Shop Til You Drop!

All right everyone, I'm giving you permission to shop til you drop.....as long as its fair trade!

(source)

May 12th is World Fair Trade Day! Fair trade retailers like Ten Thousand Villages are organizing special events. Find more information about these events (happening all over the world!) at the World Fair Trade Day website.

- A

The Power of an Image

With materialism and consumerism becoming major determinants of human character in many modern nations, it is inevitable that the business of advertising will flourish to become a colossal empire. In every sphere of everyday live, people are bombarded with advertisements about anything they need and everything they do not need. This is particularly true in the case of popular magazines which target the larger part of the general consumers. The advertisers fill the glossy pages of many magazines with a range of bold advertisements. The products advertised vary in nature and include many matching the theme of the magazine, such as beauty products, as well as many that do not quite fit, such as appliances and cleaning products. In order for the advertisers to attract the general population to their product they use a variety of techniques. A great success is usually the addition of a man or a woman identifying the ideal image of beauty. Even though in some cases beauty has nothing to do with the product itself, the advertisers believe that it will grab the potential buyers’ attention, build a strong interest in the product, and eventually result in increased sales.

Many agree that ideal images of beauty are a necessity in the process of selling a certain product. Thin bodies, long shiny hair, and a beautiful white smile are the rules rather than the exceptions in various advertisements. Turning the pages of popular magazines such as the Cosmopolitan and People, it is easy to become aware of a common theme or the similar images between different advertisements. Using gorgeous models is not specifically limited to advertisements about beauty products. Actually, the product itself and its purpose are not that essential. What matters most is who is promoting it. It is not even important if the product works as well as presented in the advertisement. The people buying it believe it does, because a good-looking celebrity convinced them this is the case. The idea behind the use of images of beautiful people in advertisements is that they can easily convince the general public that if they use the same shampoo, perfume and so on, they will look as great as the person in the image. In the case of products, such as a big screen TV or an oven cleaner, which do not have anything to do with beauty, the ideal image serves the purpose of attracting the potential consumers’ attention.

Advertising is a very important and necessary aspect of contemporary business. Without it the success of a certain product is quite uncertain. Even if the product advertised is great and serves its purpose, many will not even be aware of its existence if it were not for the advertisements in popular magazines. Advertising is a way of connecting the product to its potential buyers. In addition, advertising provides a creative outlet for an array of people with the desire to work in the business. Competition between different advertisers pushes them to think beyond, above, and outside the box to come up with better, unique and successful advertisements.

Despite the benefits associated with advertising, many argue that it egoistically exploits the image of ideal beauty with the goal of manipulating people’s opinions and desires. Additionally, advertisements not only promote a certain product, but they also serve to endorse a certain image as ideal. Many people will buy the advertised product not because they really like it or need it, but because they would feel closer to the ideal image presented in the advertisement. They believe that if they eat the same snack, use the same perfume, or have the same vacuum cleaner in their house that the glowing people in the advertisements have, they will eventually become those people, be just like them: perfect and happy.

Consumerism is a defining characteristic of many people, cultures, and nations of the world today. The 21^st century greets the human species with an abundance of products that will potentially make their lives easier and more convenient. There are, however, too many products that are not necessarily important to one’s survival or better standard of life; they actually have no better purpose than the purpose of being in somebody’s possession. Therefore, to ensure sales of their products advertisers resort to whatever works best. As a result, in many popular magazines advertising and images of ideal beauty often go hand in hand. The ideal images not only help sell the product; they are ultimately the product.

 - Krasi

Food for Thought

Via: Online Schools

Zara

Ah fast fashion. You allow the average person the opportunity to wear the latest trends at a reasonable price but at what cost to the greater good? I've written about Forever 21's unethical practices and it seems that another fast fashion retailer is now being investigated.

Zara, a Spanish company, is being investigated by Brazilian authorities after being tipped off about alleged slave labor practices. Different company, same structure/policies/pressure as other fast fashion retailers (see: Forever21). You can read all about it on Forbes.

Have you ever shopped at Zara? I've been in one but didn't buy anything at the time and now don't intend to until the investigation is complete.


- A

Stagnant Revolution

Have you guys seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? The documentary series, which airs on ABC, follows British chef and food activist/reformist Jamie Oliver as he attempts to bring change to America's food system. Last season he was in Huntington, West Virginia and this year he is in L.A. One would think L.A., home of the celebrities, Hollywood and all around pretty people would be completely on board with change but so far (I've watched only one episode) the L.A. school district is being more difficult than Huntington!

Why is it so hard for people or rather institutions to be willing and ready for change (easy answer: money. Read Food Politics if you want an in depth answer)? It is one thing to put inappropriate things in our own bodies but if we can't protect and guide the children in our care then what is wrong with us?! I once had a 'debate' (more like an argument) with a high school teacher who vehemently opposed the removal of vending machines in schools here in Texas. His logic? They're adults, they can make that decision. Since when are 15-18 year olds adults? We won't talk straight to them about matters like sex because we're afraid that they don't have the maturity to handle it but they amazingly have the capability to make decisions that impact their health in a significant way, leading to obesity, diabetes, not to mention concentration issues that directly affect the purpose of education.

Let's also talk about what it takes to be an adult. Children are *supposed* to be taught right from wrong along the way to adulthood. When sugar and fats are being shoved down their throats starting from pre-K, do they really have the right skills or worldview from which to make the appropriate decision?

I'm all for personal responsibility and individualism (which I think are key arguments for people who believe that obesity is a personal problem) but both these concepts apply to the food problem in the U.S. as well. It is our personal responsibility to teach children good eating habits. Is it really individualistic to feed children mass produced unhealthy food?

Once again, the agencies that are supposed to protect us (USDA, I'm talkin to you) are failing us. You may feel like a small voice against a strong loud arsenal of government agencies and large corporations but we can't let the revolution go stagnant. Significant changes have been made worldwide (for example, flavored milk is no longer offered in any school in Europe) so what the heck are we waiting for? I strongly believe in Jamie's message; I wish I could say that change will start at the top but in this case, its not going to. We all have to band together, us 'little' folk, and make change happen. It starts with us and it needs.to.start.now.

What do you guys think? Should we regulate what children are fed or should we keep the system as it is? Will you get involved?

Get involved:

Sign the petition

Local Initiatives




- A

World Fair Trade Day

Hi folks, just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that today is World Fair Trade Day. What better time to see the wonderful variety of beautiful and tasty items you can buy knowing that the talented people that produced these items were paid fairly! Ebay has a wonderful fair trade store and that's just a start! Other places that carry fair trade goods:

Ten Thousand Villages

Fair Indigo

Grounds for Change

Major retailers have begun to carry a limited supply of fair trade products as well. Check your local Whole Foods, Target, even (I say this begrudgingly) Walmart. If you don't see any fair trade items, ask for them! Use that consumer power folks!

You can find more retailers, companies, and websites that carry fair trade goods at Fair Trade Federation.



- A

Fast is not fab

I think we can all agree that sweatshops are bad. Working people long hard hours while paying them little and forcing them to work in uncomfortable conditions is deplorable. How lucky are we that we live in the United States where we don't have to deal with this issue, right? Wrong. Today, in continuation of my retail series, I'll be talking about Forever21, the 'fast fashion' giant that has garnered criticism of the treatment of its workers.

The garment production industry is big business in California. Forever21 has been accused of (and documented through interviews with employees) running sweatshops in the state. According to 39th & Broadway, Forever21 employs Mexican immigrant labor because it is cheap. With this comes the sub par conditions in which they are working: no running water, no bathroom, rats, and cockroaches. Apparently paying them very little and abusing their workforce in the United States is not even, oh no. Forever21 employs millions of employees around the world, like India, where the labor is even cheaper and the ethical violations even greater.

As we all know, Forever21 constantly updates its offerings; in the world of 'fast fashion', you've got to be the quickest, with the newest, shiniest thing, and Forever21 certainly delivers. The result of this is their workforce is forced to work overtime, unpaid! Workers may even have to take work home, again, unpaid! Forever21 is the bad guy here, but the store is really a symptom of a greater problem: our insatiable appetite for new things fast.

Like many retailers, Forever21 can certainly afford to pay their workers better and provide more comfortable working conditions, but as is always with corporate greed, the goal is to minimize spending, which starts at the bottom: the workers. The pyramid below illustrates this well.

(Source)

Again, unionizing is very important and the documentary Made in L.A. follows three women who fought for years to get Forever21 to change their labor practices. Has anything changed? Forever21 would like to say yes but there is still a long way to go. Change is not going to come out of the goodness of their heart as it is a business, it has no heart. Change has to be demanded and I choose to not shop there until significant progress is made.

Additional Resources:

39th &  Broadway

Forever Unfair

The Garment Worker Center

- A

Wally world

My series on retailers begins with the most villainized: Walmart! Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, operating nearly 9,000 stores worldwide (source). Why has Walmart become so villainized? Many many reasons which is why I'm splitting the information into two separate posts. Today we'll talk about Walmart's unethical practices within the United States.

Walmart, like many large corporations, frowns upon unions. All employees must sign away their rights to join a union. What does this mean? Should you be mistreated, poorly paid, and ignored, who do you turn to? Walmart has been slammed with numerous lawsuits. Just to name a few: gender discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and racial discrimination. What Walmart, and many large corporations, know is that should these unhappy employees become organized (i.e. unionize), they become a force to be reckoned with. They would then have to increase wages and engage in fair practices and who wants that, right? Walmart is notorious for their union busting tactics. If they catch wind of anything they will exert pressure on individuals to prevent them from organizing.

What kind of pressure? It all begins when the Labor Relations teams come into the stores, holding meetings where they berate unions, presenting only one side of the issue. Team members leave scared and confused about unions, only having heard one opinion. Union activists are banned from stores so they never do get to hear the benefits of unionizing.

Other underhanded tactics include management eavesdropping on employees, threatening employees with pay cuts, benefit loss, or even job loss should they organize. According to Human Rights Watch,



"Wal-Mart’s relentless anti-union drumbeat creates a climate of fear at its US stores. Many workers are convinced that they will suffer dire consequences if they form a union, in part because they do not hear pro-union views. Many are also afraid that if they defy their powerful employer by organizing, they could face retaliation, even firing. Human Rights Watch found that Wal-Mart heightens this fear with its arsenal of unlawful anti-union tactics. Wal-Mart has sent managers to eavesdrop on employees. According to former workers and managers at one store, it has even ordered the repositioning of surveillance cameras to monitor union supporters. It has told workers they will lose benefits if they organize. The company has discriminatorily banned talk about unions and prohibited union flyer distribution, while allowing discussion of other issues and circulation of non-union materials. It has disciplined union supporters for policy violations that it has let slide for union opponents. And it has illegally fired workers for their union activity." Source

Source

Why is this so important? It's important because Walmart has taken away the voice of their employees. They cannot get together and raise concern over how they're treated. Walmart loves to tout that they create tons of jobs in the United States. While they are, no doubt, a large employer, many of their employees are kept just under the requirements for benefits. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UCFW), only 52% of Walmart's workforce has insurance and for those that do, it is extremely costly. Add to that the low amount they are paid in the first place and you have a significant number of their workforce who is on welfare. According to UCFW, Walmart employees are utilizing billions of dollars in benefits a year to subsidize health care that they are not receiving from Walmart. That's money out of the taxpayers' pockets.

Yes we can all argue that the people that are working at Walmart have a choice and if they pursued a better education then they wouldn't be working at Walmart. What about the small towns where Walmart is the largest employer? What about those people who can't go to college either because of financial concerns or they're just not cut out for it? Are we willing to say that these people 'deserve' to be treated this way? Maybe those are harsh words but is that not what we're indirectly saying when we don't stand up for them? Should they not, at the very least, have the right to stand up and be heard?

Source

So what can we do? As I've said before (and sure I'll say again many many times) our money is the most powerful tool we hold. Every time we buy something, we are casting a vote. If you choose to stop shopping at Walmart, you're letting them know that this behavior is not ok.

Let's go one step further. Business is business. While Walmart has made steps as of late to remedy some of their issues, they will not willingly become as ethical as you or I would like. The only way they will do that is if they have to, i.e. laws. There are many movements active right now regarding changing labor laws so that corporations cannot do all the things Walmart is accused of. While I believe in the goodness of people, business is all about the bottom line so we shouldn't expect Walmart (or any other business) to change because they want to 'be good'; we have to force change or it won't happen.

Resources:

WakeUpWalmart

UFCW

Human Rights Watch



- A

Why you be hatin?

Most of my friends know of my disdain for Walmart. I try not to mention it because as the majority of people shop at Walmart, saying you hate it makes for awkward moments at parties.

Source

Me: ''Oooh those plates are cute, where'd you get them?' 

'Thanks! They were a great deal! I got them from Walmart'

*Rearing head back* 'What?! I.hate.walmart. You know that they have major ethical violations all around the world, including the United States?! Those plates were probably made by some poor kid who didn't even get paid!'

*Blank look on face* 'Oh. OK. I'm sorry?'                                      

See what I mean? I've gotten a little less intense as I do think it's unfair to attack people for shopping at certain places because most people don't know what they're buying. Sure, I like to get a good deal as much as anyone (OK probably more than anyone); just ask my friends. I don't, however, want to do it in a way that encourages bad behavior on the part of major corporations.

I've talked about this before and I'm now starting regular feature wherein I'll pick a store or brand and evaluate them from an ethical standpoint. My goal is to educate myself and hopefully enlighten you dear readers as to the options we all have to 1) look cute 2) buy cute things 3) waste money stimulate the economy 3) help support honest business practices that help the impoverished around the world rather than oppress them.

My question to you is: are there any brands or companies you would like to see reviewed? Let me know and I'll definitely try to do some digging to see what I find!

-A

Day 22 and only one picture. For some reason, these pants don't photograph well. They appear bright and shiny, something that isn't there visible to the naked eye...maybe they're haunted. Must call TAPS, stat.



Well friends I shall be out of town for the next few days with unreliable Internet access as well as unreliable motivation to blog ;).  If I have the time, I shall post. If not, expect a pictorial essay of my trip on Monday.

Don't worry, I'm abiding by the 30 for 30 rules while away. If I'm one thing, its honest. If I had to pick two things: honest and amazing. Three: honest, amazing, and modest.

- A

Fast forward

Day 20...oh snap, where's day 19? I fast forwarded past it...just like Adam Sandler in Click.

I'm just kidding. I don't have a super cool remote to fast forward (or rewind) my life. If I did, I would have fast forwarded to March, duh. The past couple of weeks have been hectic and I apologize for my lack of (substance filled) posts. For now, bear with me as I post pretty pretty pictures (not of me, the clothes people! I'm not that superficial all the time) until my brain can expend enough energy to write an intelligent post.

- A

Cuh-razy

Day 18...a crazy mix of patterns and colors but somehow it works, no?



I have many scarves (if you hadn't already noticed). Since I am of South Asian descent, our colorful ethnic outfits (called salwar kameez) each come with a matching scarf. While I will get rid of outfits, I usually hang on to the scarves for repurposing. How green of me ;-).

Now if only I could figure out that darn sewing machine, I could save even more items from being thrown away....I swear it hates me :(.

- A

Day.....?

I've completely lost track of how many days its been in the 30 for 30 challenge. I'm sure not mentioning which day I'm on in the posts is not helping. This is day 11:



This outfit was a bit of a stretch for me with the tights showing. I kept getting weird looks like 'hey...your pants are too short' but I of course responded with my 'no they're not too short, this is fashion' look. You know that look don't you?

*You didn't notice that day 10 is missing, did you? You didn't? Until I mentioned it? Darn.*

-A

This again?

So it is now freezing in Houston, again. I thought Texas got that out of his system (yes his, Texas is obviously a guy. For many reasons I won't go into now) but he had one more suprise up his sleeve. When I left the house this morning I had no idea it was going to get this cold so what did a silly Texan like me take to keep warm? A trench coat of course!

Day 9, done!

-A

Behind the times

So as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm behind on posting my 30 for 30 pictures. I apologize; finding time to take these pictures has proved difficult. My outfit from Tuesday:

You might ask why I'm even posting pictures but its really to keep me honest! Without some accountability, I'm likely to stray and start wearing whatever I want. So I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for holding me accountable. It's not easy keeping me honest ;).

-A

So About the Last Two Days...

It is day 7 of the 30 for 30 challenge and I haven't take pictures the last 2 days, whoops! In my defense, I was driving back to Houston yesterday so there was nothing special to see as I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt (all part of the items, I assure you!). As far as today goes...I have no excuse so please accept my apologies. Don't worry guys, I only have 30 items to wear so you'll eventually get to see the items I wore today!

So here I present my outfit from Friday, February 5th. This picture was taken right outside of Austin. I pulled into the pecan store I have been wanting to visit for the past 10 years. No, I'm not kidding...10 years. I usually travel with a bunch of wet blankets who don't want to stop anywhere. Anyhow, isn't the background beautiful? It was a comfort to have something good happen after I pulled up to the store of my (10 year) dreams to find it closed.

And for those who are wondering, I eventually did make it to the dream store on the way back to Houston. It was everything I dreamed of and more. Let's just say I'm a little hopped up on sugar right now.....

-A

Hidden Costs

So I've alluded to this in a previous post but the primary reason I'm participating in the 30 for 30 challenge is my desire to increase my awareness of consumer related issues. We are all consumers; it can't be avoided and I feel that the biggest power we all hold in our lives is our money, regardless of how much you have. Every time you buy something you are casting a vote, telling the industry that you like this item and they will in turn keep doing what they're doing.

However, with great power, comes great responsibility (yeah, I went there) and I want to be aware of where my money is going and what it is supporting. What are the hidden costs of my purchase? After learning of Walmart's unethical business practices, I swore off Walmart three years ago. Sure, I've been in a Walmart since (tagging along with people) but I have probably spent no more than $50 at Walmart in those three years. ($50? Don't judge. Walmart happened to be the only store open {surprise surprise} on NYE 2011 when I desperately needed food for unexpected {the best kind :-S} guests) Here is a summary of why, as stated by Green America, Walmart is the epitome of unethical big business:

"Wal-Mart, which has become both the face of big box retailers and of corporate irresponsibility, has been found guilty of violating federal and state wage laws by forcing employees to work unpaid overtime and child labor laws in the United States; Wal-Mart does not provide health insurance for its workers, forcing many to seek government assistance and costing taxpayers millions of dollars; Wal-Mart also closed a Canadian store whose workers were on the verge of becoming the first ever to win a union contract from the company. " Source

Do I really want to help support that? More recently, I've sworn off Forever21. I have also begun to research my favorite brands to ascertain whether I should continue supporting them (and looking cute in their stuff). While I love a good deal and retailers such as Walmart and Forever21 can certainly deliver, the overall cost of the product goes far beyond what comes out of my pocket. How are the workers producing these products being treated? Are they being paid fairly? Do they have benefits? If companies can't answer these questions favorably or don't want to answer them, then they should not get my money.

You can visit the Green America website where they have graded major retailers based on their ethics. As I said, this is a work in progress for me and I'm learning something new every day. I will say that phasing out unethical companies is difficult when I feel like there aren't enough ethical retailers to replace them with. I do think that as consumers start demanding fair treatment for retail workers (especially overseas) then more options will present themselves.

 What about you guys? Will the unethical behavior of companies stop you from giving them your business?

-A

So It Starts

30 for 30, day 1 (which was actually yesterday). Here is my outfit and before those of you who are uber observant say anything, yes, that turquoise tank is not part of my 30 items but hear me out. Anything that you wouldn't wear by itself is not considered part of the challenge. I do not wear sleeveless items (due to religious beliefs on modesty) and so that tank does not count. Ha ha! Please refer to my previous post entitled 'who you calling a cheater?'

As you can see, I likes to mix my colors. While it is now very cold in Houston (30 degrees!), I'm in a spring state of mind as reflected in my color palette. This picture was taken yesterday afternoon when the temperature had dropped into the high 30s. Yeah that's me...outside...in the cold. I'm super committed, I know.

I have to say, this challenge had me nervous. I don't wear skirts or dresses (those religious beliefs again) and so I feel like I'll be wearing the same pants all month (which I will be) but that seems more problematic than if I wore skirts or dresses. On to the next!

-A