BLOGPOST 1 | REFLECTION ON POWER
- The Better Lives lectures have definitely influenced my thinking and widened my horizon. The lecture that resonated with me the most was “Power”. It showed how fashion was always a medium to visually communicate power for centuries. But it also portrayed that fashion isn’t always a force for for good. That theres a lot of things happening behind the scenes that mostly stay hidden or are ignored by consumers. For example that the industry becomes wealthy by enslaving others or that in four days a CEO earns as much as a garment worker earns in a lifetime. This thought really made me think a lot I pay way more attention to the way I consume now and to what I buy. Because we as consumers have the power to change the fashion world. We have to know who makes our clothes. Now, I inform myself way more about where my clothes come from and how they are produced. I’d rather shop in charity shops and give clothes a second life instead of supporting fast fashion. Because there is a story behind every piece of clothing and a lot of effort and detail has been put in its production. I also browse through online platforms to buy second hand items – because fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth. Even though if we don’t change our consumer habits, it will indeed cost the earth. We should choose to re-love the clothes instead of them ending up in landfill. The lecture also pointed out that decent work with a fair pay should be a fundamental human right. Therefore it became more crucial to me, to invest in more expensive pieces where I know they are produced sustainable and the workers are paid fairly instead of buying and and supporting fast fashion and having too many clothes without wearing them. I also learned that media and advertising is driving consumption is driving consumption of fashion products to a level that is not sustainable in the long run. In a world of influencers who advertise amounts of fast fashion and the newest trends, it becomes clear that it isn’t smart to support this behaviour and to give in to the temptation to always buy more instead of making the most of less. Social media has become incredibly powerful but the lecture also underlined that the pressure of presenting a perfect life is bad for our mental health and is the driving source for feelings of anxiety and insecurity. That’s why I use social media mainly as a source for inspiration and not for comparison. I follow artists and designers instead of influencers and models. I have the power to choose if I want to be inspired or influenced. Because as in the lecture was mentioned “We have power and can do something even though it seems overwhelming at times.” Power is often perceived as a negative force but it can also be positive. And as Nelson Mandela said: “It’s always impossible until it’s done.”
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9th May 2020 @ 6:47 pm
https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/05/07/blogpost-1-reflection-on-power/
Maja Bebber’s reflection on power clearly showed that the lecture influenced her thinking and her future behaviours when it comes to comes to the fashion industry. She starts by talking about how fashion has been used in history to represent power, but then talks about our social responsibility around the power we have as consumers and how we actually shape the fashion industry. Maja explains that every item has a story and a journey and we as consumers choose whether we consider that journey when purchasing clothes, and if the people behind the scenes are being treated fairly and the products are sustainable. She states that she will now consider this journey and how sustainable the clothes she is buying are, focusing on buying second hand rather than giving business to fast fashion companies whose worker are unfairly treated and paid. Maja’s post clearly covers the themes of sustainability and social responsibility as she emphasises the fact that we need to care about the production of our clothes and where they end up if we follow fast fashion. She also talks about how advertising and media drives the consumption of fashion products in a unsustainable way and how influencers and social media can often promote unsubstantial fashion trends but it is our choice as the consumer to decide what we are influenced by as being influenced isn’t a mindless act, we choose who we follow on social media and what we view. She mentions that she has made the conscious decision to not follow models and influencers due to the promoting of fast fashion and the ‘perfect life’ but to follow designers and artists to get her own inspiration.
I feel that Maja’s reflection really highlighted the power we have as consumers and how it is our job to be the change that we need, she made clear connections to her behaviours towards fashion and how she will adapt following her viewing of the lecture power. The only theme I would say she could have included more of would be diversity, however her points regarding social responsibility and sustainability were strong.