By Sherin Samuel
As she scrolls through TikTok Stony Brook student, Isabella Lombardi, flies through video after video of young adults ripping through plastic packages, to reveal a colorful array of clothing.
What these videos don't show is who is being affected by the purchases of these clothes.
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These videos originated and grew popular on YouTube during the platform's early stages of existence, but have now taken their throne to TikTok. Typically they showcase items that the consumer has recently bought. Clothing haul creators give a quick review of what their newly bought clothing piece looks like, and sometimes they try it on for their audience. Some creators even promote particular fashion brands in return for getting the newest styles for free. The end goal: make haul viewers want to buy the same items.
Taken from Emily Grace Youtube's Video
Lombardi fights the urge not to go on the popular clothing website, “Shein” to buy the mint green asymmetrical sleeve tee she just saw on the TikTok profile of @Lexiihope_. Lombardi is just like millions of young adults today who view, like and comment on these 1-2 minute videos, unwittingly condoning the cycle of overconsumption.
In 2018 Americans bought $268 million worth of clothing, a steep $119 million increase from 20 years ago.
TikTok is one of the main platforms, in more recent years, that has increased the promotion of clothes such as Shein, Zara, H&M, etc. These are all name brands that are considered to be part of the phenomenon of “Fast Fashion”, where clothing producers put out low quality and cheaply priced clothes which will most likely be only worn once or twice until its trend dies out.
These hauls aren't solely met with appreciation and wonder, as the other side of TikTok shows the backlash creators receive for being consumers of “Fast Fashion”. Videos indicate who actually makes their cheap clothing, workers in countries such as India and Bangladesh who are overworked and underpaid, or sometimes even child laborers.
The dark side of fast fashion doesn't just end there, as the overproduction carried out by fast fashion brands and the overconsumption of Westerners has caused an environmental disaster far beyond relief. Life after clothes are donated do not just end at donation drop offs or thrift stores, they are exported to countries half a world away.
The developing African nation of Ghana is one such place where the price of Western overconsumption is paid for by those who did not ask for it.
