Yeah, for these trips there’s an implied exchange of goods. Even if there’s no actual requirement for them to talk positively about them, when someone pays for you to go to china and spends a ton on expensive restaurants and trips you feel like you should give something in return
the "investigative journalist" line really REALLY pissed me off especially because actual investigative journalists were the ones going undercover to show their real working conditions UGHHHHH
@Ville_xAbout people falling for propaganda and willingly contributing to a corporate machine causing immense destructive harm to its employees and the planet? Gosh, couldn’t tell ya.
What do you mean? She has a camera and a few followers, what do you mean investigative journalism requires maybe a shred of integrity and some actual brains?
This is like that Futurama episode where Fry won a tour of the factory where they make a certain soda and he gets this Willy Wonka esque experience, until he gets separated from the group, sneaks out through a door labelled "FAKE FACTORY FOR TOURS", and then opens a door labelled "REAL FACTORY" and there's a giant slug oozing out the soda
Fun fact: that episode was based on the real life Coca-Cola factory. After seeing that massive hangar full of giant wetas squeezing out brown goo into vats, I've never touched a Coke again.
It’s crazy how influencers will spread blatant propaganda and defend human rights/labor violations within corporations when there’s money involved. Like yes queens! Show us that you have no moral/ ethical backbone when it comes to clout and money!
This is exactly how i feel about influencers reluctance to talk about issues in places like palestine and the congo but are seemingly so willing to talk about blm and ukraine
I think it's less about having no moral/ethical backbone and more about having no frontal cortex/unchecked narcissism (I.e., "I'm too smart and good-natured to be fooled by these people." The way she virtue-signaled about xenophobia also points to that; she made it about her.)
Exactly, it reminds me of the North Korean government giving tours in Pyongyang. Like those tours are not going to show what life in NK is actually like. It's obviously a set-up.
Even without going to the N Korea example. I’ve never worked at a place where if corporate or some person is coming by and we know when it’s happening where everything functioned like a regular day. Like suddenly all rules are followed and everyone constantly has stuff to do.
I worked in China for several years as an English teacher for college-aged students. The biggest red flag to me, genuinely, is that these people walked up to "random factory workers" and spoke plain English to them without a translator and they responded. If their English communication was so good that they could have conversations of this complexity, they would not be working manual labor jobs with their hands like this. Randos on the street just do not have the "well they learn English in school there!" level that a lot of people think. The book Factory Girls is really interesting - a (real) journalist went to GuangZho specifically because it's known as the "factory" place in China, and she interviewed people that worked there. They go out with their friends after work, they go to restaurants, they bounce around to different factories because a friend that works at that one said it's nicer there - surprise, real people still do real people things. The idea that everyone that works in every factory in China is living a bad life is a wrong idea and arguably a racist idea, but no amount of being treated to Peking Duck is going to make genuinely unsafe working conditions better. A well lit room with a lazor cutter does not a human-rights-violation fix.
I was just thinking about commenting about Factory Girls! I read it in college and it really left an impact on me as to what kinds of people in China typically work in factories and what their day-to-day lives are like. It's a bit dated at this point (published in 2009), but is still a really great read for anyone interested in learning more from a human perspective. For reference for anyone interesting in reading it, it's the nonfiction book by Leslie T. Chang, not the fiction book by Michelle Gallan
YES! Unless Dani or the other influencers speak fluently in multiple Chinese dialects, anything they asked and answered went through the Shein selected translator and/or were specifically selected for interviewing. And they likely wouldn't have been able to speak freely without being monitored by a Shien rep.
@@leelooelle I hadn't even thought of that part but that's totally another level of it, too. They wouldn't even really know what the factory workers would have said, if they even really talked to any.
The influencer who fancied herself an ‘investigative journalist’ should have questioned that aspect of the constructed narrative, or tried to bring their own translators/recording devices, and speak in private with randomly selected individuals. Even if it was a cultivated collection of employees and sites, that would at least give them the minimum freedom to at least make the bare minimum effort to not just accept what is presented as presented.
DOUBLE the recommendation of Factory Girls! Such an interesting read and I loved being able to peak inside the lives of these young women. I also wanted to comment on the same thing you did-- like, these companies aren't stupid. Even if you were a totally honest company, you'd put your guests in contact with employees who speak the same language. That's just basic. But when you're a shady company, you're also going to deliberately place people who have been trained on what to say and what not to say. The idea that these workers was legitimately "shocked and confused" at the influencers' questions about child labor and lead is a joke. They were absolutely told what to say. NO company would risk putting somebody in the position of giving an honest reaction to hot button questions, especially not when the entire PURPOSE of this trip was to provide a fake look behind the curtain so that people would report back to their followers "oh Shein's really cool and innovative and great to their workers actually". Every. Single. Moment. Of their trip was strategized, curated, and managed. Including every place they went, everything they saw, and everybody they spoke with.
This goes to show these influencers have never had a real cooperate job... Even when I worked at McDonalds as a young adult, in America, the owners always played things up if someone important was coming. We would spend the entire week before getting the store in perfect condition for higher ups, and investors. All while trying to make food during long dinner rushes. We were all expected to act a certain way, look a certain way, and specific employees would be off the schedule on important days. This happens in every country!
seriously!! the other day, my managers were on top of stocking. even the managers who procrastinate, and "forget" to retrieve the item(s) I'm looking for, were off their asses and keeping busy. next thing I know, the higher ups are walking in and then it clicks. typical.
Exactly! Just before our annual inspection our boss was like, "This is happening. Please make sure you do this this and this. Make sure this looks tidy." These influencers are out of touch.
this! when i worked a grocery store's bakery, we had a corporate visit coming up. we spent like two weeks making the bakery up to standard - my manager made me climb a ladder to wash the tops of the walls with a rag for almost a whole shift at one point. we had a big water stain on the tile by the dishwasher that had gotten progressively bigger for months, and suddenly they were scheduling someone to come fix it. that day they actually enforced things like dress codes and breaks. i was scheduled to close the night before bc i was the only person who did all of their closing stuff every night, which my manager said to my face. practically the day after the visit it was back to business as usual.
A lot of comments in support of shein and the influencers were like “well temus the same” and yeah I think that’s the point all these super cheap companies are horrible for workers and the climate
Right? Why do they think if someone has an issue with Seller A, they don't have the same issue with Seller B who's the spitting image of Seller A? 😂 as if no one is capable of critical thinking or something
Maybe don't buy things under a very translucent veil, most people know how bad these places are and what practices they do but thinks their wallet is more important.
Omg I didn't hear that one! That makes me think that the people they saw weren't even factory workers, they could have been either hired for the day or pulled from elsewhere in the company for the day.
“I asked all the right questions and got good info from the higher ups who have a vested interest in the overseas image of the brand” girl. Corpos lie all. The. Time.
They literally get lessons in how to do it, even. Anybody who's willing to speak to the public has had media training and vetting to make sure they're good at it. It's not just that particularly clever liars wind up in business; you get to spend time on learning how to do it, usually on the clock, while other people had to be working.
@@Nassifehmedia training really is like .... Just question dodging-like-neo-dodges-bullets training. That would be hell for me , someone who generally likes answering honestly and clearly unless I dislike a person for a particular reason.
Yeah I was like. I never trust anything out of an executive's mouth. Not as a consumer, not as a worker. Early in my career I would get wowed at the big company-wide meetings with all the "cool future ideas" and "heartfelt apologies" and what-have-you by CEOs. That literally never panned out. Ever. Executives are too slick to ever get straight answers from. I don't trust like that anymore.
On the fact that Shein used plus sized and black creators just reminds me that ALL corporations do this. When will we as consumers start realizing that corporations don't care about us as consumers? They can slap a rainbow on a t-shirt all they want. They don't care what size or color or sexual orientation you are. The only color these corporations care about is green.
This is why the LGBT+ community has largely spoken out about "Rainbow Capitalism". Because that's all it is. Capitalism. That's why these companies remove LGBT+ themes from their products in certain countries. That's why they say "BLACK LIVES MATTER," but funnel money into groups that are white supremacist. Because they don't care about people, they care about making money for those at the top.
They don’t care. They secured the bag. And by bag it’s anything they got for free ie a trip. Look at larger celebrities like the Kar-Jenners. They’ve scammed millions of customers as well as screwed over or not payed employees in the past. Lawsuit comes up, by then they can pay those people off and be on their next money making scheme.
Just a reminder that the phrase "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism" is supposed to be a call to action, not a defeatist excuse. Crazy how everything gets so easily twisted to fit and justify some people's narratives and trash behavior.
THIS. People will drop $500 on a Shein haul and say “no ethical consumption” as if they couldn’t get 4-6 clothing items that would last them for years with that money. It’s disgusting.
at shein’s scale and price it is absolutely impossible that they can produce ethically or with only one factory. They add THOUSANDS of items to their website PER. DAY. Even if they did treat workers fairly, this amount of overproduction isn’t ethical in and of itself. With that many products there must be a ton that never even gets bought, and that ends up in landfills.
@@cjboyoThey wouldn’t be able to make clothes as fast as they do if they made clothes to order. “Made to order” and “fast fashion” are antithetical to each other.
Swell explained it a bit in the video just before, my understanding is they make a tiny run of a few hundred to see how it performs and if it does well algorithmically, they make more. However, given that the turn-around times on suddenly trendy items thanks to a celebrity is apparently sometimes even less than a DAY, no way there is nothing sketchy there. Fashion patterns usually need to be tested for a good fit from what I understand, anything complex (and these trending it pieces do seem to be some complicated and specific items!), that's nowhere near enough time to properly draft a good pattern. Nevermind actually sewing it!
Can we also talk about how that influencer _expected_ a dark, dingy, sad factory? So she thought the working conditions would be bad and continued to support them in her haul videos? Edit: I just got to the part in the video where this is discussed hahahah
The thing is, there is a lot of racism and xenophobia that leads to people thinking that all work done in china is unethical, which its not, but Shein definitely is super unethical
When there are labels printed “please help” it’s hard for people buying those products to not automatically assume work in china is unethical from shein. Anyone putting an umbrella term for everyone in any situation is wrong.
I think the majority of people feel this way when items made in china and other countries are incredibly cheap. It is clearly rushed and unethical. It is clear there are high paying jobs in china and wages are fair in many other ways just like in the USA. But when items are dirt cheap there is no possible way it is humane of people are making them. I don’t think it falls into just racism. People are concerned. And sadly it’s been run like this for decades and only now are people wanting to make a change.
It's definitely important to recognise it as a class issue rather than a China Problem. Like my dad worked for a popular soap company until they closed our local factory to open up a new one in Latvia because they can just exploit the people there by paying them less and not having to follow as many safety regulations (and as the saying goes 'regulations are written in blood') The factory he worked at was profitable! But they closed it anyway because putting it in another country was _more_ profitable. To big companies, human workers are just an inconvenience between them and dollar signs Shein may be a Chinese company, but this is far from a problem unique to them, other brands Amanda mentioned like Zara, Primark, Forever21 all operate under the same business model in places like Bangladesh. A country destabilised after being colonised by the British Empire, now has a lower minimum wage and less safety regulations. So cheap clothes can be churned out for massive company profits These types of things can't exist ethically
@@martinjrgensen8234 yes, im not arguing against that, i was saying that not every company in china is unethical, obviously every fast fashion company is unethical
The fact they sold out FOR FREE! is what kills me. Spreading literal propaganda denying a form of modern day slavery... in trade for a trip to China... AND THAT'S IT... LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE is crazy to me!! A completely voluntary trip and they treated it like they were paid big money to post and speak up for them??? I wouldn't do it either way, but I can't imagine doing that FOR FREE????? Denying slavery? FOR FREE?
They didn’t even get paid? Ig a free trip and luggage something but not even a pay check to do literal propaganda. What is even the point, like that completely obliterates the argument of like “well I need to pay the bills hehe” cause those plane tickets certainly won’t. What the hell.
It's not JUST a trip to China. It's paying for the plane tickets, hotel rooms, and food. Shein funded an all expenses paid vacation to an "exotic" country for these influencers. Basically what happened with Clarence Thomas on a smaller scale.
the fact exposing bad practices is meant to better human rights..but 2$ pants!!! out of sight out of mind. I have an ev car I'm better than u. reality combat child labour mines destroying 3rd world countries. I can't believe people r supporting fast fashion after batching about the world
Yeah, you're telling me people who make at least part of their income from making fashion content are unaware of sheins reputation? I'm sorry but I'm just not that stupid.
I don't know, there's a ton of really dumb people with very thick skulls out there. Of course, this doesn't excuse them, but there are a lot of willingly ignorants in this world, and this influencers seem to be like that.
my thing is about hearing the words "seeing the facts for yourself" is... not everyone CAN go to shein's innovation center because not everyone is an influencer and not everyone has the money to go to china
@@shannonceleste5557 their point was that the influencer using "see it with your own eyes" as to strengthen her argument ('shein is good actually') falls flat bc its impossible for the viewer of the tiktok to see it for their own eyes. so it actually hurts the influencers argument more than strengthens it, and can cause people (myself included) to scoff at the thought of "seeing it with our own eyes" bc we literally cant. i think thats what OP was getting at.
And the conditions at the “innovation center” aren’t even the problem so to act like the employees being treated well there in any exonerates the company as a whole is absolutely silly, at the least.
Actual investigative journalists did the work. This internet-age thing of "doing your own research" meaning ingesting any information you find from any source with no critical thinking is probably the single biggest problem we have today. There's a point in people getting qualified and becoming experts in something, going out and doing research and finding out the closest thing to the truth that they can, with accepted methodology and some amount of ethics, and that's to contribute to society and build a foundation for others to go off of. But now there's a literal inverse relationship between qualifications and trust, there's a subset of people who truly believe that any asshole with a camera and an internet connection is just as credible as the people who spend their entire lives learning things and actually gathering evidence, and applying logic rather than pulling things out of their asses.
That investigative journalism claim truly sends me lol As someone who is Chinese (born and raised, still lives here, and have lived majority of my life here) and did not grow up in a upper-middle-class family so knows decent amount of ppl who work in all kinds of factories and doing manual jobs, truly does find this whole thing amusing - China, without a doubt, has one of the worst records when it comes to workers right (we are not even getting into human rights here so dont bother w ur sarcasm, honey, i live here, i know.). Truly the final form of ultra-capitalism. Some of the workers work 7-0-6, meaning 7am to 12am, 6 days a week (its more emtreme than most tbf). And i am just imagining what their reactions to this great 'investigation' would be.
what makes this more infuriating is there are actual investigative journalists and activists here who have faced or are facing serious consequences for either making people aware of these violations or trying to defend workers right, and then you got ppl getting set up in five-star hotels and first-class flights trying to whitewash these companies. I do not for one bit believe they do not know this is all fake.
I'm also from a blue collar family and it makes my eyes roll when people are so impressed by the technology and the cleanliness of factories. That's not the problem at all. There's children growing up without their mothers because their mother is working breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a cutting robot.
I’m an actual journalist. A paid trip to be there automatically disqualifies anything she says about the company, on that trip at least. It is absolutely against ethical code to do what she did.
I worked at one of the top bead retailers in the US and they did tours like this for customers. They would warn the leads that a tour was about to happen and everyone would be on their best behavior. The tours never saw the 13 hour shifts, people passing out from working in extreme heat, being punished for productivity being above goal but less than your prior week, managers yelling at workers for having poor posture while packing orders, management and owners confronting over weight employees and asking them to do laps around the building on lunch and breaks, etc. These tours are PR they are not investigating anything.
Lol not the influencers thinking they are doing journalism when their trip is paid for, food paid for and plane ride paid for. Jesus the delusion is hilarious. Influencers by design, are there to influence, promote and make clickable content. In what world would I trust an influencer to give me real journalism. Unless they are Swell Intertainment, I don't trust. Edit: Also LOL, there is more than ONE Shein factory, they do know that right?
There has been so much investigation into fast fashion and Shein in particular, it blows my mind that any one would agree to do this or fall for it. How stupid can people be? I've toured the Trigema factory here in Germany, which is the last raw cotton to finished product production line in Germany. Having seen what is involved in taking raw goods to finished clothing, ready to ship, given the prices H&M, Zara and Shein and yes, Temu, offer, there is no way they aren't using slave labour.
Robots cannot sew yet. Every single item of clothing you have ever worn is sewn together by a human being. There are not enough people in the factory shown in these videos to meet the numbers they are producing daily. If you are paying $2 for a shirt that is not a living wage for the human that produced it. Because that $2 gets broken up to pay the company, the managers, and upkeep of the facility and the workers make pennies per garment.
When shit is cheap there's a reason. The saying you get what you pay for isn't a lie folks. You buy cheap, you get cheap and no company can sell anything for that cheap just because. It comes at a price.
multiple things can be true at once - are people in the US fed xenophobic info about china? absolutely. do they at the same time profit off of chinese workers kept in dangerous conditions? yes! propaganda often makes things seem a lot more black-and-white than they are, and that's something to be on the lookout for.
The scarier part is that even without any deliberate propaganda, a fair chunk of us might already have black-and-white views because of partisanships and echo chambers on the Internet.
Yeah… I think the only thing the influencer *might* be right about is that a lot of people criticizing her have never been to China before. But that makes my opposition to her even funnier bc my family is all Chinese, I am ethnically Chinese (though I was born in the US), and I regularly went to China. This comes as a surprise to many but we’re just normal ass people with normal ass lives. And many of us are just as upset about the terrible treatment of workers, but in China, there is a very long history of suppression of populist movements. Unionization to fight for fair wages is near-impossible. The best we can do is hurt their bottom line and boycott the company and refuse to support this unethical business.
It's so frustrating to have to wade through the sinophobic rhetoric when looking at the very real labor problems in china. I agree that there's a lot of ethical issues that need to be addressed, but the ignorant and bigoted anti-chinese views are not validated because of it. One of my least favorite things to hear as a chinese person living in the south after they ask me "what are you" and I reply honestly is when they follow it up with "oh, the country of knock-offs and oppression." It's considered a decent interaction if they don't reply with a dog-eating joke. 🙄
I just don't straight up trust Shein because they straight up stole an illustration of mine to sell giant mousepads and I had to send a cease and desist. Thankfully they took it down but as if I would ever shop from them again after they made money off of my design. Thanks for the fun video Swell!
Any person could see that Shein obiously put on this show to prove they are clean, friendly and ethical. There's no way this is actually how things are on a regular day. The fact that Dani and the other influencers knew this whole thing was orchestrated just to "disspell rumors", and still posted the content is just plain greed.
My husbands last job he was treated so badly it was basically slavery cause they would find any excuse not to pay him and wouldn't let him take off even though he worked long hours 6 days a week. They threatened him and threw a fit when he took two days off for our daughters birth when he hadn't taken any time in two years at that point. On the outside it is a well known company in my country with a good reputation. The businesses all look clean and put together it doesn't have to look like a dungeon to be an abusive work environment. The place he works for now aesthetically looks about the same clean and well designed but the conditions are totally different he's actually respected gets payed fairly and is actually aloud a good amount of time off. he is happy to help them cause they treat him like a human.
As a USPS worker, it’s crazy how fast Temu has grown in popularity. They make up like 10- 15% of our packages some days. They kinda just exploded out of nowhere 😅
An influencer going to tour a factory and saying something positive about it (ESPECIALLY shein) just gives me the vibe of cleaning my house when a guest comes over, the bed is made and I did take a shower but it was just because you’re here
I bought from SheIn back when I was strapped for cash and needed some work clothes ASAP. Almost everything has deteriorated into rags within a year. Luckily I am in a better financial situation now but for some people, this may be their only option unfortunately
there is a hilariously sad amount of secondhand SheIn stuff available on every clothing resale site now that I just try to never buy them new or just thrift other stuff.
Dani saying that all Shein criticism was due to racism made me livid. do you know what companies are actually experiencing racism?? Other Chinese/Chinese founded companies who use ethical labor practices, but are immediately assumed to be profiting off of cheaply made items bc of the unfair stereotype that comes from having “made in China” on the label (and bc America thinks all people of color are the same). This stereotype comes from (or at least was perfected from) the actions of COMPANIES LIKE SHEIN.
agree there r new companies trying to make life better for Chinese workers, alot are smaller n don't really sell out of China. shien is sold out of China.
Shein doing a brand trip is like having a Serial killer suspect give you a tour of their totally safe non murdering dungeon but you can only go after they've had a chance to clean up and you're not allowed to look in the shed in the back with all the chains and bloody handprints on it.
Yeah Dani is the most annoying because of how condescending and privileged everything she says is. She’s also extremely quick to be the victim and there’s no reasoning with people like that. She’s confusing her own arrogance with confidence, and she just keeps on digging herself into a hole.
"they don't get paid" - Yeah, I'm going to call bullshit on that one. Getting a free trip to china with hotel, food, etc... is pay. That's pay. It's basically a vacation. If you were a supreme court judge, you'd need to report this as a gift.
my mom worked for the epa and had to report if a client gave them free coffee. these girlies saying they didnt get paid and in the next breath saying shein gave them an all expenses paid trip to china... PLEASE.
"I am an investigative journalist", followed by later essentially saying "I am willingly on the payroll and a mouthpiece for one of the companies I am supposed to investigate"
If these influencers TRULY believed that Shein was going to show them anything less than the absolute best (did they even go to more than one factory?) I've got a bridge to sell them 🙄
Dani DMC is lucky Colleen Ballinger did what she did when she did. Her instgram non-apology reel would've been the worst Influencer Thing I've seen all year until someone decided to grab a ukulele and completely overshadow it in the same week.
It’s really hilarious she says free thinker after simply visiting the factory of the company in question, by the company in question. That’s just so funny. “Both sides of the story” hun you saw ONE! That was planned and set up. Like she really set herself up for hate, tbh
I'm a Chinese person who's mother and aunts were seamstresses and have relatives who own sewing factories, plus grandmother was a literal slave in the way back times when they had no electricity...I think a lot of North Americans are really repulsed by physical labour and over exaggerate conditions at factories, BUT just because they aren't being whipped and are there by their own free will doesn't mean this is a good situation. Over consumption has created an environment in China where the money flowing in from OUTSIDE China is far greater than the internal economy. Making cheap disposable garbage for people overseas is so lucrative that the only two modes of survival for a rural woman is sustenance farming and welfare, or moving to the city to work in a factory for 6-8 months 3 provinces away from your family where you get racially discriminated and abused by the richer Chinese but the money is so good you can buy your daughter a laptop and internet connection. THIS is how over consumption is enslaving us and destroying families. NO ONE likes working in those factories, they like the money. I'm not telling people to stop buy stuff or China's problems could be solved if we abolished capitalism, but for the love of god stop buying crop tops just to try on because it's only $20 to discover your body issues are so much deeper than you thought and you can't possibly wear this outside. This economy is madness.
Good job for the call out Amanda! The brand of course will never show where their product is truly made :/// i am frankly sad that these influencers did not even think to question what they were been shown or that who they were speaking to would *lose their position by not answering "correctly"
Dani saying that she asked the employees/higher-ups all kinds of questions to get "the truth" is fucking hilarious. Like, girl, I work in the fashion industry and there's roles where the person's entire job is to shmooze people for some kind of gain (cheaper material costs, shorter production schedules, etc. etc.). Also, I don't care if your SAMPLE room is checking fabric to make sure it's "safe," the fact that, what was is, 15,000-30,000 samples are being made PER DAY in your SAMPLE room that's only making samples for ONE COMPANY? Any sustainable/eco-friendly measures made are automatically cancelled with that sheer mass of production. Also also, how dumb (or probably just lying to get a paycheck) are these influencers to think that there aren't other factories where bulk production orders are being manufactured. Actually, scratch that, they have to be lying because everyone and their mom knows that manufacturing 15,000-30,000 garments per day is not near enough to keep up w/ Shein's demand (also the fact that none of those garments are gonna be sold because they're SAMPLES), so they would have to know that there are other factories and just keeping their lips sealed about it. Oof, I didn't mean to rant like this but ugh, shit like this just pisses me off soooo much. 'Cause, like. there isn't even room for question if the influencers were genuinely misled/in the dark. I don't care how much "investigative journalism" you do, the fucking price tag on the clothes and basic knowledge of the production cycle is all the proof anyone needs to know Shein is a massive fast fashion clusterfuck. ugh
Just because she was able to interview one person who seemed "confused" about child labor allegations, she believes the BS she's being fed? She needs to lose her "investigative journalist" self label because she has no credibility. I don't care how shiny their building is. I imagine they have the capitol to pull off what ever dog and pony show they want to make themselves look good. I don't believe any of it.
This was a long time ago, way before Shein, but my grandfather used to be a buyer for a big department store. He was visiting a shoe factory in China and the working conditions were awful and dangerous. He told the man in charge about his concerns, and the guy just looked confused and said "Don't worry, we can always get more workers." The fact that people are trying to defend companies like this is so sick.
One thing that I find really interesting is the idea that something will always cost the same amount, the only reason you’re able to buy it for less is because someone else somewhere earlier in the production paid for it with what would’ve been their proper wages.
I do feel bad for these women. Like you said, they're not your typical models. This was probably the first brand to ever reach out and it probably felt great. Finally someone not making them feel overweight or like they're not a good representation of the brand. Someone finally shows them interest, only for it to be backhanded. Shein specifically chose them to make them look good. It's like showing the kid that gets bullied, attention; but only because you want everyone else to laugh at them. Like Carrie at the prom scene.
appreciate the "no ethical consumption under capitalism, but there's better and worse companies you can support" comment. what we can do is try to minimize the harmful impact that we have, while doing our best to survive and be happy ourselves.
Honestly anyone who is STILL doing Shein hauls needs to get bullied bc they know exactly what this company is and they are actively choosing to feed the Shein beast. Also the Temu ads I got during this video 😂
We read a book in middle school about a girl working in a sweatshop. They had a rich business family come over from overseas to tour the factory and then they cleaned up their work for just those few days before going back to the usual horrible working conditions. It's really not hard to imagine that similar things happened here, especially when us middle schoolers understood that
"we aren't being paid by shein" shein gave you airplane tickets, hotel stays, and food. Yall were paid. Literally every workplace in the USA would consider free airline tickets and hotel stays reportable gifts/payment.
As a trained journalist who worked at and ran newspapers for over a decade, being a nosy bitch is like 80 percent of it. Looking at all sides, not taking things at face value or accepting sketchy answers and doing your own independent research is most of the rest. I'd say you do journalistic-level work on this channel, and well. You definitely have the heart and attitude of a journo.
also, just wanted to mention- 1. clean and neat factories do not necessarily mean the workers are treated well, 2. worker exploitation doesn't just mean "they're locked up in the factory and kept in dungeons", and 3. worker treatment that would be classified as abusive can be seen as acceptable if you're poor. one of my aunts and her husband both work in factories, my aunt works in the big city in a bigger factory while my uncle works in our town. they both get paid low rates, they don't have anything like healthcare, etc, but to them, they're being treated fine because they have a friendly enough environment and they get decent pay to not just afford necessities but save up some too. to anyone who's knowledgeable about worker's rights or has a good job their jobs look "bottom of the line", but to them they've got decent gigs. at least they have a job and don't have to resort to walking around the city trying to sell towels and brooms. (it's like with fast food workers or janitors. to you or me their job seems like shit, but to poorer people they're just glad to have a job with guaranteed pay.)
Channel 4 in the uk did a really good documentary on shein called inside the shein machine: untold which shows a massive difference between the realities of the sweatshops and the way the workers are treated vs what the brand trip showed
Did any of these influencers do any preparatory reading to know what to look for or what to ask? Deep investigative TikTok journalist: Scientist have found elevated levels of lead in your clothing. Is that true? Shein rep: No. TikTok journalist: I asked the hard question, and they were 100% honest and upfront with me. They were so impressed by my questions that they offered me a huge sponsorship. My take - TikTok generation knows all the correct terms to use, but they have no idea what they mean. I don't think they even know when they are being manipulated or when they are being manipulative. This isn't SBF level, but I think he, to some extent, believed what he was saying because he was saying the "right" things.
3:22 thank you for always making a point to clarify this💜 It’s not the average consumers, the people just trying to make a dollar stretch, the people just trying to get by in our largely unethical consumer landscape who are the real issue, it’s the over consumers, the haulers, the influencers.
Stopped at 3:33, while I am poor, I’ve never ordered from shien. I’m a 28, stay at home mom (In school for IT,) I’ve bought from target and occasionally forever 21 (even that’s too expensive for us unless it’s a special occasion) I love that you made the distinction between hauls (people(aka influencers)) who can afford hauls. And people like me, who only buy clothes when I need it and get the most out of them
I only shop when, 1. I know we can afford it, and 2. When I have somewhere to be that day and I know I can wear it multiple times And everything I shop for my 2 year old if thrifted because it’s so much cheaper For all other mommy’s/daddy’s out there, look for kid to kid near you!
If they actually talked to factory workers, they would have done so via translators. Chinese people aged "40+" working at a garment factory aren't going to speak English. (That's actually one reason why the "help" labels aren't super likely to be from slave laborers. They would use Chinese characters and personally I'd imagine they would include information such as a location.)
I dunno if you twigged, but this isn't a sweatshop because that isn't its business purpose. These staff are academically trained designers or robotics technicians like this factory clearly has need for then they have had or are having a career. 40 years old would be an easy average to hit. That would also make them a different social class, and more likely to know a second language. By extension, western factory workers in a similar set up could easily be dualingual enough to hold rudimentary conversations. As for the actual factory factories, China imports a lot of western media, and has taken efforts to upskill children in certain areas with english taught by western graduates. It's not unreasonable for people to know functional words in another language through contextual exposure. You'd need to know map grid coordinates of work to do that, which are a more adult and complex solution to obtain then write. Then there's the time to write it. If still not convinced, what do you make of the company's response "sometimes our staff write notes on the garment for help on the factory floor?" On tags... In vague English? 🤔
You know, if you were invited on the trip, it’s not like you would find out much more information. They will probably have you heavily chaperoned, and handled. It won’t be like TV where people slip off to back rooms and discover all the secrets.
it's clear that they only took them to their newest and nicest looking facilities and did not take them to anywhere that realistically shows the average conditions for the average worker. it's a dog and pony show.
@@naurrr they said it was the “innovation center” or something. They said it is where the samples are made and sent out. Well duh..it’s gonna be an easier workplace. They don’t have to turn out as much, and it is the headquarters. How none of them caught that is beyond me.
As someone who went through Journalism school and now works as a newspaper designer, I would be ok with Amanda calling herself an investigative reporter. I think her videos follow the standards of journalism to a 'T' and uses a lot of journalism techniques (like interviewing primary sources and including secondary sources and of course "ALLEGEDLY" lol) Also, everyone in journalism is essentially just an annoying nosy bitch XD that's how you get the truth!! Great video as always!
I didn’t know of her content before, but this video is definitely not it. It can be considered journalism but is it good? Idk. I wouldn’t accept her video as a plausible “side” of the story when it’s obviously heavily manufactured. She says she got two sides of the story, but she didn’t- she literally got one side, and that’s the side of the company. Idk tho! I don’t follow her content enough.
@@kianna270Amanda is Swell, not the person who went on the Shein brand trip (in case that’s where you’re confused.) Ignore this if you already knew that and were referencing Swell!
You might not be a journalist but you have more journalistic integrity than most that report on the topics you cover. That’s why your fans/audience respect your opinions so much. There’s been a handful of TH-camrs I’ve actually gotten to know on a personal level over the last few years. And they were really great people. But there was a point where they really changed. I will say I tried temu initally as an alternative source for craft supplies as I sell a lot of handmade crafts and tbh whether I buy them from them, Amazon, AliExpress etc…the supplies are the same . It’s just whether or not it’s coming directly from the Chinese manufacturers directly or if they’re being resold and marked up a few additional times. If I buy from them or alie you’re just cutting out 1-2 middle men. I did buy a couple pairs of shorts for summer just to try out the quality on temu for summer. One of them is really well made. The other is good too. And I’ve gotten some of the softest hoodies I’ve ever been able to find on AliExpress. I’ve bought a lot of clothes there over the years and they are all things I still have. The worst that happens is occasionally a a small stitch isn’t done well but I’ve always been able to fix it with little effort.
I just want to say AliExpress I feel gets such a bad rap because most of it is things that people are buying here anyways but you’re cutting out the 300% markup.
"I went to one factory of a major retailer/brand and determined that the entire company is completely good." These influencers including the "journalist" are braindead. They asked the people in charge about the work conditions of their employees as if they're gonna be honest, like yeah go up to a robber and ask if they stole something see how honest they'll be.
12:18 The entire aspect of, "They are being paid to be on this trip, of course they are only going to say nice things about it." Is EXACTLY how I feel about the Shein workers. They're at work. Of course they're going to say positive things about their place of employment
Thank you for acknowledging those of us that really can't afford not to shop on these apps and websites. I can barely even walk right now to try and walk through second hand stores right now either. Severe leg injury. So you are right..if you can afford not to buy from them please try not to. And thank you for not shaming us broke down and broke ppl
Thank you for your statement about journalism. As someone who attended a J school and has a degree in communications, I’m really glad to see some clarification about what journalism is and isn’t on the internet.
The "fancy trip" I've experienced flying to SXSW, no matter who you are, the connecting flight to Austin during South by week is bougie as hell with a fancy ass plane and them giving you free stuff on the plane branded by Billboard etc, and 90% of the time there are multiple bands on your flight. They're trying to butter you up. Never been on a brand trip but this is something I've seen firsthand.
I worked at Gap at a time when they were dealing with one of the many times they were accused of using sweatshop labor. They had posters in the back next to the time clocks instructing us on what to say to the public if they asked us any questions about it. Based on that experience, I automatically assume anyone in that factory was told how to talk to visitors asking questions.
I remember watching a documentary about garment workers a long time ago that i would recommend as a place to start. It is called China Blue. From the the synopsis: "They live crowded together in cement factory dormitories where water has to be carried upstairs in buckets. Their meals and rent are deducted from their wages, which amount to less than a dollar a day. [...] (Jasmine) shares a room with 12 other girls and labors every day from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m., seven days a week, removing lint and snipping the loose threads from the seams of denim jeans. Jasmine’s initial excitement to be able to help her family with her wages quickly dissipates as she is overwhelmed by the long work hours and the delays in pay."
I'd like to take a second to thank you for caring about your closed captions 🥹 not a lot of TH-camrs put the effort into ensuring their captions are correct 🥹 So, thank you!!! 🖤🖤✨
Precisely the kind of content I followed you for, and appreciate such a concise perspective. When I first got into marketing and graphic design, the push to use influencers didn't quite exist. Once companies realized they were a form of word-of-mouth marketing that they could control with the appropriate allocation of money, that strategy took center stage. Knowing the soulless depths of unethical behavior these companies get up to for profit, I tend to believe that the bigger the show of PR via influencers, the more they are trying to hide. I hate my industry enough as it is, and wish most forms of advertising would die, influencer strategies being at the top of the list to go.
You may be annoying to brands/event planners but you're not to us. I know when you look at a product or attend an event, I'm gonna get all the facts good and bad. It's very much appreciated. As for the video, Shein paid the influencers in cash/exposure to say 'There is no war in Ba Sing Se' during a planned to the second propaganda trip. Initially, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I thought that maybe they naively didn't do their due diligence before accepting but that was before I watched SWOOP's documentary about Shein. These influencers took the bag/trip because they didn't care about Shein's shady to downright cruel ways until the wrath of the internet came for them. Dani was the loudest one defending the trip which is why they got the most heat but I know the others got dragged, too. Hopefully, the other influencers didn't double down like Dani did and hopefully, they all learned the hard way that not all money is good money.
What's extra frustrating is that these clothes end up in thrift stores being sold at the same cost or even more expensive, but they've already been used and they're falling apart. It's making thrifting difficult for people who need to do it. Plus Etsy has been taken over by Shein and other fast fashion items but is then being marketed by independent sellers as something they made or are selling. I try to buy gently used clothes because I both enjoy vintage fashion and also try to reduce my fashion consumption for environmental reasons, but I honestly can't really do that anymore. Actual vintage clothes are too expensive now and thrift stores are swamped with low-quality crap that will fall apart quickly and result in me needing to spend even more money to get something.
This reminds me of when I was younger and I worked at Pet Land. I don't know if they still exist but they sold puppies from puppy mills. One of the managers told me about the brand trips to the Amish owned puppy mills that the mamagers would go on. She was basically saying that these places were fine because the people were really nice and the wife made cinnamon rolls for them.
Someone already mentioned this book in another longer comment, but I'm recommending it here as well so hopefully it gets more visibility: The book Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang is a really great read for anyone interested in learning a bit more about the lived experiences of Chinese factory workers. It's a bit dated at this point (2009), but provides a really great picture of the lives of factory workers as interviewed by a real investigative journalist.
I really appreciate your nuanced approach. I'm glad an increasing number of people are calling out those who use "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" as a thought-terminating excuse to continue consuming carelessly. We can't consume without causing some kind of impact, sure, but we can all at least put in a bit of effort.
People are also Ignoring how Shein steals designs from creators, like EVEN IF this is the center where they design samples... this would be where theyre making money off the backs of designers that havent been compensated for their Work
@@schnozz4301 I don't talk to her as much anymore. We chat if she calls first, but I don't call her. She has an obsession with "buying" - so much that she already went bankrupt. I just never realized she was so horribly materialistic.
I respect that more than people whining about how it's classism to say Shein is bad - as if someone poor in a rich country deserves things more than a poor person in a poor country. First of all, buying shein hauls isn't actually money efficient - you can buy cheap (probably still not that ethical) clothes that are at the very least practical. No one needs a glittery bra-sized shirt. And also, you can literally make your own clothes, thrift clothes or modify your existing clothes. If making a few pieces of clothes is too tedious for you, I wonder why it's ok to force poor people in poor countries to make them for you instead? Saying that you just don't care is at the very least honest.
I work in PR and have organized press trips before. The accounts I worked on, we never pay journalist or influencers. What we do cover is hotel and travel, food and any experiences we may want the journalist or the influencers to experience. It’s against most ethical standards for outlets (newspapers, magazines) to accept payment from a vendor or business. It becomes a little murky with influencers however. I have never paid off an influencer with money but have curated tons of product. It’s never explicitly stated that they have to share the products online or in content but if they do, it makes clients want to work with them
This has the same energy as someone going to North Korea and claiming it's a utopia based on the strict and limited tour where if you stray at all or ask too many questions you will be held indefinitely in prison.....
I took a trip to China during business school, we took classes for a couple weeks with one of the big universities there and since it was for business school we got to tour a lot of manufacturing sites. It was pretty cool-- but I also couldn't help but wonder the entire time whether we were actually seeing the bulk of the manufacturing. It is totally possible (and probable, if I had to guess) that the facilities they showed us, which were all top of the line, gorgeous, innovative etc, were just the best facilities that they use specifically for tours like mine. To show off how good and innovative and definitely above board they are. I mean literally any company in any country would want to show off their company at its best. And, it would be nothing at all to have one building specifically for outsiders and a whole campus or bunch of buildings that are where the "real" work happens. That's exactly what this Shein facility reminds me of.
What's so frustrating is that even people who can afford to buy mid-price clothing instead of shein end up buying Shein if they're over a size 24 because in most stores, even their plus-size sections end at 24 while SheIn goes up to a 30-something. That's one of the reasons they target plus-size people because they know that they don't have options. You're either going to pay $200 for every item in your wardrobe or you going to go to a company like Shein :/
my guess is that factory is for the 'shein x designer/artist' products. they're a bit more expensive and in my experience, higher quality than their usual stuff. Probably there to build trust with influencers, partners, artists etc.
I'm almost positive people in the factory don't work 8 to 6 (10 hours per day). It's much more likely they work a 9 9 6 schedule (12 hours per day, 6 days a week), as is common in china. Most likely, they were instructed to answer question in a way that appeases foreigners.
Really, what gets me the most is that they think people can’t be against Shein and also not sinophobic. Like idk man. I’m against Shein’s business practices. I’m literally Chinese and I LIKE being Chinese, I like my family and I am proud of my heritage. And part of that is standing against companies that give us a bad name, and that exploit people from my family’s home country.
The problem is that places like shein rely on people frequently buying lots of items. Without those people, they'd have to increase the prices or close down.
As someone who used to work in a "good" factory with human rights and good pay and breaks, its still not a fun job. You repeat one task 200 times, you're often sitting or standing in one spot for hours at a time, you get 10 minutes of break every 3-4 hours, there's dust everywhere that you constantly breathe in, the radio always plays the same songs every day, there's no windows so unless its raining and you hear it on the roof then you wont know what it looks like out there, in winter if its too cold to go outside on breaks i would often come to work before the sun is up and leave the building when its coming down. This job rivals my Tim hortons job i had for 6 months. If you dont enjoy the task you got then its going to suck HARD.
The company sent them BRANDED LUGGAGE to pack for the trip and I'm supposed to pretend the whole thing isn't just a commercial?
WHAT REALLY
I can't wait to see the luggage fall apart after the trip lol
@@naurrrit didn't it was actually decent luggage
TBH I only believe stuff from reporters who are undercover and shien knows nothing about it.
Yeah, for these trips there’s an implied exchange of goods. Even if there’s no actual requirement for them to talk positively about them, when someone pays for you to go to china and spends a ton on expensive restaurants and trips you feel like you should give something in return
The “square footage” thing is a dead giveaway, girl what who cares about the square footage…
the "investigative journalist" line really REALLY pissed me off especially because actual investigative journalists were the ones going undercover to show their real working conditions UGHHHHH
Literally like that was so funny. Esp since it’s quite the opposite. She’s more of a ploy in their propaganda.
Oofff yeah I’m just imagining one of those actual journalists who investigated Shein watching that TikTok like 👁️👄👁️
@Ville_xAbout people falling for propaganda and willingly contributing to a corporate machine causing immense destructive harm to its employees and the planet? Gosh, couldn’t tell ya.
Yep... The limited people she was directed to speak to answered the questions they had been told to answer. Definitely an investigative journalist.
What do you mean? She has a camera and a few followers, what do you mean investigative journalism requires maybe a shred of integrity and some actual brains?
This is like that Futurama episode where Fry won a tour of the factory where they make a certain soda and he gets this Willy Wonka esque experience, until he gets separated from the group, sneaks out through a door labelled "FAKE FACTORY FOR TOURS", and then opens a door labelled "REAL FACTORY" and there's a giant slug oozing out the soda
Yes!!!!
Slurm! And poor old Slurms McKenzie
Fun fact: that episode was based on the real life Coca-Cola factory. After seeing that massive hangar full of giant wetas squeezing out brown goo into vats, I've never touched a Coke again.
I remember that episode 😂😂😂
SLURM!!!!!
It’s crazy how influencers will spread blatant propaganda and defend human rights/labor violations within corporations when there’s money involved. Like yes queens! Show us that you have no moral/ ethical backbone when it comes to clout and money!
Human rights violations environmental pollution & degradation is Shein personified.
Girlboss sweatshop!
This is exactly how i feel about influencers reluctance to talk about issues in places like palestine and the congo but are seemingly so willing to talk about blm and ukraine
Same issue with sponsors on TH-cam, so many people promote 'Betterhelp' when they were/ still being exposed for horrible practices.
I think it's less about having no moral/ethical backbone and more about having no frontal cortex/unchecked narcissism (I.e., "I'm too smart and good-natured to be fooled by these people." The way she virtue-signaled about xenophobia also points to that; she made it about her.)
I would not trust the “factory tour” to look anything like or employees to be treated like a normal day when they are doing PR tours.
Exactly, it reminds me of the North Korean government giving tours in Pyongyang. Like those tours are not going to show what life in NK is actually like. It's obviously a set-up.
It would be trivial to set up a Potemkin village to make it look nice. They did that when the UN delegate visited Xinjiang
And that goes for all companies, not just Shein.
Even without going to the N Korea example.
I’ve never worked at a place where if corporate or some person is coming by and we know when it’s happening where everything functioned like a regular day. Like suddenly all rules are followed and everyone constantly has stuff to do.
This… all over the world, even in some high places lol.
I worked in China for several years as an English teacher for college-aged students. The biggest red flag to me, genuinely, is that these people walked up to "random factory workers" and spoke plain English to them without a translator and they responded. If their English communication was so good that they could have conversations of this complexity, they would not be working manual labor jobs with their hands like this. Randos on the street just do not have the "well they learn English in school there!" level that a lot of people think.
The book Factory Girls is really interesting - a (real) journalist went to GuangZho specifically because it's known as the "factory" place in China, and she interviewed people that worked there. They go out with their friends after work, they go to restaurants, they bounce around to different factories because a friend that works at that one said it's nicer there - surprise, real people still do real people things. The idea that everyone that works in every factory in China is living a bad life is a wrong idea and arguably a racist idea, but no amount of being treated to Peking Duck is going to make genuinely unsafe working conditions better. A well lit room with a lazor cutter does not a human-rights-violation fix.
I was just thinking about commenting about Factory Girls! I read it in college and it really left an impact on me as to what kinds of people in China typically work in factories and what their day-to-day lives are like. It's a bit dated at this point (published in 2009), but is still a really great read for anyone interested in learning more from a human perspective. For reference for anyone interesting in reading it, it's the nonfiction book by Leslie T. Chang, not the fiction book by Michelle Gallan
YES! Unless Dani or the other influencers speak fluently in multiple Chinese dialects, anything they asked and answered went through the Shein selected translator and/or were specifically selected for interviewing. And they likely wouldn't have been able to speak freely without being monitored by a Shien rep.
@@leelooelle I hadn't even thought of that part but that's totally another level of it, too. They wouldn't even really know what the factory workers would have said, if they even really talked to any.
The influencer who fancied herself an ‘investigative journalist’ should have questioned that aspect of the constructed narrative, or tried to bring their own translators/recording devices, and speak in private with randomly selected individuals. Even if it was a cultivated collection of employees and sites, that would at least give them the minimum freedom to at least make the bare minimum effort to not just accept what is presented as presented.
DOUBLE the recommendation of Factory Girls! Such an interesting read and I loved being able to peak inside the lives of these young women. I also wanted to comment on the same thing you did-- like, these companies aren't stupid. Even if you were a totally honest company, you'd put your guests in contact with employees who speak the same language. That's just basic. But when you're a shady company, you're also going to deliberately place people who have been trained on what to say and what not to say. The idea that these workers was legitimately "shocked and confused" at the influencers' questions about child labor and lead is a joke. They were absolutely told what to say. NO company would risk putting somebody in the position of giving an honest reaction to hot button questions, especially not when the entire PURPOSE of this trip was to provide a fake look behind the curtain so that people would report back to their followers "oh Shein's really cool and innovative and great to their workers actually". Every. Single. Moment. Of their trip was strategized, curated, and managed. Including every place they went, everything they saw, and everybody they spoke with.
This goes to show these influencers have never had a real cooperate job... Even when I worked at McDonalds as a young adult, in America, the owners always played things up if someone important was coming. We would spend the entire week before getting the store in perfect condition for higher ups, and investors. All while trying to make food during long dinner rushes. We were all expected to act a certain way, look a certain way, and specific employees would be off the schedule on important days. This happens in every country!
seriously!! the other day, my managers were on top of stocking. even the managers who procrastinate, and "forget" to retrieve the item(s) I'm looking for, were off their asses and keeping busy. next thing I know, the higher ups are walking in and then it clicks. typical.
@@bogosbinted5734I never miss working at Mcdonalds for this exact reason. Everyone starts acting different when the higher ups come 😭😭
Exactly! Just before our annual inspection our boss was like, "This is happening. Please make sure you do this this and this. Make sure this looks tidy." These influencers are out of touch.
this! when i worked a grocery store's bakery, we had a corporate visit coming up. we spent like two weeks making the bakery up to standard - my manager made me climb a ladder to wash the tops of the walls with a rag for almost a whole shift at one point. we had a big water stain on the tile by the dishwasher that had gotten progressively bigger for months, and suddenly they were scheduling someone to come fix it. that day they actually enforced things like dress codes and breaks. i was scheduled to close the night before bc i was the only person who did all of their closing stuff every night, which my manager said to my face. practically the day after the visit it was back to business as usual.
So so so true! So many tasks that only took place when a corporate ‘VIP’ was expected
A lot of comments in support of shein and the influencers were like “well temus the same” and yeah I think that’s the point all these super cheap companies are horrible for workers and the climate
yes!! and also just cause i don’t buy from shein doesn’t mean i’m gonna buy from a company that’s nearly a spitting image of shein
💯💯
Right? Why do they think if someone has an issue with Seller A, they don't have the same issue with Seller B who's the spitting image of Seller A? 😂 as if no one is capable of critical thinking or something
Right??? Like, yeah, all this fast fashion brands are bad, you pointing out that another brand is bad doesn't make this one any better
Maybe don't buy things under a very translucent veil, most people know how bad these places are and what practices they do but thinks their wallet is more important.
the girl that said in one of her factory tour tiktoks "they werent even sweating" really gave me Glass Onion Sweatshops are where they make Sweatpants
I thought the same!! So surreal
Omg I didn't hear that one! That makes me think that the people they saw weren't even factory workers, they could have been either hired for the day or pulled from elsewhere in the company for the day.
“I asked all the right questions and got good info from the higher ups who have a vested interest in the overseas image of the brand” girl. Corpos lie all. The. Time.
she's so brainwashed ugh
They literally get lessons in how to do it, even. Anybody who's willing to speak to the public has had media training and vetting to make sure they're good at it. It's not just that particularly clever liars wind up in business; you get to spend time on learning how to do it, usually on the clock, while other people had to be working.
I don't believe anyone could genuinely be that stupid. She just sold out, ain't no way she's that dumb.
@@Nassifehmedia training really is like
.... Just question dodging-like-neo-dodges-bullets training. That would be hell for me , someone who generally likes answering honestly and clearly unless I dislike a person for a particular reason.
Yeah I was like. I never trust anything out of an executive's mouth. Not as a consumer, not as a worker. Early in my career I would get wowed at the big company-wide meetings with all the "cool future ideas" and "heartfelt apologies" and what-have-you by CEOs. That literally never panned out. Ever. Executives are too slick to ever get straight answers from. I don't trust like that anymore.
On the fact that Shein used plus sized and black creators just reminds me that ALL corporations do this. When will we as consumers start realizing that corporations don't care about us as consumers? They can slap a rainbow on a t-shirt all they want. They don't care what size or color or sexual orientation you are. The only color these corporations care about is green.
Exactly bless anyone stupid enough to believe otherwise 😂
This is why the LGBT+ community has largely spoken out about "Rainbow Capitalism". Because that's all it is. Capitalism. That's why these companies remove LGBT+ themes from their products in certain countries. That's why they say "BLACK LIVES MATTER," but funnel money into groups that are white supremacist. Because they don't care about people, they care about making money for those at the top.
(And not the green from trees and nature)
Rainbow washing 😢
Plus Dani is Trans...so. Win, win?
Do the influencers really believe this was a truthful tour? Do they care? I think those are the biggest and scariest issues.
They don’t give a shit. They got a free trip to china out of it, and tonnes of free product often.
they got a free trip to japan. they do not care at all
@Czena China, but yes, I agree they do not care since they got a free trip
They don’t care. They secured the bag. And by bag it’s anything they got for free ie a trip. Look at larger celebrities like the Kar-Jenners. They’ve scammed millions of customers as well as screwed over or not payed employees in the past. Lawsuit comes up, by then they can pay those people off and be on their next money making scheme.
They absolutely do not care.
Just a reminder that the phrase "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism" is supposed to be a call to action, not a defeatist excuse. Crazy how everything gets so easily twisted to fit and justify some people's narratives and trash behavior.
THIS. People will drop $500 on a Shein haul and say “no ethical consumption” as if they couldn’t get 4-6 clothing items that would last them for years with that money. It’s disgusting.
@@rachel1362theres no ethical consumption, but there definitely is unethical consumption
at shein’s scale and price it is absolutely impossible that they can produce ethically or with only one factory. They add THOUSANDS of items to their website PER. DAY. Even if they did treat workers fairly, this amount of overproduction isn’t ethical in and of itself. With that many products there must be a ton that never even gets bought, and that ends up in landfills.
Do they make things like… to order? That’s the only way that makes sense to me
@@cjboyoThey wouldn’t be able to make clothes as fast as they do if they made clothes to order. “Made to order” and “fast fashion” are antithetical to each other.
@@journie_ So they literally have people making thousands of new garments every day? I feel like I don’t understand how this supply chain works
@@cjboyoyes
Swell explained it a bit in the video just before, my understanding is they make a tiny run of a few hundred to see how it performs and if it does well algorithmically, they make more.
However, given that the turn-around times on suddenly trendy items thanks to a celebrity is apparently sometimes even less than a DAY, no way there is nothing sketchy there. Fashion patterns usually need to be tested for a good fit from what I understand, anything complex (and these trending it pieces do seem to be some complicated and specific items!), that's nowhere near enough time to properly draft a good pattern. Nevermind actually sewing it!
Can we also talk about how that influencer _expected_ a dark, dingy, sad factory? So she thought the working conditions would be bad and continued to support them in her haul videos?
Edit: I just got to the part in the video where this is discussed hahahah
This is a great point
It's like cleaning up your apartment before your parents stop by for a visit.
Of course it looks normal, you knew they were coming.
The thing is, there is a lot of racism and xenophobia that leads to people thinking that all work done in china is unethical, which its not, but Shein definitely is super unethical
When there are labels printed “please help” it’s hard for people buying those products to not automatically assume work in china is unethical from shein. Anyone putting an umbrella term for everyone in any situation is wrong.
I think the majority of people feel this way when items made in china and other countries are incredibly cheap. It is clearly rushed and unethical. It is clear there are high paying jobs in china and wages are fair in many other ways just like in the USA. But when items are dirt cheap there is no possible way it is humane of people are making them. I don’t think it falls into just racism. People are concerned. And sadly it’s been run like this for decades and only now are people wanting to make a change.
It's definitely important to recognise it as a class issue rather than a China Problem. Like my dad worked for a popular soap company until they closed our local factory to open up a new one in Latvia because they can just exploit the people there by paying them less and not having to follow as many safety regulations (and as the saying goes 'regulations are written in blood')
The factory he worked at was profitable! But they closed it anyway because putting it in another country was _more_ profitable. To big companies, human workers are just an inconvenience between them and dollar signs
Shein may be a Chinese company, but this is far from a problem unique to them, other brands Amanda mentioned like Zara, Primark, Forever21 all operate under the same business model in places like Bangladesh.
A country destabilised after being colonised by the British Empire, now has a lower minimum wage and less safety regulations. So cheap clothes can be churned out for massive company profits
These types of things can't exist ethically
Fast fashion is by definition unethical and made by extremely low paid workers.
@@martinjrgensen8234 yes, im not arguing against that, i was saying that not every company in china is unethical, obviously every fast fashion company is unethical
An "innovation factory" is definitely where designs and prototypes are made, NOT where the items are being mass produced.
yes, exactly!!! it made me so annoyed that ppl were saying "they toured the factories" when they really didn't lol
The fact they sold out FOR FREE! is what kills me. Spreading literal propaganda denying a form of modern day slavery... in trade for a trip to China... AND THAT'S IT... LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE is crazy to me!! A completely voluntary trip and they treated it like they were paid big money to post and speak up for them??? I wouldn't do it either way, but I can't imagine doing that FOR FREE????? Denying slavery? FOR FREE?
They didn’t even get paid? Ig a free trip and luggage something but not even a pay check to do literal propaganda. What is even the point, like that completely obliterates the argument of like “well I need to pay the bills hehe” cause those plane tickets certainly won’t. What the hell.
this really shows the lack of credibility and authenticity these influencers have
It's not JUST a trip to China. It's paying for the plane tickets, hotel rooms, and food. Shein funded an all expenses paid vacation to an "exotic" country for these influencers.
Basically what happened with Clarence Thomas on a smaller scale.
@@metademetra I guess when I say or think of a "trip" I include all the activities and necessities attached to it in the meaning
the fact exposing bad practices is meant to better human rights..but 2$ pants!!!
out of sight out of mind. I have an ev car I'm better than u.
reality combat child labour mines destroying 3rd world countries.
I can't believe people r supporting fast fashion after batching about the world
This is giving off major “There is no war in Ba Sing Se” vibes.
Yes!
I am glad someone made this analogy.
omg thissss
I refuse to believe these influencers were ignorant to what the brand was doing and what they were doing by being a part of it.
exactly, but that bag was worth more i guess
Yeah, you're telling me people who make at least part of their income from making fashion content are unaware of sheins reputation? I'm sorry but I'm just not that stupid.
They chose to ignore it
I don't know, there's a ton of really dumb people with very thick skulls out there. Of course, this doesn't excuse them, but there are a lot of willingly ignorants in this world, and this influencers seem to be like that.
they don't care. simple as that.
my thing is about hearing the words "seeing the facts for yourself" is... not everyone CAN go to shein's innovation center because not everyone is an influencer and not everyone has the money to go to china
I feel like you're conflating different issues here. Almost no one will ever be visiting the various places that our products are made.
@@shannonceleste5557 their point was that the influencer using "see it with your own eyes" as to strengthen her argument ('shein is good actually') falls flat bc its impossible for the viewer of the tiktok to see it for their own eyes. so it actually hurts the influencers argument more than strengthens it, and can cause people (myself included) to scoff at the thought of "seeing it with our own eyes" bc we literally cant. i think thats what OP was getting at.
And the conditions at the “innovation center” aren’t even the problem so to act like the employees being treated well there in any exonerates the company as a whole is absolutely silly, at the least.
Actual investigative journalists did the work. This internet-age thing of "doing your own research" meaning ingesting any information you find from any source with no critical thinking is probably the single biggest problem we have today.
There's a point in people getting qualified and becoming experts in something, going out and doing research and finding out the closest thing to the truth that they can, with accepted methodology and some amount of ethics, and that's to contribute to society and build a foundation for others to go off of.
But now there's a literal inverse relationship between qualifications and trust, there's a subset of people who truly believe that any asshole with a camera and an internet connection is just as credible as the people who spend their entire lives learning things and actually gathering evidence, and applying logic rather than pulling things out of their asses.
That investigative journalism claim truly sends me lol As someone who is Chinese (born and raised, still lives here, and have lived majority of my life here) and did not grow up in a upper-middle-class family so knows decent amount of ppl who work in all kinds of factories and doing manual jobs, truly does find this whole thing amusing - China, without a doubt, has one of the worst records when it comes to workers right (we are not even getting into human rights here so dont bother w ur sarcasm, honey, i live here, i know.). Truly the final form of ultra-capitalism. Some of the workers work 7-0-6, meaning 7am to 12am, 6 days a week (its more emtreme than most tbf). And i am just imagining what their reactions to this great 'investigation' would be.
what makes this more infuriating is there are actual investigative journalists and activists here who have faced or are facing serious consequences for either making people aware of these violations or trying to defend workers right, and then you got ppl getting set up in five-star hotels and first-class flights trying to whitewash these companies. I do not for one bit believe they do not know this is all fake.
I was going to day these people had to at least be 996 schedules, not 40 hours
i cant imagine how strenuous that kind of work schedule must be on both the body and mind.
I'm also from a blue collar family and it makes my eyes roll when people are so impressed by the technology and the cleanliness of factories. That's not the problem at all. There's children growing up without their mothers because their mother is working breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a cutting robot.
The workers paradise, everyone
I’m an actual journalist. A paid trip to be there automatically disqualifies anything she says about the company, on that trip at least. It is absolutely against ethical code to do what she did.
What you think they should have done?
@@moonbook12 go there themselves lmfao
I worked at one of the top bead retailers in the US and they did tours like this for customers. They would warn the leads that a tour was about to happen and everyone would be on their best behavior. The tours never saw the 13 hour shifts, people passing out from working in extreme heat, being punished for productivity being above goal but less than your prior week, managers yelling at workers for having poor posture while packing orders, management and owners confronting over weight employees and asking them to do laps around the building on lunch and breaks, etc. These tours are PR they are not investigating anything.
I buy beads and would love to know who I'm avoiding from now on.
@@lisanne11051 100% agreed, I'm very into crafting so I'd love to know
Yes, this, exactly. I have also done factory work and the floor the visitors see isn't the floor you're seeing every other day of the week
Which company??
@@lisanne11051me too id like to know
Lol not the influencers thinking they are doing journalism when their trip is paid for, food paid for and plane ride paid for. Jesus the delusion is hilarious. Influencers by design, are there to influence, promote and make clickable content. In what world would I trust an influencer to give me real journalism. Unless they are Swell Intertainment, I don't trust.
Edit: Also LOL, there is more than ONE Shein factory, they do know that right?
they're so delusional there's literally no defense 🫠
They also had SheIn branded luggage
There has been so much investigation into fast fashion and Shein in particular, it blows my mind that any one would agree to do this or fall for it. How stupid can people be? I've toured the Trigema factory here in Germany, which is the last raw cotton to finished product production line in Germany. Having seen what is involved in taking raw goods to finished clothing, ready to ship, given the prices H&M, Zara and Shein and yes, Temu, offer, there is no way they aren't using slave labour.
Yup. Several hours of labor minimum. Now think of all the other costs. Does $15 cover that? I think not.
Robots cannot sew yet. Every single item of clothing you have ever worn is sewn together by a human being. There are not enough people in the factory shown in these videos to meet the numbers they are producing daily. If you are paying $2 for a shirt that is not a living wage for the human that produced it. Because that $2 gets broken up to pay the company, the managers, and upkeep of the facility and the workers make pennies per garment.
When shit is cheap there's a reason. The saying you get what you pay for isn't a lie folks. You buy cheap, you get cheap and no company can sell anything for that cheap just because. It comes at a price.
Totally agree, although I would add buying expensive those employees are not looked after either in a lot of cases too
It comes at price for both those making and those consuming. People keep forgetting how TOXINS are saturating everything.
@@simplesimply3753yup. fabric can only be cheap if it's made from toxic materials
multiple things can be true at once - are people in the US fed xenophobic info about china? absolutely. do they at the same time profit off of chinese workers kept in dangerous conditions? yes! propaganda often makes things seem a lot more black-and-white than they are, and that's something to be on the lookout for.
The scarier part is that even without any deliberate propaganda, a fair chunk of us might already have black-and-white views because of partisanships and echo chambers on the Internet.
Yeah… I think the only thing the influencer *might* be right about is that a lot of people criticizing her have never been to China before.
But that makes my opposition to her even funnier bc my family is all Chinese, I am ethnically Chinese (though I was born in the US), and I regularly went to China. This comes as a surprise to many but we’re just normal ass people with normal ass lives. And many of us are just as upset about the terrible treatment of workers, but in China, there is a very long history of suppression of populist movements. Unionization to fight for fair wages is near-impossible. The best we can do is hurt their bottom line and boycott the company and refuse to support this unethical business.
It's so frustrating to have to wade through the sinophobic rhetoric when looking at the very real labor problems in china. I agree that there's a lot of ethical issues that need to be addressed, but the ignorant and bigoted anti-chinese views are not validated because of it. One of my least favorite things to hear as a chinese person living in the south after they ask me "what are you" and I reply honestly is when they follow it up with "oh, the country of knock-offs and oppression." It's considered a decent interaction if they don't reply with a dog-eating joke. 🙄
Thanks for not going on a Shein brand trip so we don't have to either, Swell! 🙆♀️
SHe wasn't invited lol 1:50 She makes that VERY CLEAR fake ass fan lol
How was this comment left 11hrs ago when the video was only uploaded 46 minutes ago
11h old comment when the video dropped 40 min ago? Totally normal lol
@@queen_goddess6939damn bro are you mad?? They didn’t say she was invited
@@shannonceleste5557Patreon gets early access to new videos😅
I just don't straight up trust Shein because they straight up stole an illustration of mine to sell giant mousepads and I had to send a cease and desist. Thankfully they took it down but as if I would ever shop from them again after they made money off of my design. Thanks for the fun video Swell!
they stole a pin design from one of my artist friends, and that's not even the first time I've heard of shein selling stolen art/designs either.
And the lead thing is fact. The Canadian government tested the clothing in a fucking lab! There is no denying that the clothes have lead
Just looked it up and holy shit you're right! Shein clothes also break EU regulations too.
Any person could see that Shein obiously put on this show to prove they are clean, friendly and ethical. There's no way this is actually how things are on a regular day. The fact that Dani and the other influencers knew this whole thing was orchestrated just to "disspell rumors", and still posted the content is just plain greed.
My husbands last job he was treated so badly it was basically slavery cause they would find any excuse not to pay him and wouldn't let him take off even though he worked long hours 6 days a week. They threatened him and threw a fit when he took two days off for our daughters birth when he hadn't taken any time in two years at that point. On the outside it is a well known company in my country with a good reputation. The businesses all look clean and put together it doesn't have to look like a dungeon to be an abusive work environment. The place he works for now aesthetically looks about the same clean and well designed but the conditions are totally different he's actually respected gets payed fairly and is actually aloud a good amount of time off. he is happy to help them cause they treat him like a human.
As a USPS worker, it’s crazy how fast Temu has grown in popularity. They make up like 10- 15% of our packages some days. They kinda just exploded out of nowhere 😅
An influencer going to tour a factory and saying something positive about it (ESPECIALLY shein) just gives me the vibe of cleaning my house when a guest comes over, the bed is made and I did take a shower but it was just because you’re here
I bought from SheIn back when I was strapped for cash and needed some work clothes ASAP. Almost everything has deteriorated into rags within a year. Luckily I am in a better financial situation now but for some people, this may be their only option unfortunately
there is a hilariously sad amount of secondhand SheIn stuff available on every clothing resale site now that I just try to never buy them new or just thrift other stuff.
This happened to me and I feel so guilty when I wear them but I will not waste them until they’re rags and I’m forced to get rid of them
I love how Shein is not defending the influencers in this lol. What did they expect, seriously.
The influencers were paid to defend SHIEN, not the other way around 😅
Dani saying that all Shein criticism was due to racism made me livid. do you know what companies are actually experiencing racism?? Other Chinese/Chinese founded companies who use ethical labor practices, but are immediately assumed to be profiting off of cheaply made items bc of the unfair stereotype that comes from having “made in China” on the label (and bc America thinks all people of color are the same). This stereotype comes from (or at least was perfected from) the actions of COMPANIES LIKE SHEIN.
agree there r new companies trying to make life better for Chinese workers, alot are smaller n don't really sell out of China. shien is sold out of China.
Yeah that's crazy
I'm honestly amazed that they thought this company would purposely show them poor working conditions.
Shein doing a brand trip is like having a Serial killer suspect give you a tour of their totally safe non murdering dungeon but you can only go after they've had a chance to clean up and you're not allowed to look in the shed in the back with all the chains and bloody handprints on it.
or they take u to a different dungeon😂
Yeah Dani is the most annoying because of how condescending and privileged everything she says is. She’s also extremely quick to be the victim and there’s no reasoning with people like that. She’s confusing her own arrogance with confidence, and she just keeps on digging herself into a hole.
Lols exactly I think it’s time we take their stupidity as comedy from here on in 😂
"they don't get paid" - Yeah, I'm going to call bullshit on that one. Getting a free trip to china with hotel, food, etc... is pay. That's pay. It's basically a vacation. If you were a supreme court judge, you'd need to report this as a gift.
tell that to the supreme court 😭
That’s more or less what she says next “You are paid with the trip”
😂😂😂😂😂
my mom worked for the epa and had to report if a client gave them free coffee. these girlies saying they didnt get paid and in the next breath saying shein gave them an all expenses paid trip to china... PLEASE.
All correct until that last sentence, supreme court justices, defacto, don't have to do that
"I am an investigative journalist", followed by later essentially saying "I am willingly on the payroll and a mouthpiece for one of the companies I am supposed to investigate"
If these influencers TRULY believed that Shein was going to show them anything less than the absolute best (did they even go to more than one factory?) I've got a bridge to sell them 🙄
Dani DMC is lucky Colleen Ballinger did what she did when she did. Her instgram non-apology reel would've been the worst Influencer Thing I've seen all year until someone decided to grab a ukulele and completely overshadow it in the same week.
It’s really hilarious she says free thinker after simply visiting the factory of the company in question, by the company in question. That’s just so funny. “Both sides of the story” hun you saw ONE! That was planned and set up. Like she really set herself up for hate, tbh
I'm a Chinese person who's mother and aunts were seamstresses and have relatives who own sewing factories, plus grandmother was a literal slave in the way back times when they had no electricity...I think a lot of North Americans are really repulsed by physical labour and over exaggerate conditions at factories, BUT just because they aren't being whipped and are there by their own free will doesn't mean this is a good situation. Over consumption has created an environment in China where the money flowing in from OUTSIDE China is far greater than the internal economy. Making cheap disposable garbage for people overseas is so lucrative that the only two modes of survival for a rural woman is sustenance farming and welfare, or moving to the city to work in a factory for 6-8 months 3 provinces away from your family where you get racially discriminated and abused by the richer Chinese but the money is so good you can buy your daughter a laptop and internet connection.
THIS is how over consumption is enslaving us and destroying families. NO ONE likes working in those factories, they like the money. I'm not telling people to stop buy stuff or China's problems could be solved if we abolished capitalism, but for the love of god stop buying crop tops just to try on because it's only $20 to discover your body issues are so much deeper than you thought and you can't possibly wear this outside. This economy is madness.
Good job for the call out Amanda! The brand of course will never show where their product is truly made :/// i am frankly sad that these influencers did not even think to question what they were been shown or that who they were speaking to would *lose their position by not answering "correctly"
(I edited a word)
Shein has always made me deeply uncomfortable and shit like this is probably why
Dani saying that she asked the employees/higher-ups all kinds of questions to get "the truth" is fucking hilarious. Like, girl, I work in the fashion industry and there's roles where the person's entire job is to shmooze people for some kind of gain (cheaper material costs, shorter production schedules, etc. etc.). Also, I don't care if your SAMPLE room is checking fabric to make sure it's "safe," the fact that, what was is, 15,000-30,000 samples are being made PER DAY in your SAMPLE room that's only making samples for ONE COMPANY? Any sustainable/eco-friendly measures made are automatically cancelled with that sheer mass of production. Also also, how dumb (or probably just lying to get a paycheck) are these influencers to think that there aren't other factories where bulk production orders are being manufactured. Actually, scratch that, they have to be lying because everyone and their mom knows that manufacturing 15,000-30,000 garments per day is not near enough to keep up w/ Shein's demand (also the fact that none of those garments are gonna be sold because they're SAMPLES), so they would have to know that there are other factories and just keeping their lips sealed about it.
Oof, I didn't mean to rant like this but ugh, shit like this just pisses me off soooo much. 'Cause, like. there isn't even room for question if the influencers were genuinely misled/in the dark. I don't care how much "investigative journalism" you do, the fucking price tag on the clothes and basic knowledge of the production cycle is all the proof anyone needs to know Shein is a massive fast fashion clusterfuck. ugh
You didn't ramble, & I really appreciate the insight & honesty!
Just because she was able to interview one person who seemed "confused" about child labor allegations, she believes the BS she's being fed? She needs to lose her "investigative journalist" self label because she has no credibility. I don't care how shiny their building is. I imagine they have the capitol to pull off what ever dog and pony show they want to make themselves look good. I don't believe any of it.
Also a lot of the people who work in factories will most likely have limited education and won’t understand what is slavery is.
This was a long time ago, way before Shein, but my grandfather used to be a buyer for a big department store. He was visiting a shoe factory in China and the working conditions were awful and dangerous. He told the man in charge about his concerns, and the guy just looked confused and said "Don't worry, we can always get more workers." The fact that people are trying to defend companies like this is so sick.
One thing that I find really interesting is the idea that something will always cost the same amount, the only reason you’re able to buy it for less is because someone else somewhere earlier in the production paid for it with what would’ve been their proper wages.
I do feel bad for these women. Like you said, they're not your typical models. This was probably the first brand to ever reach out and it probably felt great. Finally someone not making them feel overweight or like they're not a good representation of the brand. Someone finally shows them interest, only for it to be backhanded. Shein specifically chose them to make them look good. It's like showing the kid that gets bullied, attention; but only because you want everyone else to laugh at them. Like Carrie at the prom scene.
appreciate the "no ethical consumption under capitalism, but there's better and worse companies you can support" comment. what we can do is try to minimize the harmful impact that we have, while doing our best to survive and be happy ourselves.
Honestly anyone who is STILL doing Shein hauls needs to get bullied bc they know exactly what this company is and they are actively choosing to feed the Shein beast. Also the Temu ads I got during this video 😂
We read a book in middle school about a girl working in a sweatshop. They had a rich business family come over from overseas to tour the factory and then they cleaned up their work for just those few days before going back to the usual horrible working conditions. It's really not hard to imagine that similar things happened here, especially when us middle schoolers understood that
"we aren't being paid by shein" shein gave you airplane tickets, hotel stays, and food. Yall were paid. Literally every workplace in the USA would consider free airline tickets and hotel stays reportable gifts/payment.
As a trained journalist who worked at and ran newspapers for over a decade, being a nosy bitch is like 80 percent of it. Looking at all sides, not taking things at face value or accepting sketchy answers and doing your own independent research is most of the rest. I'd say you do journalistic-level work on this channel, and well. You definitely have the heart and attitude of a journo.
also, just wanted to mention- 1. clean and neat factories do not necessarily mean the workers are treated well, 2. worker exploitation doesn't just mean "they're locked up in the factory and kept in dungeons", and 3. worker treatment that would be classified as abusive can be seen as acceptable if you're poor.
one of my aunts and her husband both work in factories, my aunt works in the big city in a bigger factory while my uncle works in our town. they both get paid low rates, they don't have anything like healthcare, etc, but to them, they're being treated fine because they have a friendly enough environment and they get decent pay to not just afford necessities but save up some too. to anyone who's knowledgeable about worker's rights or has a good job their jobs look "bottom of the line", but to them they've got decent gigs. at least they have a job and don't have to resort to walking around the city trying to sell towels and brooms.
(it's like with fast food workers or janitors. to you or me their job seems like shit, but to poorer people they're just glad to have a job with guaranteed pay.)
Channel 4 in the uk did a really good documentary on shein called inside the shein machine: untold which shows a massive difference between the realities of the sweatshops and the way the workers are treated vs what the brand trip showed
The irony of this being broken up by a temu ad and a shien ad
Did any of these influencers do any preparatory reading to know what to look for or what to ask?
Deep investigative TikTok journalist: Scientist have found elevated levels of lead in your clothing. Is that true?
Shein rep: No.
TikTok journalist: I asked the hard question, and they were 100% honest and upfront with me. They were so impressed by my questions that they offered me a huge sponsorship.
My take - TikTok generation knows all the correct terms to use, but they have no idea what they mean. I don't think they even know when they are being manipulated or when they are being manipulative. This isn't SBF level, but I think he, to some extent, believed what he was saying because he was saying the "right" things.
shien isn't in Canada because carcinogens were found in jeans.
yes theres stuff in the fabric. thata why its cheap
3:22 thank you for always making a point to clarify this💜
It’s not the average consumers, the people just trying to make a dollar stretch, the people just trying to get by in our largely unethical consumer landscape who are the real issue, it’s the over consumers, the haulers, the influencers.
And above them all the people at the top who own and run these companies!
Stopped at 3:33, while I am poor, I’ve never ordered from shien. I’m a 28, stay at home mom (In school for IT,) I’ve bought from target and occasionally forever 21 (even that’s too expensive for us unless it’s a special occasion)
I love that you made the distinction between hauls (people(aka influencers)) who can afford hauls. And people like me, who only buy clothes when I need it and get the most out of them
I only shop when, 1. I know we can afford it, and 2. When I have somewhere to be that day and I know I can wear it multiple times
And everything I shop for my 2 year old if thrifted because it’s so much cheaper
For all other mommy’s/daddy’s out there, look for kid to kid near you!
If they actually talked to factory workers, they would have done so via translators. Chinese people aged "40+" working at a garment factory aren't going to speak English. (That's actually one reason why the "help" labels aren't super likely to be from slave laborers. They would use Chinese characters and personally I'd imagine they would include information such as a location.)
I dunno if you twigged, but this isn't a sweatshop because that isn't its business purpose.
These staff are academically trained designers or robotics technicians like this factory clearly has need for then they have had or are having a career.
40 years old would be an easy average to hit. That would also make them a different social class, and more likely to know a second language. By extension, western factory workers in a similar set up could easily be dualingual enough to hold rudimentary conversations.
As for the actual factory factories, China imports a lot of western media, and has taken efforts to upskill children in certain areas with english taught by western graduates. It's not unreasonable for people to know functional words in another language through contextual exposure.
You'd need to know map grid coordinates of work to do that, which are a more adult and complex solution to obtain then write. Then there's the time to write it.
If still not convinced, what do you make of the company's response "sometimes our staff write notes on the garment for help on the factory floor?"
On tags... In vague English? 🤔
You know, if you were invited on the trip, it’s not like you would find out much more information. They will probably have you heavily chaperoned, and handled. It won’t be like TV where people slip off to back rooms and discover all the secrets.
it's clear that they only took them to their newest and nicest looking facilities and did not take them to anywhere that realistically shows the average conditions for the average worker. it's a dog and pony show.
@@naurrr they said it was the “innovation center” or something. They said it is where the samples are made and sent out. Well duh..it’s gonna be an easier workplace. They don’t have to turn out as much, and it is the headquarters. How none of them caught that is beyond me.
As someone who went through Journalism school and now works as a newspaper designer, I would be ok with Amanda calling herself an investigative reporter. I think her videos follow the standards of journalism to a 'T' and uses a lot of journalism techniques (like interviewing primary sources and including secondary sources and of course "ALLEGEDLY" lol) Also, everyone in journalism is essentially just an annoying nosy bitch XD that's how you get the truth!! Great video as always!
As a journalist, I am inclined to agree
I didn’t know of her content before, but this video is definitely not it. It can be considered journalism but is it good? Idk. I wouldn’t accept her video as a plausible “side” of the story when it’s obviously heavily manufactured. She says she got two sides of the story, but she didn’t- she literally got one side, and that’s the side of the company. Idk tho! I don’t follow her content enough.
@@kianna270Amanda is Swell, not the person who went on the Shein brand trip (in case that’s where you’re confused.) Ignore this if you already knew that and were referencing Swell!
@@kianna270what?
@@kianna270 they’re talking about the poster of this video, not the girl on tik tok who called herself one
You might not be a journalist but you have more journalistic integrity than most that report on the topics you cover. That’s why your fans/audience respect your opinions so much.
There’s been a handful of TH-camrs I’ve actually gotten to know on a personal level over the last few years. And they were really great people. But there was a point where they really changed.
I will say I tried temu initally as an alternative source for craft supplies as I sell a lot of handmade crafts and tbh whether I buy them from them, Amazon, AliExpress etc…the supplies are the same . It’s just whether or not it’s coming directly from the Chinese manufacturers directly or if they’re being resold and marked up a few additional times. If I buy from them or alie you’re just cutting out 1-2 middle men.
I did buy a couple pairs of shorts for summer just to try out the quality on temu for summer. One of them is really well made. The other is good too.
And I’ve gotten some of the softest hoodies I’ve ever been able to find on AliExpress. I’ve bought a lot of clothes there over the years and they are all things I still have. The worst that happens is occasionally a a small stitch isn’t done well but I’ve always been able to fix it with little effort.
I just want to say AliExpress I feel gets such a bad rap because most of it is things that people are buying here anyways but you’re cutting out the 300% markup.
"I went to one factory of a major retailer/brand and determined that the entire company is completely good."
These influencers including the "journalist" are braindead. They asked the people in charge about the work conditions of their employees as if they're gonna be honest, like yeah go up to a robber and ask if they stole something see how honest they'll be.
Thanks for continuing the topic about these fast fashion companies.
12:18 The entire aspect of, "They are being paid to be on this trip, of course they are only going to say nice things about it." Is EXACTLY how I feel about the Shein workers. They're at work. Of course they're going to say positive things about their place of employment
Thank you for acknowledging those of us that really can't afford not to shop on these apps and websites. I can barely even walk right now to try and walk through second hand stores right now either. Severe leg injury. So you are right..if you can afford not to buy from them please try not to. And thank you for not shaming us broke down and broke ppl
Thank you for your statement about journalism. As someone who attended a J school and has a degree in communications, I’m really glad to see some clarification about what journalism is and isn’t on the internet.
The "fancy trip" I've experienced flying to SXSW, no matter who you are, the connecting flight to Austin during South by week is bougie as hell with a fancy ass plane and them giving you free stuff on the plane branded by Billboard etc, and 90% of the time there are multiple bands on your flight. They're trying to butter you up. Never been on a brand trip but this is something I've seen firsthand.
"I'm a free thinker"
*buys into what is clearly a propoganda trip*
Sure, Jan.
(Also she's so damn smug! Its gross)
I worked at Gap at a time when they were dealing with one of the many times they were accused of using sweatshop labor. They had posters in the back next to the time clocks instructing us on what to say to the public if they asked us any questions about it. Based on that experience, I automatically assume anyone in that factory was told how to talk to visitors asking questions.
I remember watching a documentary about garment workers a long time ago that i would recommend as a place to start. It is called China Blue. From the the synopsis: "They live crowded together in cement factory dormitories where water has to be carried upstairs in buckets. Their meals and rent are deducted from their wages, which amount to less than a dollar a day. [...] (Jasmine) shares a room with 12 other girls and labors every day from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m., seven days a week, removing lint and snipping the loose threads from the seams of denim jeans. Jasmine’s initial excitement to be able to help her family with her wages quickly dissipates as she is overwhelmed by the long work hours and the delays in pay."
I'd like to take a second to thank you for caring about your closed captions 🥹 not a lot of TH-camrs put the effort into ensuring their captions are correct 🥹 So, thank you!!! 🖤🖤✨
Precisely the kind of content I followed you for, and appreciate such a concise perspective. When I first got into marketing and graphic design, the push to use influencers didn't quite exist. Once companies realized they were a form of word-of-mouth marketing that they could control with the appropriate allocation of money, that strategy took center stage. Knowing the soulless depths of unethical behavior these companies get up to for profit, I tend to believe that the bigger the show of PR via influencers, the more they are trying to hide. I hate my industry enough as it is, and wish most forms of advertising would die, influencer strategies being at the top of the list to go.
You may be annoying to brands/event planners but you're not to us. I know when you look at a product or attend an event, I'm gonna get all the facts good and bad. It's very much appreciated. As for the video, Shein paid the influencers in cash/exposure to say 'There is no war in Ba Sing Se' during a planned to the second propaganda trip. Initially, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I thought that maybe they naively didn't do their due diligence before accepting but that was before I watched SWOOP's documentary about Shein. These influencers took the bag/trip because they didn't care about Shein's shady to downright cruel ways until the wrath of the internet came for them. Dani was the loudest one defending the trip which is why they got the most heat but I know the others got dragged, too. Hopefully, the other influencers didn't double down like Dani did and hopefully, they all learned the hard way that not all money is good money.
What's extra frustrating is that these clothes end up in thrift stores being sold at the same cost or even more expensive, but they've already been used and they're falling apart. It's making thrifting difficult for people who need to do it. Plus Etsy has been taken over by Shein and other fast fashion items but is then being marketed by independent sellers as something they made or are selling. I try to buy gently used clothes because I both enjoy vintage fashion and also try to reduce my fashion consumption for environmental reasons, but I honestly can't really do that anymore. Actual vintage clothes are too expensive now and thrift stores are swamped with low-quality crap that will fall apart quickly and result in me needing to spend even more money to get something.
I feel like Dani could go to North Korea and believe everyone was perfectly happy living there.
This reminds me of when I was younger and I worked at Pet Land. I don't know if they still exist but they sold puppies from puppy mills. One of the managers told me about the brand trips to the Amish owned puppy mills that the mamagers would go on. She was basically saying that these places were fine because the people were really nice and the wife made cinnamon rolls for them.
I think ‘I’m not curious I’m nosy’ would be fun merch for this
Someone already mentioned this book in another longer comment, but I'm recommending it here as well so hopefully it gets more visibility:
The book Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang is a really great read for anyone interested in learning a bit more about the lived experiences of Chinese factory workers. It's a bit dated at this point (2009), but provides a really great picture of the lives of factory workers as interviewed by a real investigative journalist.
I really appreciate your nuanced approach. I'm glad an increasing number of people are calling out those who use "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" as a thought-terminating excuse to continue consuming carelessly. We can't consume without causing some kind of impact, sure, but we can all at least put in a bit of effort.
People are also Ignoring how Shein steals designs from creators, like EVEN IF this is the center where they design samples... this would be where theyre making money off the backs of designers that havent been compensated for their Work
Bang on
I watch a Pilates channel and they stole her whole outfit she’d worked on for months.
Insane really
Exactly. ✨Fuck shein✨
Friend LOVES Stein. Her literal words were, "All that slave child stuff, I don't care - I want cool stuff!!"
Respect to her for being openly horrible 😂
Damn and you're still her friend?
@@schnozz4301 I don't talk to her as much anymore. We chat if she calls first, but I don't call her. She has an obsession with "buying" - so much that she already went bankrupt. I just never realized she was so horribly materialistic.
@@crunchberrychaosshe probably has a shopping addiction. I have issues with shopping as well, it's pretty common now
I respect that more than people whining about how it's classism to say Shein is bad - as if someone poor in a rich country deserves things more than a poor person in a poor country. First of all, buying shein hauls isn't actually money efficient - you can buy cheap (probably still not that ethical) clothes that are at the very least practical. No one needs a glittery bra-sized shirt.
And also, you can literally make your own clothes, thrift clothes or modify your existing clothes. If making a few pieces of clothes is too tedious for you, I wonder why it's ok to force poor people in poor countries to make them for you instead?
Saying that you just don't care is at the very least honest.
I work in PR and have organized press trips before. The accounts I worked on, we never pay journalist or influencers. What we do cover is hotel and travel, food and any experiences we may want the journalist or the influencers to experience. It’s against most ethical standards for outlets (newspapers, magazines) to accept payment from a vendor or business. It becomes a little murky with influencers however. I have never paid off an influencer with money but have curated tons of product. It’s never explicitly stated that they have to share the products online or in content but if they do, it makes clients want to work with them
This has the same energy as someone going to North Korea and claiming it's a utopia based on the strict and limited tour where if you stray at all or ask too many questions you will be held indefinitely in prison.....
I took a trip to China during business school, we took classes for a couple weeks with one of the big universities there and since it was for business school we got to tour a lot of manufacturing sites. It was pretty cool-- but I also couldn't help but wonder the entire time whether we were actually seeing the bulk of the manufacturing. It is totally possible (and probable, if I had to guess) that the facilities they showed us, which were all top of the line, gorgeous, innovative etc, were just the best facilities that they use specifically for tours like mine. To show off how good and innovative and definitely above board they are. I mean literally any company in any country would want to show off their company at its best. And, it would be nothing at all to have one building specifically for outsiders and a whole campus or bunch of buildings that are where the "real" work happens. That's exactly what this Shein facility reminds me of.
FORGIVE ME i was so tense in the first few seconds cuz i thought you secretly WENT ON THE TRIP TO REVIEW IT LIKE A CON 😭😭
What's so frustrating is that even people who can afford to buy mid-price clothing instead of shein end up buying Shein if they're over a size 24 because in most stores, even their plus-size sections end at 24 while SheIn goes up to a 30-something. That's one of the reasons they target plus-size people because they know that they don't have options. You're either going to pay $200 for every item in your wardrobe or you going to go to a company like Shein :/
my guess is that factory is for the 'shein x designer/artist' products. they're a bit more expensive and in my experience, higher quality than their usual stuff. Probably there to build trust with influencers, partners, artists etc.
I'm almost positive people in the factory don't work 8 to 6 (10 hours per day). It's much more likely they work a 9 9 6 schedule (12 hours per day, 6 days a week), as is common in china.
Most likely, they were instructed to answer question in a way that appeases foreigners.
Really, what gets me the most is that they think people can’t be against Shein and also not sinophobic. Like idk man. I’m against Shein’s business practices. I’m literally Chinese and I LIKE being Chinese, I like my family and I am proud of my heritage. And part of that is standing against companies that give us a bad name, and that exploit people from my family’s home country.
i buy from shein but i only buy a couple of shirts every 4 to 5 months
thank you speaking up for poor people like us who wants to have a choice
The problem is that places like shein rely on people frequently buying lots of items. Without those people, they'd have to increase the prices or close down.
there's so many other brands to buy from.. why do you people act like there's no other.
@@acutelilmint8035 name them
@acutelilmint8035 find me a pair of ok quality leggings in size 4xl with pockets for £10
@@stacyh7528 the "slaves" are selling tshirts that are worth an entire day of my salary and pants that are worth 2 whole day of my pay
As someone who used to work in a "good" factory with human rights and good pay and breaks, its still not a fun job. You repeat one task 200 times, you're often sitting or standing in one spot for hours at a time, you get 10 minutes of break every 3-4 hours, there's dust everywhere that you constantly breathe in, the radio always plays the same songs every day, there's no windows so unless its raining and you hear it on the roof then you wont know what it looks like out there, in winter if its too cold to go outside on breaks i would often come to work before the sun is up and leave the building when its coming down. This job rivals my Tim hortons job i had for 6 months. If you dont enjoy the task you got then its going to suck HARD.
"Influencers take a Trip to China'...yeah i think we all know where this is going :/