You might think that a subject so fluffy as fashion would not have anything controversial about it, no taboo topics. You would quickly realize that is a wrong assumption with some research into this flamboyant and entertaining industry. There are indeed taboo topics in fashion, read on!
Remarkable Markup
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Did you know that most garments cost pennies to make en masse?
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While it is true that hand worked, truly one of a kind, haute couture clothing is very expensive to produce, how many of us are actually wearing that?
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The markup on retail ready to wear, prêt-à-porter, clothing is often several thousand percent.
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Maybe you ought to learn how to sew?
Where DID You Get That?
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Another major concern in the fashion industry is where fabrics and other construction materials are sourced from.
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In order to cut costs and boost profits, some materials are sourced from controversial locations, such as “blood diamonds” as an example of a location ruled by strife where it cannot be known for certain that no one was hurt or oppressed gathering this material.
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Stick with “Made in the USA” for more easily vetted sourcing of fashion supplies.
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This leads us to…
Work It!
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You know the term “sweatshop”? Well, it’s made its name in the field of fashion.
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It isn’t just the low wages, often too low to ever pay a family’s bills, but also the often unsafe working conditions, and almost always unpleasant and harsh environment, that affect the lives of the workers constructing the clothing that you wear every day.
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Unless you see a tag that claims “Made in the US” – and we do mean claims, as people do on occasion lie – then you can be fairly certainly assured that your garment was produced in conditions which you would not be willing to work in.
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However, have you heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire? Yeah, there’s that.
Too Sexy for Your Skin?
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First, ick. How terrible to kill an innocent animal just to wear its skin or fur.
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It is pretty pathetic if you cannot in this century find a suitable substitute. Science, get you some, ya savage!
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Fur and leather have become more and more unacceptable as fashion fabrics – they’re basically dead animals, and that’s just.. gross.
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In fact, wearing it might get you a bucket of blood thrown on you from animal rights activists.
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Let’s just assume that you’re smart enough to know better, right? Right.
Emaciated Models Are Emaciated
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Probably the most current of fashion taboo topics is the controversy that surrounds the use of extremely thin, and extremely young, women and men as runway and pictorial models.
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Both Israel and Spain have actually gone as far as to ban the use of too thin models in advertising.
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These bans are hoping to discourage eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia in youth who admire and wish to emulate these models.
Weigh In
What do you find controversial or taboo about fashion? Most people never give it much thought. Express yourself!
Written by: Sara Xiang found a realtor lake Tahoe who was really able to help her brother in law. She can’t go wait to visit her sister sometime soon. Until then, she keeps busy writing articles online.
