes, like i understand wanting to support these workers, but there’s no way to sustainably support the through continuing to buy fast fashion, i wish that was addressed more in detail
as a seamstress, it’s fundamentally shaped the way i value clothing, and i wish more people valued the skill that goes into even making a simple shirt. the reality is that clothes SHOULD be more expensive, because anyone who’s ever tried to make something will know that it’s not an easy task. as a society we need to see clothes as something valuable that you keep with you for a long time, and recognize that factory production doesnt negate the fact that each worker is insanely skilled at what they do.
i’d charge someone probably at least $150 for a pair of pants, and while factory optimization will of course cut down on a lot of that cost, the fact that we expect a pair of pants to be under $50 means that we are expecting the workers to be exploited.
of course, this doesn’t address the major issue of the huge amounts of people who couldn’t afford to buy a $50 pair of pants, but i think society not expecting us to buy new clothes every month would help everyone at least a little bit.
As a mere hobbyist, my rule of thumb for any sewing project is: "It always takes at least three times as long as you think." Because there are just so many steps of work that aren't readily apparent but take effort and time.
Exactly. I took a tailoring course and someone asked what this jacket would cost if a client commissioned one. $7000.00. 40 hours of work that comes to just under $200 an hour. Less if you are including the cost of materials. More if it’s an expensive fabric or an especially difficult fabric. I have had folks want me to drop my personal projects to do their projects for free. Then get angry when I refer them to a local tailor or seamstress as I have my own projects to do. Some people don’t just want cheap clothes, they want things nearly free and don’t care how it needs to happen.
I started making a circle skirt for my first project and even that is way harder than I thought. And since I'm an amateur it can take even longer than usual since I'm inexperienced 😭
if a pair of pants are 150$, u are making clothes for hedge fund managers and comp sci majors I work at subway how do I buy clothes lmao
@@anorakquest4004 I think 150s high too imo but in this perfect world the minimum wage would be livable also, we'd have enough to buy clothes like this. In this world also, people would probably buy clothes less often but 🤷♀️
whats so sad is that smaller influencers (not the ones talked about here just in general) work with them bc they probably are excited that a brand reached out to them a didn't wanna turn it down.
At least one of them had over 4.5 million followers.
@@lordfreerealestate8302(in general)
@@lordfreerealestate8302as they should !
The farther I progress into anti-capitalism and eco-friendliness, the more I see just how multi-faceted the problem is to tackle. Corporations spend millions of dollars on people whose sole job is to convince us to spend more. Culturally, buying goods is tied to love, celebration, holidays, recovering from sadness, etc. Untangling ourselves from hyperconsumerism is a long haul process, and I've learned to have a lot more compassion for myself and others even when it feels like the process isn't going fast enough.
if Faust were a POC influencer Mephistopheles would have offered him a brand deal
as Faust Irl Real, can confirm Infinite knowledge and worldly pleasures
what
I wish I understood what this comment was implying
@@sumlem same i need a translation
Biz fan?
i think a very basic rule to learn is that if something comes very cheap, it's at someone else's expense
My consumption habits changed so fast once my partner started working as an Amazon driver. It was awful, and it's heartbreaking how people don't realize people are delivering 100s of packages everyday. The dispatch is almost always pushing people to go faster. And the amount of harassment that my partner got for "going onto peoples property," even though everything they were wearing says Amazon, made me afraid they would get hurt on the job.
Also the pee bottles are real, and sometimes ppl just leave them in the vans overnight 🤢
I actually think of this all the time. I am looking for a side gig and decided if apply for amazon. My husband panicked and said he didn't want me to because it's dangerous. So sad people just keep consuming and consuming
So unrelated but I need to add this, I’m babysitting and set up my niece with a film whilst I work on a painting in the other room, love listening to Shans essays while I work. Well I didn’t know she snuck in behind me until she said “that lady is pretty, is she a teacher?” She came in to ask for a snack and melted my heart at the same time. Girlie gets beautiful intelligence❤
I think individual work counts on an local level. I bought a t-shirt made in my city from a local boutique and it was soooo expensive - but I also felt like I put food on the table for someone, rather than making the number go up in a corporate bank account. Of course, I could’ve bought half a wardrobe from H&M with the same amount of money, and that could’ve been the right move if my financial situation was different. We can’t take down the fast fashion industry as individuals, but if we’re able to, purchasing from local artisans can make a difference on a very small scale.
As cheesy as the story is, that starfish story has some fair points. You can’t save every starfish that washes up on the beach, but choosing to help just one makes a difference to that one starfish.
Oh my god, finally. A video about how bad the fashion industry is that doesn't just tell consumers to stop buying from like 2 companies. I always feel these kinds of videos are way to preoccupied with the feelings of consumers and how "clean" they feel instead of actually empowering the workers behind the brands.
1: your hair and outfit... GORGEOUS OMG???
2: i literally forgot this happened, so thank you for bringing it back onto my (and many other's) radar lol
3: you laid this out wonderfully. straight to the point, organized, and so respectful
great vid as always!
EDIT: i also want to add, i am someone that watches videos with captions when available, and i just want to thank you for ALWAYS editing and captioning your vids and not just letting the closed captions be auto generated. idk about anyone else but it at least means a lot to me
all of ur videos are so well researched and delivered! keep on slaying shanspeare we love u!!
hooting and yippeeing and hollering. your art has raised the bar every time, and you've made me interested in topics i've brushed past every. single. time. thanks for making such insightful and nuanced essays! i'm always so so so excited to see you in my subscription box.
also thanks for always going the extra mile with your fits. you feed us every time
You said it all 👏
Side note: I love your hair!! My twists never come out like that 😅 I’m yet to perfect my twists. Also really enjoying the video ❤
The ethical capitalism idea makes me feel a bit better about my one woman Nestle boycott 😅
I’m not goin around shaming anybody or preaching. I just can live without Nestle… so My family and I do. I gotta watch that piece !
Lol, I've boycotted Nestle too. They are such a horrible company. I love that more people are becoming aware of company ethics and no longer spending their money with brands that violate their morals. It makes me so happy 💝
What I hate about Nestlé is how ubiquitous they are… I know I’ll never convince my parents not to buy their powdered milk
Been avoiding their products too. And P&G as well. As many of the giant corporations as I can really. Including Disney.
Okay but can we talk about how the internet absolutely tore down and savagely went after these marginalized creators in a way that it absolutely Never does for the tons and tons of thin YT creators making brand deals or doing huge shein hauls? I'm not saying it's correct but I can at least understand why someone might think "okay I'm going to see if this company is really as bad as everyone says for myself" while not understanding that companies can hide their dirt as it were as a PR stunt.
That's how it is. When Rick and Morty man was outed for being trash, and when Headphones man beat on Dee, it was "separate the art from the artist!"
But now that Doja and Lizzo are problematic, no one let's it go. Coincidence? No.
Yes, there are plenty of creators still doing Shein and Temu hauls and no one really says anything unless it's someone they don't like
@@gensai93because we still fuck with shein and Temu . We not gonna stop buying because mfs who want sustainable clothes want everybody to join in on their misery .
@Sandrinarhonda congratulations for missing the entire point of the video lmao
lovely, nuanced video -- thank you for this Shanspeare!! also, just always appreciate that you immediately have incredible and accurate captions available WHEN you upload videos. that commitment to accessibility means so much to me!!!!
These kinds of videos helped me discover the ethics of and sustainability of fashion which I'm very passionate about now! I even wrote an essay about it last year at school and it was the first time I got to research about something I was interested in.
also, I worked at winners, and it's lowkey a sweatshop if you're working downstairs in the inventory department. I can't tell for all locations, but the one I worked at - definitely sweat shop adjacent
The edits got me CACKLING. Amazing video and research as usual ❤
Personally I was feeling pretty cynical about these influencers essentially hiding behind their marginalized identities as justification for their decision to team up with Shien. It seemed very tone deaf that they were waving the victim flag whist stepping on the victims of these sweatshops and not being aware of their own privilege compared to those workers. I really appreciate you touching on that subject; I feel like a lot of American do not realize how privileged they are to live in America (without resorting to whataboutism).
I found it funny/surprising you had to clarify “made in America” doesn’t mean “produced ethically”. A lot of consumable goods produced in the US (like food & cosmetics) don’t pass other countries safety regulations and are infamous for being produced by -sweatshops- private prison inmates and free-to-fire labourers.
Not saying the US is worse than China on ethical production, of course, but from the outside, the US reputation has gotten abysmal for the 20 last years.
The complexity of these issues can be too much for me sometimes, and I usually just choose not to buy any clothes. Most of my wardrobe is fast fashion that is 5-10 years old. When I do need something I spend a lot of time searching to find something that I like, can afford, and uses as much organic material as possible. Even then I'm still not perfect because I usually only find new rather than used items. The industry is so twisted it's almost impossible to do something as simple as clothe yourself without hurting anyone.
Me: **hears about some online drama**
Also Me: **waits until a trusted TH-cam video essayist makes a video about it to find out what the hell is going on**
This video provided enough time for me to finish felling the seams on a linen dress I'm sewing out of an unwearable skirt.
10/10 would recommend
Editing and humor are top tier in this one
Ive been trying to practice ethical consumption for a few years (thrifting, supporting fair trade or other socially certified businesses, only going fast if i feel like i cant find what i need in my price). I havent done much research on it in a long time, so i didnt know that there were orgs to support the workers rights for the affected companies. I will definitely take a look at those, thank you
$0.02 per 500 outfits would equate to $10 per day.
So it’s most likely even less than 500 dollars :( horrible.
For people living in China?? That's WILD. There is no city on Earth where that would be a liveable wage.
And we’re doing so much better here? Prices are sky high im not charging where I get my clothes just bc of that if h guys are rich and have a choice great bit don’t expect everyone to jump on the bandwagon they are affordable idc that ppl say omggg it takes so long to make ok I’m not spending my whole check on this one item u made sorry I’ll just goto shein byeee
@@cutekittycat521It's pretty easy to find cheap alternatives to fast fashion like Shein that is less exploitative, environmentally destructive and generally immoral. Stop using price as an excuse for laziness and selfishness
@@cutekittycat521It doesn't matter what anyone tells someone like you because you'll just rationalize it and keep doing it
always appreciate the nuance you bring to topics of ethics!! it's easy to condemn influencers and people for shopping at Shein while ignoring that our phones, our shoes, our beauty products, and our own clothes are also products of unethical production practices, harm the environment, and suck the life from our souls
Yea but those are a necessity that we can’t get around. Can we stop buying fast fashion? Absolutely. Do we need those jeans? No.
that logic is an appeal to futile fallacy, which suggests that unless everything is perfect, it’s not worth trying. It’s what a lot of people use when saying “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”. They use that phrase to then justify their continued supporting of unethical behaviors and immoral practices such as buying animal products or fast fashion. Yes, it’s impossibly to be 100% ethical, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We as consumers actually have a lot of power.
@@straberryshinigami15g97 not saying we shouldn't try! echoing the video in that it's very easy to scapegoat a few and ignore larger issues/reflect on our own actions
You‘re on of the few video essayists that always brings a new perspective to topics
Talent? Eye for cinematography? Great essays? You are amazing and thank you for your help into navigating internet as a non American
I bought from Shein once. The clothes were actually fine and I still wear them. But I learned about the company and so I didn't buy from them again. I don't like how we're conditioned to view clothes as disposable.
Same. I've bought from then once, and I still wear the clothes. I refuse to get rid of clothes that fit and aren't completely ruined.
@@Nakia11798 i'd be wary cause shein clothes have a lot of lead and other dangerous chemicals
okay im just really happy that you aren't giving any names out! i came across this in recommends and i finally decided to hop in to get a better understanding of what was going on, but i dont want to hate these girls. ive heard that one of them in particular (plus size as well?) that has gotten a lot of the hate targeted directly at her :( that's not helpful for them or us or the world.
I was so invested in this and now I get to hear Shanspeare’s thoughts on the matter? It’s a good day.
Lol I've never been so early for a video of yours. It's always so exciting whenever you share a new one!!! LOVE FROM ARGENTINA 💜🥰🇦🇷
Omg I'm Argentinian hi bestiee
After watching the doc “The Real Cost” a few years ago, I started shopping for clothing 90-95% ethically. It’s easier for me as a single person, but remember, thrifting is also ethical!
And thrifted items are so much better than people think they are!
Me and my mom once went to a thrift shop to buy campy clothes for a theatre show, but we couldn't find anything bad, just really nice stuff. Which usually is really good, just not what we were looking for XD
I hate that so much. We don't have many thrift shops in my city. I've been to all of them and none of them carry cute stuff that I want to or even can wear. I'm a tall girl and finding jeans that fit is nearly impossible. And most other basic stuff are even worse. We have like 3 thrift shops in total, one of them being an hour and a half away from where I live. Not worth it. I wish we had more cute things to buy here :(
I always love watching your videos. You surprise me so much! No matter how popular a topic is you always bring an interesting perspective or dig into a specific aspect that doesnt get attention. I'm so glad I watched this! You always teach me something new 💚
when i tell u my day lit up when i got this notif, these videos are always so entertaining to watch and captivate my full attention (unless ive already watched them lol)
The way you break everything down and make it entertaining and accessible while still being informative while also being gorgeous 🤩🤩
At first I was a little taken aback by you not naming the influencers, but after taking a minute to think about it I totally respect the decision. Of course I think that they messed up taking the trip, it was actually such a crazy moment when one of the influencers said something along the lines of “the factory was nothing like I thought it would be”. But like girly why did you go in the first place. However while I don’t like the choices made they are not the problem, they may be apart of the problem but they ARE NOT the problem. Brands, companies, massively rich ceos are the issue. I have such a complicated relationship with Shein, today it can be so hard to find nice clothing for a decent price. Even the cheap clothing in terms of materials is expensive nowadays. So I totally understand the need to order from Shein. As a broke college student I get it, I’m lucky that I can thrift for my clothing, wait for sales (or ask my mum to buy it lol). And I can thrift because I’m about a US size M, so it’s easy for me to thrift. My mother on the other hand is about a US 2x-3x depending on brand. It’s incredibly hard for her to shop at retail stores, let alone thrift clothing. My sister is about a 2xs or xs and she struggles just as much as my mother. While neither my mum or sis have never ordered from shein I know that sometimes they are heavily tempted when they NEED a garment for work, church, or school. So I understand why people do shop shein and right now companies still want to cut out plus size people, or “poor” people. So I would feel for those who need to shop shein if it all of a sudden died out. I would also feel for those who have a job somewhere in shein, and like their job or what have you and just lost it. It’s easy to pick and choose parts of the problem because, attacking 1 person or 1 company is easier then tackling the whole problem. I think the best thing we can do right now as a community is go back to the elementary school mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle”. Currently we love to preach the third option, but this little saying isn’t recycle first. We need to REDUCE first. Cut down on what we buy, ask ourselves, “do we need it? Will we use it more then a handful of times?” So on so forth. After that we need to reuse, stop tossing things into the recycling bin or donating to the thrift shop, just to feel good. Find ways to reuse what you have, use things until they have hit their last time. I think a skill that definitely needs to come back is the act of mending something, fix that button on a shirt instead of buying a new one, find way to use your pasta sauce glass jars instead of tossing them ect. And finally once you have used something to the point it is no longer possible to be used, see if you can PROPERLY recycle it. If you can’t that’s okay, at least you were able to slow down on consumption and make a small change in how much we buy and throw away.
21:58 This reminds me of a certain NYC fire from 1911… hmmm…. Both garment factories, both with long hours, both with barred/locked areas… it’s so similar, just one is waiting to happen and another has already happened.
Your hair is FIRE in this video and that outfit looks so gooood!
Thank you another interesting, entertaining and informative video to start my work day with 💙
I loved your video, it's amazing how much work you put behind it and delivered it with such professionalism🤩. It was really nice especially how you didn't end it with the simple answer of just boycott fast fashion, but instead found out about better options for the workers.
I'm glad I have never purchased anything from Shein, but I surely have from other fast fashion brands. Nowadays I try to thrift most of my clothes and furniture and at least where I live we have great thrift stores.
Thanks again for your superb video❤
Thank you for having proper captioning!! 😭 I appreciate it so much!
I personally, am very sorry with the workers in those factory and i will for sure support the union for basic workers rights, but i'll continue avoid buying from those brands, i stopped two years ago due to the enviromental issue... This will not be solved by keep buying new things.
PS. Nice hair!❤
Agreed. For me workers' rights are a big aspect but it's not the only aspect of why I refuse to buy fast fashion - the inherent unsustainability of fast fashion is also a major factor for me
Completely agree, that last sentiment of 2 writers 'pls don't boycott' makes no sense.
@@evab521 Yeah I don’t know why they think that’s productive. They are giving too much credit that the corporations will give in to worker demands. If they see people willingly giving them money they have no incentive to stop doing what they are doing.
I've been binge watching your video essays while doing a sewing project. It's not even making a garment, it's just embroidery. And its taken about 12 hours of work, AND I'm not even halfway done. Even if the garments they make aren't always as complicated as embroidery, they're making FIVE HUNDRED. EVERY DAY. with few breaks and not enough money to live. I've been going crazy sitting for 3 hours straight sewing, getting up to fill my water bottle, switch to another video to watch, ordering pizza, taking a break to go outside, texting, sleeping, getting back to work, and then taking another break. I take as many breaks as I want and even then sewing and sitting for hours is still driving me crazy. I can't imagine never being able to take breaks when I need, not having enough to eat or a comfortable place to relax in when I'm done, working 18 hours a day and in the worst conditions. And with my life literally DEPENDING on it.
15:02 "They weren't even sweating" oh my
The irony of getting shein and temu ads on this video 😮💨
They're paying for her video.
This was super interesting! The into the shein machine doc was really informative, but I love your digestible summary of all of the news :)
Great vid! I am learning to be more aware and this is v educational
Omg hi ana!
I live in Europe and ordered expensive dresses from a high-end German internet store. They sell joggers for $600, and coats for $2000, for example. I had ordered from their sale before (only way I could ever afford a dress there). So when I got the dresses I tried them on and they were beautifully made. Imagine my consternation when I saw “Made in China” on the label. That’s when I realised that garments produced in China aren’t necessarily cheap sweatshop products. They definitely were different to my Shein clothes from my younger years. It’s just not possible to know what working conditions in factories of different brands are like. What I will say: if I buy a T-shirt for $7 and factor in the material, electricity, rent, machine maintenance and shipping, there can’t be much left for the worker who produced the item. Pennies per item. And I refuse to be part of that injustice and perpetuate the abuse. I know, not everybody has the luxury to choose, but I’d rather buy a second hand T-shirt for $10 than Shein for $7.
Every bullet is a horror, buying pants is a horror. Even if I'm considering cheese, I have to walk in the dark. I've never considered Shein. So far at least, my box from Amazon hasn't had a note asking 'help me', but it's just a matter of time at this point.
The way you present a nuanced point but stay strong to your internal morals is very admirable!
this has to be the best ad promo i have ever witnessed. did not see it coming. love it
I love your hairstyle in this video! It looks super cute!!
thank you for the yummy content, very excited to consume
I love the humour you bring to more serious topics .
You are literally the most creative, fun, witty person on TH-cam. I love how eloquent you are 😍 thank you for educating us
thank you so much for such an amazing video! I learned a lot and you presented it in such a great digestable way that's got me really looking more into the topic of mass overseas production.
i’m also tired of using the c word to explain the pit of fire that surrounds us- i love your take on how your perspective changed from the individual boycotting to consumer lobbying for better worker rights. this is something i want to look into locally! as always thank you for the time and effort put into your work ❤️
What C word???? Content???
@@pestilenssi8979 c*pitalism
@@pestilenssi8979capitalism
@@pestilenssi8979I think capitalism? Or corn.
Clown?
the outfit!!! love love 😭😭😭😭
I actually really appreciate the way you're trying to make it so people apply that they learn to other topics
Thredup really dropped the ball not sponsoring this video. Anyone who really wants fast fashion can find it secondhand there
it may have taken me a couple days to finish watching this video but that was bc i wanted to watch for comprehension, not just as background/getting the gist of it etc
Shanspeare keeps putting out videos worthy of the Fullest Attention eventually i'm gonna start taking notes
love your nuanced takes on things like this
Just found you and I've been bingeing on your content all day while I work! Love the Hair too...
You're doing a great job!
You might be interested in the “follow the thing” research approach. It’s a newer approach to conducting research which focuses on how items get to the consumer, and the the people involved and impacted in between. They have a website that mimics a shopping website that shows you where your stuff comes from.
Thank you for covering this topic!
Love her with the locs!💛
you looked amazing in this video wow!! Also I really appreciate how you make such complexe topics easier to understand for people who might not know much about them, thank you so much!
Also thanks for keeping the influencers anonymous
Splendid video!
I already shop 90% of clothing second hand and for my business only use ethically produced clothing but I didn't know anything about how bad sweatshops were untill I was like 30.
So I am not surprised influencers went on this trip.
The issue is with the company, not those who they fooled. ❤
Keeping us fed with the brains, the writing and the visuals, *in adele's voice* ladies and gentlemen, them 😃😃🎉
dem dids?
@@ryanwbourquin booo tomato tomato 🍅🍅🍅
i’m just here to say that segway into the ad is the best i’ve ever seen in my decade of youtube watching. you are incredibly talented
YOUR HAIR LOOKS SO GOOD!!!!
I just started the video: and damn. I love what you did with that sponsor insert. First time I've been entertained by a YT ad. Subbed!
what i hate is that we’re happy to produce this whole system that is reliant on attention and being the most eye catching but then we also are happy to shame people for seeking attention that is explicitly monetarily rewarded
I really dig the way you contextualize with statistics and sources. Very refreshing.
I love your videos so much!! So excited to see this one. Absolutely love your look in this one!
wonderful video and research shan!! love u so much, i never thought about the actual workers losing their jobs due to boycotting the brands and now think that advocating for the workers themselves makes so much more sense and hopefully we can see some change in the future!
It’s like 4 something AM where I am but i’m excited to ruin my sleep schedule to watch this
Subscribed immediately after realizing you even made watching an ad fun! ur so cool for that
"my own eyes did not see what everybody else is talking about" this sentence stuck with me... I don't feel like i can necessarily analyse it, or that it's my place. I'm not even mad at the person who said it. it's just... harrowing tbh
This is my first video of yours and it’s so good !! I can’t wait to watch more omg
I would never shame someone for buying fast fashion out of necessity, but when you are making an ad for it and actively promoting and defending the company, I don’t have a drop of sympathy left. The nuances are an important conversation, but nothing could make promoting Shein okay
People who defend companies never cease to baffle me
That transition into the Surfshark ad was so good I audibly gasped alone in my room