Blog 2: Themes Reflection

The Better Lives Unit has made me question what it is that I wish to achieve from my professional career. As an individual we have a vast amount of life paths we can take and choices we can make. As human beings we are all interconnected with each other and with the planet we inhabit. I believe that for this reason we all have a responsibility to give back and encourage constant development.

There is an undeniable climate crisis that we all face as a whole and the fashion industry plays a large role in it being one of the most polluting industries. Throughout my professional career I will try to encourage a more sustainable approach as well as making lifestyle changes that will benefit this. The Better Lives unit has also made me very aware of my privileged position in society and that my reality is nowhere near the same as many other people’s and for this reason I hold a responsibility to give back and help others that have not received the same opportunities as me.

I definitely believe that personal realization and feeling satisfied with one’s job is in part, largely due to a feeling of being useful to society and instigating some sort of change that one can feel proud of. By simply being born into society we are filled with certain ideals and a way of life that we can often forget to question and tend to simply accept, however we have the opportunity to explore the world as deeply as we can, to inform ourselves and come to our own conclusions. We have the opportunity to question what we have always been told, we can make the choice of challenging what we don’t agree with and put ourselves in uncomfortable positions.

We get to choose what kind of life we want and what we expect from it, we can choose to help and get involved or live superficially. The issues raised in Better Lives has increased my awareness of the world around me, but most importantly it has showed me that as an individual, not only do I hold responsibility but that I also have the means to help.