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| Central photo: Image courtesy of PANPOTE at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
W Wielkiej Brytaniii kilka dni temu wybuchł skandal. Otóż okazało się, że popularna wśród polityków i celebrytów koszulka- manifest "This is what a feminist looks like" kosztująca niebagatelne 45 funtów, jest produkowana z wykorzystaniem niewolniczej pracy kobiet! Co ciekawe całkowity dochód ze sprzedaży ma zasilić organizację zajmująca się równouprawnieniem! Śledztwo przeprowadzone przez dziennikarzy Daily Mail wykazało, że kobiety te otrzymują za swoją pracę równowartość 600 zł miesięcznie i są zmuszane do mieszkania w "służbowych" 16-osobowych pokojach. Z tłumaczeń właściciela fabryki wynika, że kobiety pozbawione takiego nadzoru mogłyby się rozpić a to oczywiście negatywnie wpłynęłoby na jakośc ich pracy. Oczywiście nikt nie zdawał sobie sprawy, w jakich warunkach wytwarzane są feralne t-shirty.
Kiedy mieszkałam w Wielkiej Brytania byłam ogarnięta szałem kupowania- chyba zresztą jak całe brytyjskie społeczeństwo. Niemal każdy wolny dzień kończył się kupowaniem, zawsze czegoś potrzebowałam. Ten amok nie ograniczał się tylko do ubrań. Dotyczył poduszek, kieliszków, łyżeczek. Pytanie ileż można? Otóż można bez końca. Firmy odzieżowe wprowadzają nowe mini-kolekcje średnio co 2 tygodnie, ekspozycje są zmieniane jeszcze częściej. Do tego jesteśmy kuszeni niekończącymi się wyprzedażami i promocjami. W takim świecie nigdy nie jesteś wystarczająco modna. Jestem naprawdę zmęczona czytaniem o tym, co musi znaleźć się w każdej szafie, o "must hevach" i trendach na nadchodzącą zimę. Czy nie powinno być tak, że to każdy z nas decyduje o tym, co jest modne a ubiór służy jedynie podkreśleniu osobowiści a nie jej określeniu?
Warunki w jakich pracują ludzie w Bangladeszu, na Mauritiusie, w Chinach czy w Indiach są karygodne. Ostatnich kilka miesięcy było dla mnie czasem na przemyślenia i dokonywanie zmian. Jedną z nich jest niewspieranie przemysłu, który wykorzystuje niewolniczą pracę innych ludzi. Przynajmniej tam, gdzie mogę tego wyboru dokonać. Mauritius to miejsce absolutnie magiczne, jego mieszkańcy powinni byc szczęśliwi i rozwijać swoją kulturę zgodnie ze swoimi potrzebami. Tymczasem miejsce to ulega degradacji, ludzie są coraz bardziej agresywni i sfrustrowani- na ich wyspie wytwarza się za bezcen dobra, które w Europie sprzedawane są za olbrzymie pieniądze. Codziennie oglądają turystów, których stać na wszystko, a przeciętny wyspiarz nigdy nie będzie mógł pójść do oryginalnego salonu i kupić sobie wybranych spodni. Ale zaraz... skoro płace w fabrykach, gdzie koncerny odzieżowe produkują ubrania są dostosowane do sytuacji ekonomicznej kraju (uogólniłam!), dlaczego ceny tych produktów wszędzie pozostają takie same? Ba! Im biedniejszy kraj, tym ceny wyższe!
Przemysł odzieżowy nie funkcjonuje po to, aby zaspokajać nasze potrzeby. On je tworzy. Robi to poprzez pokazy mody, kolekcje limitowane, lookbooki i reklamy. Wykorzystuje ludzkie słabości. Na Mauritiusie skazuje ludzi na harówkę za grosze. Europejczyków zaś na życie w ciągłym pościgu za "byciem modnym". Będąc częścią społeczeństwa trudno jest ignorować modę. Myślę jednak, że dotarliśmy do momentu zwrotnego, kiedy moda ma coraz mniej wspólnego z kulturą i sztuką a coraz więcj tylko i wyłącznie z napychaniem kieszeni. I tak długo, jak taki stan rzeczy bedzie trwać, moda będzie dla ludzi wrażliwych i niegodzących się na wyzysk, niesprawiedliwość i degradację środowiska problemem i dylematem moralnym a nie beztroską przyjemnością. A przecież nie o to chodzi!
Link do całego artykułu i mnóstwa zdjęć znajdziecie tutaj: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817191/62p-HOUR-s-women-sleeping-16-room-paid-make-Ed-Harriet-s-45-Feminist-Looks-Like-T-shirts.html
A few days a big scandal broke out in Great Britain. It was all about T-shirt with slogan "This is what a feminist looks like' seen on members of parliament and many celebrities. It came out that this 45-pound-worth item was produced in sweatshops on Mauritius! Moreover, the whole T-shirt income is supposed to be donnated to organisation supporting and promoting equality. Investigation conducted by Daily Mail reporters proved that women sewing t-shirts are being paid 62p per hour what gives about 120 pounds per month! Women are being forced to live 16 in one room. As the factory owner explains, he is concerned that if they stayed out they might drink alcohol and, obviously, it wouldn't be good for the work quality. Of course no one involved in the action knew about the conditions t-shirts were produced in.
While my time in UK I was obsessed with shopping- let's say obsessed just like the whole British society. Each day off the work gave me the possibility to do some shopping. And it was not only about clothes. I was buing literally everything: new tea spoons, nicer glasses or pillows. I was in constant need of something. The question is: Where is the limit? Well, there is no limit. This chain has got no ending. Fashion shops are introducing new mini-collections every fortnight. They are changing shopwindows' outlooks even more often. And there are neverending sales and promotions to tempt you all the time. You just cannot be fashionalbe enought in the world like this. Personally, I am really fed up with all those necessary accessories, "must haves" and trends for the following season. Why do anyone expect me to follow them? Massive fashion just ripped us out of the individuality. Nowadays it seems like people are building their personalities with clothes. They are not anymore the addition to personality. We are definite by the clothes we are wearing.
The conditions in sweatshops around the world are just unacceprable. I have been thinking about all so called fashion industry for last few months. And I have decided to make some small changes wherever I am able to. The trip to Mauritius and article about sweatshops made me think. Mauritius is an ablolutlety magic place. Mauritian people should be happy and be able to develop the country according their needs and vision. Meanwhile, I faced angry or frustrated young generation. Well, this is their country that is producing all those luxury goods that will be sold in Europe for thousands and most of them will never be albe to go to brand shop and buy a pair of jeans. But hey, if the payments in sweatshops are adjusted to economical situation of the region, why the prices in department stores are the same everywhere around the world? Moreover, the poorer the area is the more expensive commodities are!
The goal of fashion industry is not to meet our needs. It is to create them and earn money on them. That is why we have new collections all the time, fashion shows, changes in the skirt shapes or trousers lenght. Fashion industry uses mercilessly our weaknesses. Indian, Mauritian and Chinese people are forced to work for starvation wages. Europeans are sentenced to live in constatnt feeling of being out of fashion. I am the part of society and I want to follow the fashion. But it needs to be reasonable. As long as the companies policies will be making income higher as long the fashion will not be a pleasure but a problem for someone who wants to stay moral and live life not hurting other people and nature. And don't you think that it is not the point?
You can read the article and see photos here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817191/62p-HOUR-s-women-sleeping-16-room-paid-make-Ed-Harriet-s-45-Feminist-Looks-Like-T-shirts.html
Link do całego artykułu i mnóstwa zdjęć znajdziecie tutaj: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817191/62p-HOUR-s-women-sleeping-16-room-paid-make-Ed-Harriet-s-45-Feminist-Looks-Like-T-shirts.html
A few days a big scandal broke out in Great Britain. It was all about T-shirt with slogan "This is what a feminist looks like' seen on members of parliament and many celebrities. It came out that this 45-pound-worth item was produced in sweatshops on Mauritius! Moreover, the whole T-shirt income is supposed to be donnated to organisation supporting and promoting equality. Investigation conducted by Daily Mail reporters proved that women sewing t-shirts are being paid 62p per hour what gives about 120 pounds per month! Women are being forced to live 16 in one room. As the factory owner explains, he is concerned that if they stayed out they might drink alcohol and, obviously, it wouldn't be good for the work quality. Of course no one involved in the action knew about the conditions t-shirts were produced in.
While my time in UK I was obsessed with shopping- let's say obsessed just like the whole British society. Each day off the work gave me the possibility to do some shopping. And it was not only about clothes. I was buing literally everything: new tea spoons, nicer glasses or pillows. I was in constant need of something. The question is: Where is the limit? Well, there is no limit. This chain has got no ending. Fashion shops are introducing new mini-collections every fortnight. They are changing shopwindows' outlooks even more often. And there are neverending sales and promotions to tempt you all the time. You just cannot be fashionalbe enought in the world like this. Personally, I am really fed up with all those necessary accessories, "must haves" and trends for the following season. Why do anyone expect me to follow them? Massive fashion just ripped us out of the individuality. Nowadays it seems like people are building their personalities with clothes. They are not anymore the addition to personality. We are definite by the clothes we are wearing.
The conditions in sweatshops around the world are just unacceprable. I have been thinking about all so called fashion industry for last few months. And I have decided to make some small changes wherever I am able to. The trip to Mauritius and article about sweatshops made me think. Mauritius is an ablolutlety magic place. Mauritian people should be happy and be able to develop the country according their needs and vision. Meanwhile, I faced angry or frustrated young generation. Well, this is their country that is producing all those luxury goods that will be sold in Europe for thousands and most of them will never be albe to go to brand shop and buy a pair of jeans. But hey, if the payments in sweatshops are adjusted to economical situation of the region, why the prices in department stores are the same everywhere around the world? Moreover, the poorer the area is the more expensive commodities are!
The goal of fashion industry is not to meet our needs. It is to create them and earn money on them. That is why we have new collections all the time, fashion shows, changes in the skirt shapes or trousers lenght. Fashion industry uses mercilessly our weaknesses. Indian, Mauritian and Chinese people are forced to work for starvation wages. Europeans are sentenced to live in constatnt feeling of being out of fashion. I am the part of society and I want to follow the fashion. But it needs to be reasonable. As long as the companies policies will be making income higher as long the fashion will not be a pleasure but a problem for someone who wants to stay moral and live life not hurting other people and nature. And don't you think that it is not the point?
You can read the article and see photos here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817191/62p-HOUR-s-women-sleeping-16-room-paid-make-Ed-Harriet-s-45-Feminist-Looks-Like-T-shirts.html
You missed a letter:)
OdpowiedzUsuńHey, thanks! :)
OdpowiedzUsuń