1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff Mom Never Told You from how stupp 2 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Kristen, 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: I'm Caroline, and today's episode is on fast fashion, partly 4 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: timed with the holiday shopping season. When we're recording this episode, 5 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: and I just realized, Caroline, now I'm feeling very self 6 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: conscious about what I'm wearing to the studio because I'm 7 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: probably head the toe and what could be considered fast fashion. 8 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:44,639 Speaker 1: I'm wearing artisanal I've got right? Is that the opposite 9 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: of fast fashion? Artisanal retail? Right, it's it's made of 10 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: bread and wood, whittled. These clothes are whittled. Man, one 11 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: day when I can afford with clothing, I'm wearing a 12 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: nor it's from top made well jeans and made well shoes. 13 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: By the way, y'all i'm white. Well, you know, I 14 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: guess the the upside of that is that that fashion 15 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: isn't as fast and therefore damaging. It's like medium fashion. 16 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: But let's be honest, made well is part of the whole. 17 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: You know, it's related to the gap but old name. Yeah, 18 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: it's all part of the whole system, part of the system. Yeah, Hey, 19 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: heads up, this uh, this episode is just one giant 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: gilt trip um and I I thought that it was 21 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: important to talk about this for sure, not only because 22 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: we're getting into the holidays we're all going to be 23 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: doing some shopping for our families and friends, um, but 24 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: also it was interesting to address something that I personally 25 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: have dealt with, which is treating shopping is entertainment. Um. I. 26 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: I have noticed, and it's good to be aware of this, 27 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: but I've noticed that when things in my life aren't 28 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: going so well, maybe I'm stressed, maybe I'm bummed out, 29 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: maybe i am in some way not feeling fulfilled. I 30 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: get this, like drive to go shopping. Is it a 31 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: particular kind of thing that you shop for clothes? I 32 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,839 Speaker 1: mean I like to browse, like if I if I 33 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: were to brown, like, I wouldn't want to browse through 34 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: a Best Buy? Why not? I'm not a consumer video games. Listen, dishwashers, 35 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: Brandon dishwashers always make me feel top of the line. 36 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: I am curious about the TVs that are curved, but 37 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: like not enough to want to go browse them, right 38 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: because you wouldn't be able to buy one. You know, 39 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: you wouldn't satisfy that urge right, And I mean this 40 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 1: is this is something too that we're gonna talk about 41 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: that psychological and even neurological aspect of what drives us 42 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: to go out and buy clothes made on the other 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: side of the world that we just don't need and 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: might even end up falling upon art like three days 45 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: after we buy it. Oh, I've totally had cheap clothes 46 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: fall apart on me, thankfully, not just like not literally 47 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: off my body, but kind of close to it. And 48 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: I have a feeling that it is no news to 49 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: anyone that clothes that we buy in big box style 50 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: stores are made overseas and not so great conditions. They're 51 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: not terrific for the environment. Uh, YadA, YadA, YadA. And 52 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: if you want to go back and learn more about 53 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: the environmental aspect of this, we did a podcast a 54 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: couple of years ago on thrift clothing, kind of like 55 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: what happens to our cheap or nicer clothes when we 56 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: give them away. Um, but I think it's really important 57 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: to put human faces to these these clothes that that 58 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: we're wearing. Um. And I've got, you know, all of 59 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: these fast fashion brands in my wardrobe and I'm trying 60 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: to get better about it. Um. But speaking to the 61 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: the in still fulfillment that you're talking about, I do 62 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: a similar thing, but with online shopping, and I will 63 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: perhaps load up my cart, but I won't actually buy it. 64 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: I'll just leave it there and then go away. Um 65 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: But in terms of actually buying things, because I am 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: a bit of a thrifty nickel, I noticed and y'all 67 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: their studies to back this up, and I really think, 68 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: I really think that this is what's happening. I tend 69 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: to buy more go into actual stores because I hate 70 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: doing that. I will go into actual stores most likely 71 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: when I am ovulating. Really, yeah, there are all sorts 72 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: of studies about how women tend to shop more and 73 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: dress up more. We're more makeup when they're ovulating because 74 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: of all of the evo bio reasons you would assume 75 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: nesting we're trying to land a man, honey. Well, we're 76 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: trying to land a man and then build a nest 77 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: out of all of those tattered H and M shirts 78 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: he was discarded. Yes, put the baby here. I made 79 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 1: an H and M nest. Put it right here. Um Well, 80 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: speaking of H and M, uh, let's dive into the 81 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: fast fashion marketplace that a lot of y'all are probably 82 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: familiar with brands like of course hin M, Zara, Uniclow 83 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: Forever twenty one, all of these mass produced clothes that 84 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: are just turned out at astonishing rate. Yeah, I was 85 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: not aware of just how fast some of these stores 86 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 1: turned over their inventory. Um. Some of them are turning 87 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: them over every day, others a couple of times a week, 88 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: as opposed to historically more traditional fashion which would turn 89 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: over maybe once or twice a season driven by weather demands. 90 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: Oh it's eating chili, let's put out the gloves and 91 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: the coats, or spring is coming. Let's get out our 92 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: warm weather clothes now, and our spring elbow gloves. They 93 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: that's a glove that you just put on your elbow 94 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: because you're wearing short sleeves and you haven't moisturized throughout 95 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: the winter, so they've got ashy elbows. You need to 96 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: put them on something soft. Um. And even back in 97 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: two thousand four, the Harvard Business Review was basically like 98 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: this is insane. Uh. They wrote that Zara defies most 99 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: of the current conventional wisdom about how supply chains should 100 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: be run. They said the company can design, produce, and 101 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: deliver a new garment and put it on display in 102 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: its stores worldwide in a mere fifteen days. Such a 103 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: pace is unheard of in the fashion business, where designers 104 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: typically spend months planning for the next season. It's really 105 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 1: created this cycle in the fashion industry of UM. These cheap, 106 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: quickly mass produced clothes are hitting stores UH, turning over 107 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: really fast. So the shopper expects things to turn over 108 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: really fast. More people are using shopping as entertainment, as 109 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: we'll talk about in a little bit. They want to 110 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: go into the store and be entertained slash buy a 111 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: lot of cheap clothes. Well, it's also the fact of 112 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: being able to rip off runway designs at a really 113 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: cheap price, and that's part of the really quick turnover 114 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: that they're doing. UM and top fast fashion retailers have 115 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: grown nearly ten percent year over year for the past 116 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: five years. They're part of a one point two trillion 117 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: with a t dollar industry. UM and just the average 118 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: price that we're spending on clothes every year in the 119 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: US has gone up so much. We're buying what upwards 120 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: of like sixty garments per person every year. UM. The 121 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: average US household spent more in seventeen hundred dollars on apparel. Uh. 122 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: And Forever one, of course, is a real cornerstone of this. Yeah. 123 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: That empire alone employees thirty five thousand people and in 124 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: twelve they earned three point seven billion with a B dollars. Uh. 125 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: That's a lot of graphic teas and trendy pants and 126 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: fake leather jackets. I would only know that because I've 127 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: recently been looking for a fake leather jacket and have 128 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: been discouraged from searching the fast fashion retailers. Yeah, I 129 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: don't do it because it's also real oby that Oh yeah, 130 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: oh no, I don't want Yeah was that a plastic jacket? 131 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: Do not stand near the bonfire? I just I just 132 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: melt well And are we going to get into though? 133 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,199 Speaker 1: Forever twenty ones John three sixteen their their Bible a 134 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: push which I noticed pretty quickly when I was much 135 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: young and would frequent Forever twenty one because that was 136 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: much closer to UH. And you notice that they have 137 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: Bible verses and their bags. And it's because the Korean 138 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 1: family that started Forever twenty one, who are based in 139 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: l A are super duper Christian. Yes they are. So 140 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: it's kind of interesting to see this, Uh, I don't 141 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: know the um the convergence of fashion and religion and money. Yeah. Yeah, 142 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:36,199 Speaker 1: Because Forever twenty one is founded by super Christian people, 143 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: but aren't necessarily treating all of their supply chain employees 144 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,160 Speaker 1: in the most Christian way, you would think, yeah, exactly. 145 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 1: And I mean these fast fashion retailers, including Forever twenty one, 146 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: are so successful partly because they're able to be so 147 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: agile in this really changing industry and able to respond 148 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: to trend so quickly. Kristen was saying, you know, if 149 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: a celebrity wear something one day, maybe two weeks later, 150 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: you will see the same look on the shelves. UM, 151 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: and that really affects sort of the bottom line. I mean, 152 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:17,199 Speaker 1: Zara doesn't have the massive fifty mark downs that slower 153 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: retailers like an Ann Taylor, where it seems like everything 154 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: is always on sale. Um. Those stores have to mark 155 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: things down drastically just to move out that bulk of 156 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: inventory wants trend shift and people are like, I don't 157 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: want aware that plastic jacket. This year UM and Zara 158 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: co founder a monsieo Ortega is recognized by Forbes bt 159 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: dubs as the world's richest retailer. And did you know 160 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: Sweden's wealthiest person is this guy named Stephen Person. He 161 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,440 Speaker 1: happens to be the chairman of H and M. Surprise. 162 00:10:55,679 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: So these these fast fashion empires can make their founders 163 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: a lot of money. And part of this whole conversation too, 164 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: is the fact that we're basically Internet monsters. Now. You know, 165 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: Christian was talking about doing her online shopping. Um, but 166 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: it's it's not just that. It's not just oh, I 167 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: love to shop online, it's our whole culture of existing online. 168 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: We're following all of these fashion and culture influencers on 169 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: places like Instagram. This was something that Dr Warren Houseman, 170 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,959 Speaker 1: a Stanford Management science and engineering professor, was talking about. UM. 171 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,559 Speaker 1: He says that fast fashion is a business model Taylor 172 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: made for the multi channel I want it now, internet 173 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: driven buyer of today, and honestly, a lot of that 174 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: does tie into our human person neurology and psychology. And 175 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: of course, because well before Mr Person set up H 176 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:55,079 Speaker 1: and M and Zara landed in Spain, compulsive buying has 177 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: been a psychological phenomenon. It's something that researchers have looked 178 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: into for a long time. It's defined as this irresistible 179 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: drive to buy despite the fact that you might not 180 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: be able to afford it, and researchers find that it 181 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: is in fact on the rise, and estimates range from 182 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:19,239 Speaker 1: two to fifteen percent of people worldwide are compulsive shoppers, 183 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: although we're not entirely sure why. Yeah, and it is 184 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: more pronounced in women. But that gender gap, any compulsive 185 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: buying gender gap that exists, does shrink as you get younger, 186 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: as you're looking at an entire population, and like you 187 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: look at teens versus people in their forties. For instance, 188 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: young boys and young girls are just as likely to 189 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: exhibit compulsive shopping tendencies. Um, but as we age, women 190 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: are more likely to exhibit that than men. So middle 191 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: aged ladies B shopping, B shop and T J max 192 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: E J max U. And this jibe though with previous 193 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,839 Speaker 1: research showing that women adult lady people tend to have 194 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,839 Speaker 1: more positive attitudes towards clothing shopping or browsing as a 195 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: social or leisure activity, whereas typically stereotypically and according to 196 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: this research, men tend to see it as works. So apparently, 197 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 1: when we're teens and our moms drop us off at 198 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: the mall, we're all like, yeah, I love this shopping 199 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: at hot topic for stickers and baggy jeans. Um. But 200 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: as we age, men are like, that's not for me, 201 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: and women are like, let's still go to the mall 202 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: and chit chat over a latte, over a la over 203 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: a for appuccino and all those giant cookies. God, you 204 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: know what sidebar. I will be honest, those American cookie 205 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: company M and M cookies got me through many a 206 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: lengthy shopping trip with my mother when my blood or 207 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: sugar started to dip. So don't diss the cookie. That's 208 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: why the cookies were there, you know, to get to 209 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: get you through those long days. Um. And all of 210 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 1: the shopping and especially fast fashion which is affordable, more 211 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,679 Speaker 1: affordable for teens and tweens with much smaller disposable incomes. 212 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,679 Speaker 1: This has launched an entire genre on YouTube of the 213 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: Hall videos. I mean, Bethany Mota has made an entire 214 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: career out of this same thing with Michelle fan in 215 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: a way, but more focused on makeup of course. And 216 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: while we don't have the number of hours that people 217 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: have racked up watching Hall videos exclusively on YouTube, I'm 218 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: sure it's approximately bazillions, even just the amount of time 219 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: that we're spending and we, as in millennials, spend on 220 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: retail sites is enormous. Forty of us spend more than 221 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: an hour a day online shopping, whether that is actually 222 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: purchasing things or browsing and you know, kind of faking 223 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: yourself out like I do. Yeah, and I mean when 224 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: I'm I I see how easy this could be to 225 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: spend way, way more than just an hour day looking 226 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: at retail sites, especially if you're trying to do your 227 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: holiday shopping, and maybe you go down a rabbit hole 228 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: of like accidentally shopping for yourself instead. I've never done that, 229 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: but I actually was talking with my therapist about my 230 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: tendency to spend too much time on Pinterest because I've 231 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: also realized about myself and this is weird. Somebody write 232 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: me a letter if you've kind of felt the same 233 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 1: thing about yourself. Um, but I found that I can 234 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: control the desire to to pointlessly and endlessly shop if 235 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: I peruse Pinterest. It's almost like getting getting a hit 236 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: of this um rewarding behavior without actually having my wallet 237 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: take the hit. I can look at all these beautiful 238 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: clothes and these beautiful home interiors and not actually have 239 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: to spend any money. So I talked to my therapist 240 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: about us, like, I find myself wasting too much time 241 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: on Pinterest. Everything is so pretty and glittery, and she's like, well, 242 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: if it actually does make you feel calmer and it's 243 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 1: actually preventing you from going out and spending hundreds of 244 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: dollars that you don't have at the store, I mean, 245 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: maybe let yourself do it for like five or ten 246 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: minutes at a time, you know, like set a timer. Yeah. 247 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: I mean that's the same thing I'm doing when I 248 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: fill up my car. I mean, I'm just not on Pinterest. 249 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: You know. We have different ways of sort of fulfilling 250 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: that insta urge. Um. But when it comes to going 251 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: through with compulsive shopping, research has linked it with compensating 252 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: for identity and mood problems. So not surprising. And uh, 253 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: we don't have a study in front of us looking 254 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: at this, but just anecdotally, I do know among a 255 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: couple of friends of mine who suffered from manic disorders 256 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: when they're mania peaks, so does shopping right exactly. And um. 257 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: The the study that we were looking at from the 258 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: British Journal of Psychology in November two thousand five, as 259 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 1: well as in March article in the Atlantic talked about 260 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: not only are people trying to compensate for these identity 261 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: and mood issues, but if you, on top of that, 262 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: have also internalized materialistic values. And that doesn't mean just 263 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: like I want new shoes or I feel better if 264 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: I get a new dress, it's it's literally basing a 265 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: lot of your validation and worldview on having and acquiring 266 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: um that has been linked with generally lower well being. 267 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 1: So basically all of these factors combined essentially means you 268 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: need to have a little check in with yourself. Things 269 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 1: are not probably okay if you are compulsively shopping and 270 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: your entire well being is tied up with consuming, and 271 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: it's super easy to internalize materialistic values. I mean, it 272 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: might sound we were not sitting here in a seat 273 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: of judgment saying that it's reminding me of being a 274 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: kid and growing up in a low income household, and 275 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: brands were very, very very important to me because I 276 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:16,919 Speaker 1: wanted to compensate for my real world situation when I 277 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,680 Speaker 1: was out of my lower income home and hanging out 278 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: among higher income friends. I didn't want my clothes to 279 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: show that. Yeah, and I mean that is something that 280 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: my mother, in her late sixties still grapples with. She 281 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 1: grew up as part of a poor military family, and 282 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: even when she was a kid, same thing. Brand names 283 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,399 Speaker 1: were very, very important to her. But what's interesting is 284 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 1: she's the oldest of five. None of her other siblings 285 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: feel that way. She was the oldest. I don't know, 286 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,479 Speaker 1: Sally's got to have his brand names. Baby. Everybody's different. 287 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: Everybody's different. That's exactly right. And Helca Dittmar, who wrote 288 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: the essay in the British journal Psychology back in two 289 00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: thousand five, uh links our you know, seeking mood repair 290 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: and improving our self identity through material goods, all of 291 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: this compulsive shopping. She links it to our culture's emphasis 292 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 1: on consumer culture, which again makes total sense. Like if 293 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 1: we are driven to be good little capitalists and shop 294 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: to our hearts content to feel better, then it makes 295 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: sense that compulsive shopping, consumer culture, mood repair, it's all 296 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: tied up together. And as April Layne Benson, who's a 297 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 1: psychologist and author of To Buy or Not to Buy rights, Uh, 298 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: you might be having an existential crisis. What what? Okay? Okay, 299 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 1: break it down for me. Here, here we go, So 300 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: Benson says, I think that it has something to do 301 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:46,679 Speaker 1: with the pace that we live our lives at and 302 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: the paucity of time that so many of us spend 303 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: in pursuits that really feed our souls. Shopping is a 304 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: way that we search for ourselves and our place in 305 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: the world. A lot of people conflate the search for 306 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: self w the search for stuff. So those days that 307 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: I'm feeling out of sorts and I'm like, maybe I 308 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,719 Speaker 1: can just pop into Anthropology or made well, buy a 309 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,919 Speaker 1: new sweater that's just gonna sit at the bottom of 310 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 1: my closet again, and then in a year I'll remember 311 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: that I have it. Perhaps I need to be looking 312 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,119 Speaker 1: more inward and figuring out what's really going on. Are 313 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,399 Speaker 1: you lonely? What's your existential crisis? Caroline? Get out of 314 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: anthropology or go to anthropology and ask a sales clerk 315 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: excuse me. I'm I know I shouldn't be here, but 316 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 1: do you have um is deeper meaning on sale? Today? 317 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: I'm looking for purpose? Do you purpose in like a 318 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: pink shade or anything? Sure, but it's gonna cost you 319 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:48,199 Speaker 1: because of the anthropology um of course, to our brains 320 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: are playing a role in this because of our whole 321 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: dopamine reward system, and researchers have looked at our brains 322 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,239 Speaker 1: on shopping. There was a two thousand seven study we 323 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: were looking at um and they used FMR eyes to 324 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,479 Speaker 1: look at shopper's brains when they were just out looking 325 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 1: for clothes and when they spotted something that they really liked. 326 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: When they were at anthropology at the sale rack and 327 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: we're like, oh my gosh, this is something that actually 328 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 1: looks like it could fit a human body. I'll try 329 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: it on and it's on sale. What do you know? 330 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 1: Their nucleus accumbents, or our pleasure center as it's nicknamed. 331 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: Let up. Oh and I know, girl, I know that feeling. Yeah, hello, 332 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: something an anthropology that fits. Doesn't have too many ruffles, 333 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: is it? See you through? Not too much rousing ruching. 334 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:50,360 Speaker 1: But when that shopper saw the price of that minimally 335 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: ruffled and roused item, the medial prefrontal cortex weighed the decision, 336 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: while the insula, which is your pain processor in the brain, 337 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: reacted to the cost. You're literally being like, oh my god, 338 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: it's beautiful, but it hurts. Everything is beautiful and everything hurts. 339 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: That's like what wedding dress shopping was a lot like 340 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 1: for me. I bet yeah, that's like shopping on steroid. 341 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 1: Talk about some hedonic competition, which is what the researchers 342 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,399 Speaker 1: referred to as that sort of cost benefit analysis that 343 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: your brain is instantly doing when you perhaps are experiencing 344 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: some sticker shock. Yes, and so what does it What 345 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: does this have to do with fast fashion? Well, we 346 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: get pleasure from a good bargain bargain shoppers out there. 347 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: You ain't crazy, You're just responding to the natural and 348 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: normal processes going on in your brain. I know, I am. 349 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,360 Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you for validating me. UM. The medial 350 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: prefrontal cortex again is doing that cost benefit analysis. And 351 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: Scott Rick, one of the studies authors, said that it 352 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: seemed to be responsive not necessarily to price alone or 353 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: how much I like it, but that comparison of the two, 354 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: that weighing how much I like it compared to what 355 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: you charge me for it? And I mean, hello fast 356 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: fashion and shopping the sales rack and using that to 357 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: fulfill that need. Even if you're not like a clinically 358 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 1: compulsive shopper, it still feels good to get a hit 359 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: of that beautiful item, whether it's clothing or something perhaps um, 360 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,200 Speaker 1: and it's on sale. Oh man, you just triggered all 361 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: of the good stuff to written high. H and M. Baby. Yeah. 362 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: And so that's why fast fashion is so perfect for 363 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: this brain activity. That cheap clothing is super easy to buy, 364 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: and the frequent new deliveries that places like H and 365 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: M Orzara get mean that we always have something new 366 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: to expect and to look at. And we got to 367 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:58,520 Speaker 1: talk though about how we got here industry wise, because 368 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: of course it wasn't always this way, and we're gonna 369 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 1: get into that when we come right back from a 370 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: Fast Fashion break. So first, in terms of our timeline, 371 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: let's look at how our shopping has changed. According to 372 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, clothing accounted in nineteen o 373 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: one for fourteen percent of americans total discretionary expenditures. By 374 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty that had fallen to ten point four percent, 375 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:44,879 Speaker 1: and then by that fourteen percent had plummeted to just 376 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:49,479 Speaker 1: three point one percent of our total expenditures. And at 377 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: the same time, though we're buying way more so to translate, 378 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: things cost much less than they used to. Um. And 379 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: we have more money to spend, and so we are 380 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: spending less to buy more. Yeah, exactly, So all right, 381 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:10,879 Speaker 1: pre nineteenth century basically you kristen, Oh hello, you have 382 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 1: a you have a sheet, Oh good, good, and you 383 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,439 Speaker 1: you cuddle with the sheep and you love it, and 384 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 1: then you share it to get its wool, and you 385 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,359 Speaker 1: you make a sweater. I've skipped some steps. Oh no, 386 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,880 Speaker 1: that's a I can do it that fast, y'all. Y'all 387 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: have a see me make a sweater. If you shear 388 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,600 Speaker 1: the wool in the shape of a sweater, you can 389 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: just put it on yourself, right, and if a stiff 390 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: wind don't blow, you're good to go. That's my old rhyme. 391 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: That's what everybody was saying before the Industrial Revolution, you know, 392 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: just just shear a sweater sized patch of wool and 393 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: if if the old wind don't blow. Yeah. I think 394 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: there are actually some old folk songs along those lines. 395 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: But all right. As you might expect, with the industrial Revolution, 396 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: also comes faster fashion thanks to new tech textile machines, factories, 397 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: and ready made clothing. You also have more clothing made 398 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 1: in bulk and a range of sizes, rather than clothes 399 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: being made to order each time an individual person orders 400 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: those clothes, and so in eight we get yet another 401 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: fast fashion development. The sewing machine is patented. Helpful. That's 402 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 1: that's too fast almost, And this contributed to an extremely 403 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 1: rapid fall in the price of clothing and an enormous 404 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: increase in the scale of clothing manufacturing. And with more 405 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: garment factories and sewing innovations, the dressmaking business grew well. 406 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,400 Speaker 1: Although of course if you were poor, you were still 407 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: making your own clothes, so there's issues of class and 408 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:52,359 Speaker 1: race in here as well. Um. And actually, those poorer 409 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: people who were working as part of this industry we're 410 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:01,920 Speaker 1: called sweaters, they were the people to whom the dressmaking businesses, 411 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 1: those smaller dressmaking businesses, would outsource a lot of their productions. 412 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:09,199 Speaker 1: So this is sort of an early glimpse at the 413 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: effects of speeding up fashion. A lot of the production 414 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: is outsourced outside of the person who's actually making and 415 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: or needing that item of clothing. And the fact of 416 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: the matter is um since that time, the faster our 417 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: fashion has become, the more dangerous it's become for the 418 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 1: people who are making it. And uh, we dived into 419 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,439 Speaker 1: some of this labor History and Women in our podcast 420 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: a few months ago on the roots of International Women's 421 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: Day UM in which we mentioned, of course, the nineteen 422 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 1: eleven Triangle shirt waste factory fire that killed six people, 423 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: mostly young female immigrants, because the fire broke out and 424 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 1: there was no way to escape. There were no exits. 425 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: I mean they had they had. The people almost OpEd 426 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: into these rooms so that they could do nothing but work. Exactly. 427 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,159 Speaker 1: So with World War Two and the fabric restrictions that 428 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: came along with that, we get more functional styles, and 429 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: all of this leads to this increase in standardized production. 430 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: And so basically you have a lot of middle class 431 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: consumers who are getting used to the value of buying 432 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: mass produced clothing. And right here in this timeline in 433 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,160 Speaker 1: is when we see H and M open in Sweden. 434 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,239 Speaker 1: And yeah, I had no idea H and M was 435 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: that old. Well, okay, do you think they were printing 436 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 1: sassy sweatshirts like some of the ones that I own 437 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:43,479 Speaker 1: back then? For sure, sassy sweatshirts, because that was all 438 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: the rage in ninet But the founder Earling person was 439 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: actually inspired to open H and M by the post 440 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: war high volume retailers here in the United States, So 441 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 1: he looked around at mass production. It was like a 442 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: good idea. The person family can make a lot of money. 443 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 1: And when we get to the nineteen sixties, by now 444 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: teenage culture has fully developed. And this is really important 445 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: because y'all at the at the turn of the century, Um, 446 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, from the eight hundreds of nineteen hundreds, teenagers 447 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: kind of like didn't exist. But by the nineteen sixties 448 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 1: we have this booming post World War two consumer culture 449 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: and teenage culture with their disposable income, and they loved 450 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,239 Speaker 1: being on trend. I mean, as probably most of us 451 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 1: can identify with when we are trying to figure out 452 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: who we are and we don't want to stand out 453 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: too much. So you know, back then, what would it 454 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: be put on your put on your bill bottoms and 455 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: get groovy. I suppose I would have been as cool 456 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: of a team back then as I was when I 457 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: was growing up, which is to say not much. I mean, 458 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: not very that's not even the way to say. I 459 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: just picture you walking up to a group of teenagers 460 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties and saying that, hey, kids, holding 461 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 1: up a peace sign. I've got some like little jub 462 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: leaded subglasses all the Okay, so now that we've set 463 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: the scene for you, Jesus sorry, those those fashion brands 464 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: had to find ways to keep up with the increasing 465 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: demand for faster, cheaper fashion. So this is when you 466 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 1: see these massive textile mills opening all over the developing world, 467 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: which allowed those US and European companies to save millions 468 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: of dollars throughout sourcing. Uh. And by the time we 469 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: hit in nineteen seventy five, Zara opens in northern Spain 470 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: with speed as it's driving force. And by the time 471 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: Zara actually hit US shores in nineteen nine, uh, the 472 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 1: New York Times actually used the term fast fashion to 473 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: describe it. I still remember the very first Zara that 474 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: I went to. I was in Barcelona studying abroad in college, 475 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: and one of my best sees who I went with 476 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: knew about Zara. I was obviously from my previous impression 477 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:24,840 Speaker 1: you you might you my guess that I wasn't so 478 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: caught up with with the times, and she was like, 479 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: We've got to go to Zara. It's the place. Uh. 480 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 1: So I still remember going to that um that Tzara 481 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 1: and experiencing that hedonic competition in my head because at 482 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: the time the euro was like super outpacing the dollar, 483 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 1: and I think I bought maybe a necklace or something. Well, 484 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:52,920 Speaker 1: I I mean I remember going into my first H 485 00:31:52,960 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: and M when I was in England and being like, oh, 486 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: and H and M is cheaper than Zara. It still is, 487 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: like there's even even today Zara Zara gonna be pricey. 488 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: But you know it is not pricey? Is all? F 489 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 1: two one baby? Yeah? In nineteen eight four, uh, to 490 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: celebrate the birth of Christen Conger, the first Forever twenty 491 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: one opened in Los Angeles. That that is a fact. 492 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,120 Speaker 1: That's a fact. All of their early quirky sweatshirts just 493 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: had a picture of baby Kristen on them, right, I mean, 494 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: and that's the thing, you know, they love christ My 495 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: name's Kristen. It was just a match made in heaven, 496 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: That's right. And by the time we hit the nineteen 497 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: nineties and two thousands, culturally, it's becoming cooler to flaunt 498 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 1: your love of low cost fashion. Um, if you're savvy enough, 499 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: you can mix your high and your low pieces, as 500 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: all of the women's magazines and struck you to do. 501 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 1: And The New York Times even reported that it was 502 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: chic to pay less and don't forget. In two thousand, 503 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: the United States also got its first H and M. 504 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: So all of this stuff is happening at the same 505 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 1: time to where now high profile women have embraced disposable fashion. 506 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 1: You have Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama sporting a mix 507 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: of high and low including Zara and H and M. 508 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 1: And I am curious for listeners who are more in 509 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: the know about the fashion industry and particularly clothing made 510 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: in the USA and in UM clothing districts in l 511 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: A and Brooklyn specifically because for American apparel, for instance, 512 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: UM they have always touted that their clothes are made 513 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: ethically in the US. But I've also seen that, you know, 514 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: just because something has made in the USA doesn't necessarily 515 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: mean that it is ethically made, because sweatshops exist here 516 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: as well. UM So, I think that's something important to 517 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: remember because a lot of the focus on swept shops, 518 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: understand endably is on clothing made in Bangladesh and Cambodia 519 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:09,160 Speaker 1: and China and in Latin and South America. But um 520 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 1: we are not guilt free in that as well, in 521 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,359 Speaker 1: terms of clothes that are made in the US. UM 522 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: so we should also probably put up some links and listeners, 523 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: send us any resources you have on really detecting being 524 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: able to quickly detect whether your clothing is more ethically made. 525 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:29,959 Speaker 1: Next up, now that we bought these clothes and they've 526 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: worn their welcome in our wardrobes, what happens to them? Well, 527 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: we will get into all of that disposable truth when 528 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 1: we come right back from a quick break. So a 529 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: lot of this again goes back to an episode that 530 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,840 Speaker 1: Kristen mentioned earlier that we did a couple of years 531 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 1: ago on donating close buying close at thrift stores. What 532 00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: happens to close essentially when you get rid of them. 533 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: But it is worth revisiting um some of these points, 534 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: mainly that mainly in how fast fashion ties into all 535 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:19,399 Speaker 1: of this stuff. Because the thing is fast fashion, we're 536 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 1: able to consume so many more clothes so much faster, 537 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: and then when they start to disintegrate or we've moved 538 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: on to the next fast fashion trend, we a lot 539 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:30,880 Speaker 1: of the times donate our clothes. We feel good about ourselves. 540 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,280 Speaker 1: Oh see, I didn't throw this into a landfill. But unfortunately, 541 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: what that means is that charities and second hand stores 542 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:43,400 Speaker 1: places like a goodwill for a big name, UM have 543 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 1: to work that much harder and faster to dig through 544 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: those massive piles of clothes to find the stuff that's 545 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:53,400 Speaker 1: actually sellable, the stuff that they can actually make money on, 546 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: that's not just disintegrating. Yeah, I mean, and that's why 547 00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 1: if you go to a second hand store to sell 548 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:03,440 Speaker 1: your clothes, they don't want your H and M and 549 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 1: forever twenty one at all, because we all we all 550 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,799 Speaker 1: know the quality or lack thereof UM with which it 551 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: was made and also the accessibility of it. UM. So 552 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:20,840 Speaker 1: what happens is that charities sell only of the clothing 553 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 1: donations that they receive, and so after that UM, the 554 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: clothes that are unused and unwanted will be either sent 555 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: to be made into autoshop rags and building installation and 556 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:41,400 Speaker 1: carpet padding things like that, UM, or they will be 557 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:45,800 Speaker 1: sent in bulk to African and Central American countries, especially 558 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: developing countries. UM. So they end up wearing our our 559 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:55,719 Speaker 1: snarky H and M sweatshirts. Well. But the focus of 560 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 1: a lot of articles that we read about this was like, yeah, sure, 561 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:02,879 Speaker 1: a lot of these clothes it's sent overseas UM and 562 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,160 Speaker 1: flood these clothing and textile markets in African and Central 563 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,960 Speaker 1: American countries, but it's getting to the point where those 564 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: markets are so flooded with poor quality clothes that people 565 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,360 Speaker 1: in these countries are like, uh, no, thanks. Either I 566 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:20,719 Speaker 1: need something that's going to withstand me actually wearing this 567 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: and washing it, or because that fast fashion is so 568 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,360 Speaker 1: cheap and accessible, I can go buy it myself. Um. 569 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,200 Speaker 1: And so the focus of a lot of these articles 570 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: is that basically we have an issue because we're hitting 571 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,239 Speaker 1: a point. If we're not already there, we are on 572 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:40,839 Speaker 1: the verge of a point where we are going to 573 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: have a massive glob of clothes that we can't get 574 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: rid of because if nobody wants them, they're going to 575 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:55,600 Speaker 1: end up in a landfill or incinerator. Eight of our 576 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:59,360 Speaker 1: unwanted clothes in in the US wound up in a 577 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 1: landfill or an incinerator. And over the past twenty years, 578 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,279 Speaker 1: the volume of clothes that we Americans have trashed has 579 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:10,719 Speaker 1: doubled from seven to four million tons, which breaks down 580 00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:16,319 Speaker 1: to eighty pounds of clothing uper person. And before you're like, oh, 581 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 1: but it's okay because cotton is biodegradable, well keep in 582 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,880 Speaker 1: mind that a. It took thousands and thousands of gallons 583 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:28,680 Speaker 1: of water to make your cotton clothes, even if they're organic, 584 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: and that cotton requires way more insecticides than a lot 585 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: of other fabrics do. UM. But also if it's been bleached, died, 586 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:42,120 Speaker 1: anything like that, it is going to release that stuff 587 00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: into the ground and therefore into the ground water and 588 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 1: all of that stuff. If you burn it, it's just 589 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:49,920 Speaker 1: going to end up in the air, which of course 590 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: is a big problem too if the thing you're destroying 591 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:56,719 Speaker 1: is a synthetic fiber as well. So all of that's 592 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:01,239 Speaker 1: just adding to greenhouse gases because I mean, yeah, you 593 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:04,120 Speaker 1: already have the carbon emissions and stuff to ship raw 594 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:08,920 Speaker 1: materials to countries like Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, uh, and 595 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,400 Speaker 1: then the oil that is used to ship the final 596 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,760 Speaker 1: product back to us. So not only are these clothes 597 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: environmentally irresponsible, UM, they're also supporting human rights violations a 598 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,839 Speaker 1: lot of the times. Because when we look at who 599 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 1: is making fast fashion UH, it's very much a feminist 600 00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: issue that we need to be aware of. UM. Across Asia, 601 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 1: in particular, millions of women. Most it's mostly women and 602 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: children who are making these clothes, and if we look 603 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 1: at the conditions that they are working and living in 604 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:52,200 Speaker 1: and how our shopping habits are really supporting that and 605 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:56,680 Speaker 1: funding that. Um, this is a major feminist issue that 606 00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 1: we need to be more conscious of a lily every 607 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:05,000 Speaker 1: time we head up to that cash register. Yeah, apparel 608 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:09,000 Speaker 1: in general is actually the largest employer of women globally. 609 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,640 Speaker 1: Women ages eighteen to thirty five make up eighty per 610 00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:16,360 Speaker 1: cent of garment workers UM. And many have children and 611 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: families to provide for and are the main earners in 612 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,360 Speaker 1: those families. But the majority of these women working in 613 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:27,520 Speaker 1: the apparel industry globally, less than two percent of them 614 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:30,680 Speaker 1: are actually receiving a living wage, which is worth noting 615 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,000 Speaker 1: when you look at that insanely low price tag and 616 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:34,880 Speaker 1: you're like, oh my god, how can a shirt be 617 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:39,520 Speaker 1: three dollars? This is why and plenty plenty of those 618 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:42,200 Speaker 1: big mega brands we've been talking about how to worry 619 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:44,799 Speaker 1: about this or should be worrying about this and addressing this. 620 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,840 Speaker 1: But also, you know a lot of your celebrity brands 621 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,000 Speaker 1: that are on the cheaper side, they are guilty of 622 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: exploiting these workers as well. And there's this group labor 623 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:57,120 Speaker 1: behind the label that really focuses on a lot of 624 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:01,479 Speaker 1: this exploitation of apparel workers. And they found that poor 625 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:04,880 Speaker 1: ventilation and heat, lack of access to water, overwork, and 626 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:10,080 Speaker 1: chemical exposure in factories in Cambodia in particular, have led 627 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:15,120 Speaker 1: to frequent fainting and malnutrition among the workers, and of 628 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:21,160 Speaker 1: them are female. Since eleven, they wrote, hundred to two 629 00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:24,720 Speaker 1: thousand factory workers have fainted each year, often in groups 630 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: of one hundred at a time, and in two thousand twelve, 631 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:33,319 Speaker 1: worldwide attention was focused on this. We were kind of, 632 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:37,359 Speaker 1: you know, shaken out of our retail slumber due to 633 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:41,840 Speaker 1: the collapse of the Rhna Plaza factory in Bangladesh, where 634 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:46,879 Speaker 1: one thousand people were killed when the factory crumbled, eighty 635 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:51,240 Speaker 1: percent of whom were women, along with a number of children. 636 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:54,560 Speaker 1: And while you have a number of household brands stepping 637 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:58,880 Speaker 1: up in response to that, saying we're gonna do better, uh, 638 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 1: it hasn't necessarily gotten better because, you know, take H 639 00:42:03,239 --> 00:42:05,600 Speaker 1: and M for instance, we were really harping on H 640 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:07,120 Speaker 1: and M. And I feel like I should go home 641 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:08,959 Speaker 1: and burn all of my H and M clothes, although 642 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,600 Speaker 1: I shouldn't because I'll release all the methane gases into 643 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:14,480 Speaker 1: the atmosphere. UM. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to cut them 644 00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,040 Speaker 1: up to make the nest for my baby. Right there 645 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:23,520 Speaker 1: we go. So UH in our empower tizing episode a 646 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:27,920 Speaker 1: few weeks back, talking about how, um, you know, feminism 647 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:31,320 Speaker 1: has been co opted by brands to make us feel 648 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:33,840 Speaker 1: better about these kinds of purchases that we're making. And 649 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:37,919 Speaker 1: H and M this past winter came out with UH 650 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:43,280 Speaker 1: an ad campaign featuring UH trans models, women of color, 651 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:46,400 Speaker 1: women of all shapes and sizes, a very diverse range 652 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:50,680 Speaker 1: that you rarely see UM in a commercial, and it 653 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:53,799 Speaker 1: received a lot of praise for it. But here is 654 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,960 Speaker 1: the thing before you start, you know, given snaps to 655 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:01,280 Speaker 1: H and M because what they aren't owing are all 656 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,879 Speaker 1: of largely the women working in their factories who are 657 00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:09,320 Speaker 1: still suffering. And you know, H and M is called, 658 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 1: you know, the kinds of contracts that these people are 659 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:19,600 Speaker 1: are locked into for basically no wages, UM, under threats 660 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:25,000 Speaker 1: of harassment. UM. They call it an industry wide problem 661 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: and sort of skirt no pun intended responsibility for a 662 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: lot of this, saying like, oh, well, it's all of 663 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:32,880 Speaker 1: these it's all of these factories that we outsourced too. 664 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,040 Speaker 1: It's just it's our supply chain. We're trying to, you know, 665 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:37,799 Speaker 1: do the thing where you can like bring in all 666 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,239 Speaker 1: your clothes and you can recycle them. Madewell has a 667 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,920 Speaker 1: similar thing, you can bring in your genes and recycle them. 668 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:46,640 Speaker 1: But the fact of the matter is a lot of 669 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:52,319 Speaker 1: those a lot of those women are suffering daily sexual harassment, 670 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 1: pregnancy discrimination, and just unconscionable living conditions because of this. Yeah, 671 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: there was big article that made the rounds not too 672 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 1: long ago that found that seventy cent of female workers 673 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:08,080 Speaker 1: at factories in Gangsu, China, had been sexually harassed, and 674 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: fifteen percent of them had left their jobs to get 675 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:14,759 Speaker 1: away from it. Um. According to the China or China 676 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,960 Speaker 1: Labor Bulletin in June uh nearly all of the respondents 677 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,040 Speaker 1: agreed that their employer, the trade union, and the women's federation, 678 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:25,840 Speaker 1: and even the police would be of little help in 679 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:28,520 Speaker 1: addressing the problem. They just did not believe that anyone 680 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 1: around was able to actually help put a stop to 681 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: the sexual harassment and uh. In some instances, workers have 682 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,279 Speaker 1: face job termination if they won't have sex with a supervisor. 683 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:43,759 Speaker 1: In Bangladesh, female garment workers are three percent of the population, 684 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,160 Speaker 1: but they account for eleven percent of rape cases in 685 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:50,320 Speaker 1: their country, and those rape cases are then linked to 686 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:54,400 Speaker 1: higher rates of suicide. And when these factory workers have 687 00:44:54,480 --> 00:45:01,759 Speaker 1: attempted to organize, sometimes the governments and military reforces will 688 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:06,160 Speaker 1: crack down on them. This happened in Cambodia where some 689 00:45:06,239 --> 00:45:10,719 Speaker 1: paramilitary groups and the police were sent in specifically to 690 00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:15,759 Speaker 1: break up worker protests and some workers have died uh 691 00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:20,000 Speaker 1: in the process of that. Yeah, and I say we 692 00:45:20,520 --> 00:45:23,000 Speaker 1: the world is not really setting up a good future 693 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:26,719 Speaker 1: for the children who were exploited in this system. The 694 00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,360 Speaker 1: fashion and textile industry employees about two hundred and fifty 695 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:33,040 Speaker 1: million children, some of them as young as five, meaning 696 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:36,440 Speaker 1: they're not in school, meaning they then have fewer chances 697 00:45:36,480 --> 00:45:40,280 Speaker 1: for social mobility as they get older. And that labor 698 00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:43,640 Speaker 1: behind the label group points out that an educated girl 699 00:45:44,800 --> 00:45:48,640 Speaker 1: will reinvest of her future income in her family and 700 00:45:48,719 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: in turn her community, and they talk about how therefore 701 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:56,440 Speaker 1: putting these girls in schools rather than in factories is 702 00:45:56,480 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: really an investment in the future. But of course it 703 00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:00,560 Speaker 1: can be hard to see that when you just need 704 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: everyone in your family all hands on deck. To be 705 00:46:03,239 --> 00:46:07,160 Speaker 1: making money to support you well, and certainly these factories 706 00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:12,480 Speaker 1: are not literally investing in the future as a reproduction. 707 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:16,360 Speaker 1: There was a series of reports that came out earlier 708 00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:22,319 Speaker 1: in six from the Asia Floor Wage Alliance that interviewed 709 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:27,000 Speaker 1: a number of women in H and m's supplier factories 710 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:31,480 Speaker 1: in Cambodia and India, and the a f w A 711 00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:37,840 Speaker 1: found that workers in eleven of the twelve Cambodian factories 712 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: uh women were fired for becoming pregnant um and all 713 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:45,640 Speaker 1: of the workers who were who they interviewed in the 714 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:51,040 Speaker 1: Indian factories reported the same thing. So, I mean there's 715 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:55,439 Speaker 1: just there's no it feels like there's there's no there's 716 00:46:55,480 --> 00:47:00,800 Speaker 1: no winning, there's no upside to anyone. But these end users, 717 00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:04,920 Speaker 1: us the consumers, Well, so what are our options? Well, 718 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:10,080 Speaker 1: I think that public nudity just needs to become Okay, 719 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:14,120 Speaker 1: it's not like we don't see enough on HBO am 720 00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:19,319 Speaker 1: I Right, So you're telling me that I need to 721 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:23,840 Speaker 1: get a grip and cut out using shopping as therapy 722 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:28,120 Speaker 1: or entertainment. Listen, if you're on pinterest whatever, that's fine, 723 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:33,240 Speaker 1: you're not You're not hurting anyone by going on Pinterest. Okay, 724 00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 1: it's about, obviously, like what you are consuming. And I 725 00:47:38,239 --> 00:47:41,000 Speaker 1: am as guilty of this as anyone else, you know. 726 00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:43,919 Speaker 1: And it's hard to say this too when you don't 727 00:47:43,960 --> 00:47:46,200 Speaker 1: make a lot of cash when you need a bargain 728 00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:49,720 Speaker 1: And a lot of people do get around this, um 729 00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:53,880 Speaker 1: through thrift ng or making their own clothes when possible, 730 00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:56,360 Speaker 1: when you have the time and the resources to be 731 00:47:56,440 --> 00:47:59,319 Speaker 1: able to do that. Um, So one way to go 732 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:01,920 Speaker 1: about it is to try to take more of a 733 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,439 Speaker 1: Michael Pollen approach to it. You know, he's the guy 734 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:09,120 Speaker 1: who said eat food, not too much, mostly plants, and 735 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:13,120 Speaker 1: that's a good dietary rule to live by. So when 736 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:18,640 Speaker 1: it comes to clothes, um, eat food, not too many clothes. No. 737 00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,080 Speaker 1: But basically it's like, buy fewer things, and when you do, 738 00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:27,000 Speaker 1: buy them of higher quality and lasting design so that 739 00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:30,240 Speaker 1: you will and wear your clothes more. And I gotta say, 740 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:32,400 Speaker 1: I mean that that's been a hard pill to swallow 741 00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:35,880 Speaker 1: as I moved from being a poor student to a 742 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:41,240 Speaker 1: poor newspaper employee. Uh, the idea that you are poor 743 00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:47,080 Speaker 1: and can't buy enough stuff stays with you, and it's 744 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:48,920 Speaker 1: been a hard pill to swallow. To be like, no, no, no, 745 00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:52,719 Speaker 1: you need to invest upfront in these nicer grown up 746 00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:55,839 Speaker 1: clothes so that they don't fall apart. Uh. It's so 747 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:57,959 Speaker 1: much easier to say, like, I'm just going to run 748 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:00,880 Speaker 1: to fill in the fast fashion rand here and and 749 00:49:00,960 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 1: pick up a couple of shirts, because then my closet 750 00:49:03,680 --> 00:49:05,840 Speaker 1: will be spiced up and I'll feel better about myself. 751 00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:10,200 Speaker 1: When for the sake of our entire globe and our 752 00:49:10,239 --> 00:49:13,279 Speaker 1: global network, it would be better if a you just 753 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:16,920 Speaker 1: repaired the clothes you had. I should learn to sew, 754 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:20,080 Speaker 1: or I'll just ask Holly from History Stuff to make 755 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:24,120 Speaker 1: something for me. Um. But also buy better stuff, better 756 00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:27,480 Speaker 1: quality that lasts longer, and when you are done with it, 757 00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:31,000 Speaker 1: try having a stuff swap with your girlfriends. I've done 758 00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:33,640 Speaker 1: this a lot of times. Get some women together with 759 00:49:33,680 --> 00:49:37,160 Speaker 1: some mimosas, trade clothes and anything that's left over, take 760 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:41,279 Speaker 1: it to a domestic violence shelter. I've taken old bridesmaid's 761 00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:44,400 Speaker 1: dresses to prom dress charities to give to high school 762 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:46,319 Speaker 1: girls who can't afford to get a prom dressed. Oh 763 00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:49,799 Speaker 1: there's also the Dress for Success style charities where you 764 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:54,600 Speaker 1: can drop off more of your office where um that 765 00:49:54,640 --> 00:49:57,560 Speaker 1: will be donated to women to help them go on 766 00:49:57,719 --> 00:50:02,520 Speaker 1: job interviews and find employment. And the thing is, though, Caroline, 767 00:50:02,520 --> 00:50:06,279 Speaker 1: with all of this, uh, it is still I mean 768 00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:09,839 Speaker 1: it's if I were sitting here listening to this, um 769 00:50:09,880 --> 00:50:13,799 Speaker 1: as my mom, uh you know, maybe when when she 770 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,359 Speaker 1: was my age, and I don't know how much money 771 00:50:16,400 --> 00:50:18,399 Speaker 1: my parents had when they were my age. But still 772 00:50:18,480 --> 00:50:21,360 Speaker 1: from my perspective, she's a mother of five, don't doesn't 773 00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:24,640 Speaker 1: have much money. You're telling her to go to where, 774 00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:27,400 Speaker 1: you know, like go buy some two d dollar jeans, 775 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:32,280 Speaker 1: like seriously, Like that's that that's the part the bridge 776 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:34,520 Speaker 1: I don't know how to gap. And it's a similar 777 00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:36,879 Speaker 1: kind of issue, speaking of Michael Pollen, it's the same 778 00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:40,920 Speaker 1: kind of thing with food, where we have made cheap, 779 00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:47,000 Speaker 1: unhealthy stuff more affordable and available than the stuff that 780 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:49,080 Speaker 1: actually sustains us. So in the same way that we 781 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:53,920 Speaker 1: have food deserts, you know and McDonald's dollar menus that 782 00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:57,640 Speaker 1: are really the only accessible thing to say a lot 783 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:02,520 Speaker 1: of low income single moms, you have similar situations with 784 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,960 Speaker 1: our clothes as well. So it's like if you if 785 00:51:05,960 --> 00:51:11,000 Speaker 1: you have the money, of course like shop ethically. But um, 786 00:51:11,480 --> 00:51:15,880 Speaker 1: but but it's it's one that's affecting one sliver of 787 00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:19,000 Speaker 1: the population, right well, but I I hope that's what 788 00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:22,920 Speaker 1: we hear from listeners. I know we have a lot 789 00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:26,759 Speaker 1: of listeners out there who are very dedicated and concerned 790 00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:30,920 Speaker 1: with these issues of fashion and the apparel industry and 791 00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:34,160 Speaker 1: all of the abuses they're in. So maybe there are 792 00:51:34,200 --> 00:51:36,520 Speaker 1: people out there who can help tell us and give 793 00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:39,719 Speaker 1: us some ideas at how to bridge that gap. Yeah, 794 00:51:39,800 --> 00:51:43,080 Speaker 1: I mean, and and obviously for lower income people there 795 00:51:43,080 --> 00:51:46,200 Speaker 1: are good wills in place like places like that, second 796 00:51:46,239 --> 00:51:49,719 Speaker 1: hand stores, um, that are available. But I think too, 797 00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:54,000 Speaker 1: it's still it's always on us in positions of privilege, 798 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:57,600 Speaker 1: and right now we're talking about economic privilege. It's on 799 00:51:57,719 --> 00:52:01,120 Speaker 1: us to do what we can to do the most 800 00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:05,520 Speaker 1: for people who are disenfranchised, you know. And part of 801 00:52:05,560 --> 00:52:09,040 Speaker 1: that is is clothing that we have to put on 802 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 1: every day in order to go out and live in 803 00:52:12,040 --> 00:52:14,560 Speaker 1: the world. And it's not just about the people who 804 00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:17,520 Speaker 1: are in our own backyards, but also the people who 805 00:52:17,560 --> 00:52:21,040 Speaker 1: we will never see, um and probably whose voices we 806 00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:24,280 Speaker 1: will never hear, who are in those factories making the clothes. 807 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:28,920 Speaker 1: So listeners help us out, what what do we do? Honestly, 808 00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:32,040 Speaker 1: what do we do um and what are some things 809 00:52:32,040 --> 00:52:35,560 Speaker 1: that we can do, especially during the holiday season, to 810 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:40,560 Speaker 1: start making an impact in terms of this mom stuff. 811 00:52:40,600 --> 00:52:42,960 Speaker 1: At how stuff works dot com is our email address. 812 00:52:43,040 --> 00:52:47,120 Speaker 1: You can also tweet the podcast at mom Stuff Podcast. 813 00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:51,000 Speaker 1: You can tweet though Caroline and me personally if you like. 814 00:52:51,239 --> 00:52:56,160 Speaker 1: I'm at Kristen Conger. I'm at the Caroline erv and 815 00:52:56,160 --> 00:52:58,560 Speaker 1: We've got a couple of messages to share with you 816 00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:06,960 Speaker 1: right now. So I have a letter here from Lori 817 00:53:07,239 --> 00:53:09,680 Speaker 1: L in response to her episode a little while back 818 00:53:09,719 --> 00:53:15,279 Speaker 1: on Phyllis Schlaughley and folks, especially in the US who 819 00:53:15,320 --> 00:53:18,920 Speaker 1: are sort of mystified over the election results, and particularly 820 00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:22,480 Speaker 1: the majority of white women who voted for now President 821 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:27,080 Speaker 1: elect Donald Trump. Uh, listen to this episode on Philish Laughley. 822 00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:31,440 Speaker 1: It starts to explain a lot. Anyway. Back to Lorel, 823 00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:35,520 Speaker 1: she writes, I just finished your podcast about that oh 824 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:39,440 Speaker 1: so lovely human peace laugh Wow. There was more than 825 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:41,960 Speaker 1: one point where I could feel my blood start to boil. 826 00:53:42,440 --> 00:53:45,320 Speaker 1: And while there were a couple of things she stood 827 00:53:45,320 --> 00:53:47,839 Speaker 1: for that I could kind of empathize with, most of 828 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:50,719 Speaker 1: it was just way too out there for me. So 829 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:53,239 Speaker 1: I'm thankful for my own mom who did stay home 830 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:56,080 Speaker 1: and raised my siblings and I. There were five of us, 831 00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:58,680 Speaker 1: it was no easy task. Oh hey, what's up me too. 832 00:53:59,360 --> 00:54:01,719 Speaker 1: I'm also thankful for a father who, when my mom 833 00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:04,480 Speaker 1: did choose the career path when I was about sixteen, 834 00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:08,760 Speaker 1: was one supportive. Never did my dad allude to sentiments 835 00:54:08,760 --> 00:54:10,560 Speaker 1: of how a woman's places in the home and the 836 00:54:10,600 --> 00:54:13,680 Speaker 1: man's places in the workforce, and the two should never mix, 837 00:54:13,760 --> 00:54:16,600 Speaker 1: blah blah blah. Whatever my mother wanted to do in 838 00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:19,200 Speaker 1: the home or outside, he's always been her biggest fan. 839 00:54:19,640 --> 00:54:21,480 Speaker 1: When she had to go to work, he was always 840 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:24,280 Speaker 1: home cooking dinner, getting the kids ready for bed, cleaning, 841 00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:27,600 Speaker 1: and doing all of those quote unquote mom jobs because 842 00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:29,719 Speaker 1: he genuinely wanted to help my mom with a thing 843 00:54:29,800 --> 00:54:32,479 Speaker 1: she felt were important to give her children a happy home. 844 00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:35,839 Speaker 1: I consider myself a feminist, but I don't think there's 845 00:54:35,880 --> 00:54:38,880 Speaker 1: anything wrong with women wanting to stay home with their children. 846 00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:42,000 Speaker 1: It's a noble thing. That's the one thing I would 847 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,840 Speaker 1: say that I somewhat agree with peace laughs on, but 848 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:49,040 Speaker 1: only to an extent. Personally, having children terrifies me, so 849 00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:51,040 Speaker 1: those women who choose to stay home with their kids 850 00:54:51,080 --> 00:54:54,200 Speaker 1: instead of working. I applaud you. It isn't easy work. 851 00:54:54,360 --> 00:54:56,359 Speaker 1: I also think of a woman wants to have a 852 00:54:56,360 --> 00:54:59,640 Speaker 1: career and children. It's a great option as well, but 853 00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,640 Speaker 1: it is so individual and each woman has a different 854 00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:06,120 Speaker 1: path to take amen. For some women it works to 855 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:08,120 Speaker 1: be in the home exclusively with the kids and they 856 00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:10,719 Speaker 1: love it, and for others it doesn't work and the 857 00:55:10,719 --> 00:55:13,960 Speaker 1: careers of the path they choose. Both are noble endeavors 858 00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:16,520 Speaker 1: in my opinion, and both have the potential to influence 859 00:55:16,560 --> 00:55:19,920 Speaker 1: people for the better. I would love to hear your 860 00:55:19,920 --> 00:55:22,279 Speaker 1: thoughts and opinions about women who choose to stay home. 861 00:55:22,400 --> 00:55:27,719 Speaker 1: Is it anti feminist? Well, in a short answer, no, Um, 862 00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:29,400 Speaker 1: and she goes on to ask whether a woman can 863 00:55:29,400 --> 00:55:31,600 Speaker 1: be a feminist and also choose to be at home 864 00:55:31,880 --> 00:55:37,120 Speaker 1: with her children. Absolutely, Um and Uh. Lorille, thank you 865 00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:39,799 Speaker 1: so much for sharing this email, and also just to 866 00:55:39,880 --> 00:55:42,240 Speaker 1: let a lot of listeners know that we have heard 867 00:55:42,360 --> 00:55:45,879 Speaker 1: that request UM for an episode on stay at home 868 00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:50,160 Speaker 1: Moms from a lot of you, so it is something 869 00:55:50,280 --> 00:55:54,080 Speaker 1: that we are planning to tackle in the future. So 870 00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:57,480 Speaker 1: thanks a lot. I have a letter here from Lyndon 871 00:55:57,680 --> 00:56:02,600 Speaker 1: in response to our sharing a Economy and Uber Privilege episode. 872 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:07,200 Speaker 1: Uh Linden says, something interesting to consider in regard to 873 00:56:07,200 --> 00:56:09,720 Speaker 1: these sharing economy services is how they work for people 874 00:56:09,760 --> 00:56:13,279 Speaker 1: with disabilities. Something interesting to note, which I know from 875 00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:16,400 Speaker 1: listening to Simi Linton talk, is how Uber has impacted 876 00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:19,480 Speaker 1: the movement to increase the availability of accessible taxis in 877 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:23,440 Speaker 1: New York, particularly while they're making some forward progress at 878 00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:26,480 Speaker 1: least in certain cities. Services such as Uber are generally 879 00:56:26,520 --> 00:56:30,840 Speaker 1: not that disability accessible. Since drivers are using their own cars, 880 00:56:30,920 --> 00:56:33,640 Speaker 1: they are less likely to be accessible vehicles, and many 881 00:56:33,640 --> 00:56:37,680 Speaker 1: of the programs to increase accessibility are voluntary so drivers 882 00:56:37,719 --> 00:56:41,920 Speaker 1: don't have to participate in them. Similarly, services like Airbnb 883 00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:44,680 Speaker 1: create issues because there's no requirement for units to be 884 00:56:44,719 --> 00:56:49,000 Speaker 1: accessible or have accessibility features such as traditional hotels would have. 885 00:56:49,560 --> 00:56:53,200 Speaker 1: While a host cannot turn down a renter because of disability, 886 00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:55,759 Speaker 1: the mere fact that units are not required to be 887 00:56:55,800 --> 00:56:59,920 Speaker 1: accessible limits the number of options for renters with physical disabilities. 888 00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:04,280 Speaker 1: Not all hosts provide accurate information about unit accessibility either. 889 00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:07,400 Speaker 1: For example, I rented a unit without any way of 890 00:57:07,440 --> 00:57:09,920 Speaker 1: knowing there was a set of steep and narrow stairs 891 00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:12,239 Speaker 1: leading up well. This was hard on my body for 892 00:57:12,280 --> 00:57:14,520 Speaker 1: many reasons. I was able to manage the stairs, but 893 00:57:14,560 --> 00:57:16,400 Speaker 1: I wondered what would have happened had I not been 894 00:57:16,440 --> 00:57:19,800 Speaker 1: able to. I should note the positives for sharing economy 895 00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:22,320 Speaker 1: services for people with disabilities as well, such as the 896 00:57:22,320 --> 00:57:25,360 Speaker 1: ability with services such as task Grabbit to have assistance 897 00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:28,520 Speaker 1: with a wide variety of tasks as needed. I just 898 00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:31,760 Speaker 1: wanted to mention another often marginalized group who we often 899 00:57:31,800 --> 00:57:34,600 Speaker 1: forget to consider when we discuss how we interact with 900 00:57:34,720 --> 00:57:38,000 Speaker 1: various parts of our world. Keep up the amazing work, 901 00:57:38,120 --> 00:57:41,440 Speaker 1: and Lyndon, thank you for providing us with the amazing perspective, 902 00:57:41,960 --> 00:57:45,200 Speaker 1: and thanks to everyone who's written into us. Mom stuff 903 00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:48,640 Speaker 1: at how stuff Works dot com is our email address 904 00:57:48,840 --> 00:57:53,040 Speaker 1: UM and speaking of emails, shameless self promotion alert. I've 905 00:57:53,080 --> 00:57:57,400 Speaker 1: started a tiny letter in response to all of the 906 00:57:57,640 --> 00:58:02,680 Speaker 1: post election awfulness called the Do Better Dispatch, and if 907 00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:05,160 Speaker 1: you're interested in checking that out and subscribing, you can 908 00:58:05,200 --> 00:58:09,840 Speaker 1: head to tiny letter dot com slash Kristen and I 909 00:58:09,880 --> 00:58:13,840 Speaker 1: spell my name c R I S T E N. 910 00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:18,400 Speaker 1: And for stuff mom Never Told You social media videos 911 00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:21,880 Speaker 1: and podcasts with our sources so you can learn even 912 00:58:21,920 --> 00:58:25,320 Speaker 1: more about fast fashion, head on over to stuff Mom 913 00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:31,680 Speaker 1: Never Told You dot com for more on this and 914 00:58:31,760 --> 00:58:42,240 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.