Fast Fashion and Women: Exploitation in The Fashion Industry

In history class, we’ve always been taught about how women, especially women of color, are mistreated and abused. Now that women are allowed jobs, it’s good, right? That would be the case, except women can’t be treated or paid right, according to fast fashion industries. Fast fashion and women have a long, complicated history with each other, rife with exploitation.  Women are exploited for their perceived meekness, their desperation for a job, and their culture. This industry relies on the exploitation of women of color so their businesses can leech off the backs of these hard workers. 

Watering Down Culture

While many believe that women of color are no longer treated this way, that’s simply not the case. Where do you think your sequin tops originated? This modern-day slavery has wormed its way into the fashion industry. People of color are paid little for long hours. Cultures are being copied, pasted, and sold for much less, lacking effort and care. The fast fashion industry continues to profit off the backs of women of color, stripping the time and effort out of cultural clothing traditionally made by these women.

For example, women in Guatemala pass down the art of weaving, dyeing, and designing clothing from generation to generation. These traditional methods put months’ worth of work into each piece. These women use sustainable and locally produced materials, such as avocados, herbs, flowers, vegetables, and bark to create lively, colorful pieces of art. However, major corporations have opted for faster methods of production, leaving centuries of tradition to be forgotten just because it’s cheaper. 

Why They Choose Women

Photo Credit: Eyerusalem Jiregna/AFP via Getty Images

According to Better Work, 80% of workers in the garment industry are women. These industries intentionally seek out women, classifying them as meek and overly accommodating. This also leads to them falling victim to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse within the workplace. Many of these workers are operating in poor and unsafe working conditions. These companies turn a blind eye to illegal subcontracting and allow forced and unpaid overtime to take place.

So, why don’t they leave? Many cannot afford to, either because they don’t make enough to get by without one, but are paid only enough to get by. Along with not paying enough, these companies won’t even spend another penny to ensure their workers’ safety. For example, Labour Behind the Label reported that garment factories in Cambodia showed inadequate ventilation and airflow, lack of drinking water, unregulated working hours, and exposure to chemicals, leading to fainting and malnutrition among employees. This demonstrates how these fast fashion companies benefit so much from women’s hard labor, how they will continue to give little to nothing in return, and how hastily they replace them. This is the effect of fast fashion and vulnerable women. 

In many cases they have neither the time nor the opportunity to improve employment conditions, let alone discuss daily abuse, making them the perfect victims in the eyes of predatory factory managers. This is another reason why we can’t allow fast fashion to continue and women to be taken advantage of like this. 

Fast Fashion Taking Over

Photo Credit: Solidarity Center

However, the thoughtful hands that put hours into making a single article of clothing have been overlapped by the rising fast fashion industry, copying and pasting culture over and over until every piece is devoid of meaning. Instead, these fashion companies saw these black women profiting and began to capitalize off their hard work. Then instead of providing credit, they push them to the bottom, forcing them to mass produce their cultural heritage on a t-shirt. 

According to the Real Sustainability Centre, Fashion Nova, a popular fast fashion brand based in the US, has been accused on several occasions for the exploitation of women of color by “misappropriating black women’s bodies and ripping off designers from the African community.” The nature of the fast fashion brand has enabled Fashion Nova to demand a short turnaround and produce and sell a replica product online the following day. However, this comes at the cost of exploiting these black women and people of color. The Federal Labor Department has found that many Fashion Nova garments are stitched together by a workforce in the US that is paid illegally low wages.

Fast Fashion and Women: Conclusion

Photo Credit: Redux

In the end, the fast fashion industry is deeply infected with systemic racism and sexism. The exploitation of women of color by these companies pushes aside real traditional artisans who will soon not be able to share their authentic heritage with the world. With that, I understand that ending an entire industry is difficult but chipping at it will not go unnoticed. So, I recommend buying from indigenous, black, or women-owned businesses to appreciate their effort. For example, Black Woman Owned and Native Partnership are websites that help to promote black and indigenous woman-owned businesses. Fast fashion and women are two things that have significant impacts on lives, one for the worse, but the other for the better.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

What percentage of fast fashion workers are underpaid?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 85% of textile workers earn below the minimum wage, earning only $1.58 per hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25.

How is fast fashion a feminist issue? 

93% of the people in the garment industry don’t make enough to cover life’s necessities. And of those garment workers, 80% are women of color, according to the U.K.-based organization Survivor’s Network.

Who are the biggest contributors to fast fashion?

In November of 2022, Shein accounted for 50% of sales among other fast fashion competitors, according to the Boston Globe. Other mainstream fast fashion companies are H&M, Zara, Fashion Nova, Forever 21, and ASOS.

Written by Sophia van Saase
Sophia is a member of SFUSA because she enjoys learning and educating others about the effects of fast fashion on the environment and people. She loves biology and English and hopes to continue to educate others and help the environment.