From clothing to basic beauty and hygienic products, what you choose to buy says more than you probably know. In the morning, I usually have a planned outfit from the night before and make little deviation to it; some days I roll out of bed and swear that pajamas are appropriate for a trip to the grocery store, but that's not exactly what I am talking about. Sure a jean jacket over a black dress paired with heeled boots and a light splash of blush on the face conveys a message to people around you, but what about to the environment as well as corporations?
As a growing generation we are slowly increasing our purchasing power and especially in the United States, what we choose to support with our money says more than just "this dress works." Some businesses now have ways that allow your purchase to help someone in need; there are programs in place where you buy an item and then the company provides an item to some in a less capable position. Look up brands like Toms and Yoobi and you can see the structure. For example, Toms' structure is such that if you purchase a pair of their shoes, a new pair will be given to a child who really needs such an item. Other companies choose to give back monetarily instead of through actual items and that works too.
Then there is the majority of companies that give you that dress or item and proceed to make a hundred more at a low price, but at the sacrifice of their workers. People are making less than minimum wage in awful living conditions because a company wants to get rich at the top without providing for those who made it possible to gain such wealth. What you buy and where you choose to spend your money can either validate businesses choosing to raise people up with their success or business models and companies that choose to push their workers down and stand on their backs in order to get to gain success. Shopping is like a democracy, your money is your vote and your say in which business models you want to see expand.
When created carelessly, fashion can harm the environment due to unregulated factories that care as much about pollution as they do about the people that work for them. It has recently become an issue which gained a spotlight when Emma Watson chose to wear a dress on the red carpet made from trash/recycled/re-purposed material. If someone as in the public view as Emma Watson can voice a concern over how we choose to view our purchases and feel so strongly that she can wear a dress made out of what was once trash; at the very least we can all become more aware of choosing more positive companies to purchase from.
Just like what you wear, the beauty products and hygienic products you use says more than "this lipstick is a great shade and stays on for hours" (I've said this in a make-up store as a validation platform for its purchase). We are lucky to live in such a time of discovery and ingenuity because there comes a certain amount of freedom that is available now to us that was not even a consideration before. Various makeup products and even shampoos often come at an unknown detriment to not only the environment, but also to animals. Beauty products such as lipstick as well as shampoos have often been tested on animals. These animals are treated as far from how you treat your pooch as you can imagine. Luckily, many companies are seeking to stop testing on animals and large brands such as Too Faced proudly display that they are a cruelty free brand. Great quality can have an amplified positive impact when we take the time and the little effort needed to support brands looking out for the betterment of themselves, their customer, and the larger picture.
What you wear says more than just your favorite go-to color of choice. I encourage you to look into the companies and brands that you use in your daily life to see if they are what you want to say about yourself. Fashion and clothing are great creative outlets, but it's not acceptable to hurt the environment, animals, and especially other people. Now that you know what it says, make it say "I support positive growth."
