why I'm starting to hate the sustainable fashion movement *let me explain*
Summary
TLDRIn this candid video, the creator grapples with the complexities and contradictions of the sustainable fashion movement. They express their love for thrifting and its impact on their life, while acknowledging the criticisms and challenges it presents, such as overconsumption and gentrification. The video serves as a heartfelt reflection on the creator's role in promoting sustainable practices, their struggles with content creation during the pandemic, and the desire to be intentional and authentic in their approach to fashion.
Takeaways
- ๐ค The creator is struggling with the concept of sustainable and ethical fashion, questioning their role in promoting it through their videos.
- ๐ญ There is an internal conflict about whether to continue making fashion-related content or to shift the focus of their channel due to the complexities of sustainable fashion.
- ๐ The creator acknowledges both the positive and negative aspects of thrifting and its impact on sustainable fashion, recognizing the potential for overconsumption and gentrification.
- ๐ The influence of other creators and their openness about their feelings towards sustainable fashion has inspired the creator to share their own thoughts and experiences.
- ๐ The creator has received constructive criticism about their thrifting videos, which has led to introspection about the message they are sending to their audience.
- ๐ The pandemic has significantly impacted the creator's ability to create content, especially thrift hauls, and has forced a reevaluation of their content strategy.
- ๐ The creator expresses concern about promoting overconsumption, even if it's secondhand, and the hypocrisy of decluttering while also accumulating items through thrifting.
- ๐ There is a desire to shift the channel's focus to more intentional and meaningful content, rather than simply reacting to trends or criticism.
- ๐๏ธ The creator discusses the challenges of promoting sustainable and ethical brands, including issues of price, inclusivity, and the potential for greenwashing.
- ๐ The creator is aware of the criticism that can come with discussing sustainable fashion and the pressure to be perfect in an imperfect world.
- ๐ฑ The creator emphasizes the importance of making small changes and not striving for perfection, advocating for a balanced approach to sustainable fashion.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video by Alexis Sunshine83?
-The main topic of the video is the creator's personal struggle and thoughts on sustainable and ethical fashion, including her role in promoting it through her content.
Why did Alexis Sunshine83 feel compelled to make this video?
-Alexis felt compelled to make this video because she wanted to share her feelings and thoughts on the sustainable fashion movement, especially after watching a video by her friend Carrie Dayton where she opened up about similar issues.
What is Alexis Sunshine83's stance on thrifting and its relation to sustainable fashion?
-Alexis acknowledges both the positive and negative sides of thrifting. She loves thrifting but is aware of its potential issues, such as gentrification and promoting overconsumption.
What criticism has Alexis Sunshine83 received regarding her thrifting videos?
-Alexis has received constructive criticism about the potential hypocrisy of promoting thrifting while also doing decluttering videos, which could be seen as overconsumption.
What changes did Alexis Sunshine83 plan for her channel in 2020?
-Alexis planned to shift her content away from thrift hauls and focus more on showcasing the gems found at thrift stores without the pressure to buy them, but the pandemic disrupted these plans.
How does Alexis Sunshine83 feel about the concept of sustainable and ethical fashion as a whole?
-Alexis has mixed feelings about sustainable and ethical fashion. While she supports the idea, she is critical of its execution, including issues like high prices, lack of size inclusivity, and greenwashing by brands.
What is Alexis Sunshine83's opinion on the size inclusivity of sustainable and ethical brands?
-Alexis is critical of sustainable and ethical brands that do not offer a wide range of sizes, pointing out that many only go up to a size large, which does not cater to the average woman in the United States.
How does Alexis Sunshine83 view the role of privilege in sustainable fashion?
-Alexis acknowledges her own privilege in being able to work from home during the pandemic and recognizes that privilege plays a significant role in people's ability to engage with sustainable fashion practices.
What is Alexis Sunshine83's take on the criticism faced by those promoting sustainable fashion?
-Alexis believes that the criticism can be overwhelming and may discourage people from trying to make changes, emphasizing the importance of being intentional and not striving for perfection.
What does Alexis Sunshine83 suggest as an alternative to constantly doing thrift hauls?
-Alexis suggests being more intentional with thrift hauls and possibly incorporating a mix of thrifted and fast fashion pieces to show that making small changes is beneficial.
How does Alexis Sunshine83 feel about the potential of greenwashing in sustainable fashion?
-Alexis is frustrated by greenwashing in sustainable fashion, where brands may focus on making their products seem sustainable without actually treating their workers fairly or ethically.
Outlines
๐ค Struggling with Ethical Fashion Content Creation
The speaker expresses their internal conflict about creating content related to sustainable and ethical fashion. They question whether they should continue making fashion videos, focusing on thrifting, or cease altogether. They acknowledge the importance of the sustainable fashion movement but also its complexities and imperfections. The speaker was inspired to share their feelings after watching a video by Carrie Dayton, who also discussed her struggles with the topic. The speaker admits to receiving constructive criticism about their thrifting videos and understands the arguments on both sides of the debate, emphasizing the need to consider both the positive and negative aspects of sustainable fashion.
๐๏ธ The Dilemma of Thrift Shopping and Overconsumption
This paragraph delves into the negative aspects of thrift shopping, such as gentrification and promoting overconsumption. The speaker acknowledges the environmental benefits of secondhand shopping but also recognizes the issues it can cause, like the exclusion of certain demographics due to price and size limitations. They discuss the role of online reselling platforms like Depop and Poshmark, the challenges of promoting sustainable fashion during a pandemic, and the pressure to constantly produce new content. The speaker also touches on the hypocrisy of decluttering after accumulating items from thrift hauls and their intention to be more intentional with their purchases and content moving forward.
๐ Criticisms and Challenges in the Sustainable Fashion Movement
The speaker addresses the criticisms they have received and the broader challenges within the sustainable and ethical fashion movement. They express fear of promoting brands that may later be revealed as problematic and discuss the high costs associated with ethical fashion, which can exclude many people. The paragraph also highlights the lack of size inclusivity in many sustainable brands and the frustration of not being able to find ethical options for all clothing needs, such as shoes. The speaker calls for brands to focus more on fair treatment of workers rather than just creating sustainable products and criticizes greenwashing practices, where brands appear more sustainable than they truly are.
๐ The Impact of Perfectionism and Criticism on Consumer Behavior
In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the pressure to be perfect in promoting sustainable fashion and the negative impact of criticism on consumer behavior. They discuss the comparison to veganism and the similar backlash faced by those who do not adhere to the movement's strictest standards. The speaker advocates for a more balanced approach, encouraging small changes rather than expecting perfection. They also express the difficulty of navigating the sustainable fashion movement, where even well-intentioned actions can be met with criticism, and the importance of recognizing the movement's flaws while still striving to improve it.
๐ Seeking Support and Moving Forward with Content Creation
The final paragraph is a call to action for viewers, asking for a thumbs up if they are still engaged after the lengthy discussion. The speaker invites viewers to subscribe and follow them on Instagram for updates on their content journey. They express gratitude for the audience's attention and reiterate their commitment to addressing the complexities of sustainable fashion. The speaker ends on a positive note, wishing viewers happiness and a sunny day, and signs off with a promise to see them in the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กSustainable Fashion
๐กEthical Fashion
๐กThrift Shopping
๐กOverconsumption
๐กGentrification
๐กReselling
๐กGreenwashing
๐กInclusivity
๐กPerfectionism
๐กPrivilege
๐กIntentionality
Highlights
The creator expresses uncertainty about continuing fashion-related videos due to ethical and sustainability concerns.
A personal struggle with the concept of sustainable fashion and its imperfections is shared.
The video is described as a rant, discussing the creator's feelings about the sustainable fashion movement.
Inspiration from friend Carrie Dayton's video on similar struggles within sustainable fashion.
Acknowledgment of receiving constructive criticism on thrifting videos and the complexity of the issue.
The importance of recognizing both the positive and negative sides of sustainable fashion.
A shift in content planned for 2020, focusing less on thrift hauls due to overconsumption concerns.
The impact of the pandemic on the ability to create thrift haul videos and the creator's pivot to other content.
Reflection on the hypocrisy of promoting sustainable buying while participating in overconsumption.
Discussion on the gentrification of thrifting and its implications on sustainable fashion.
The creator's intention to promote secondhand fashion while being mindful of its potential negative effects.
Concerns about promoting sustainable and ethical brands due to potential issues like racism and classism.
The challenge of size inclusivity in sustainable and ethical fashion brands.
The creator's personal journey to a thrifted wardrobe and the time it takes to make such a transition.
The dilemma of promoting sustainable fashion while acknowledging its imperfections and the potential for criticism.
A call for intentionality in thrifting and a balanced approach to fashion consumption.
The creator's commitment to continue discussing sustainable fashion despite the challenges.
An invitation for viewers to share their thoughts on the sustainable fashion movement and its complexities.
Transcripts
you know what is right should i be
making sustainable and ethical like
fashion related videos should i just be
thrifting should i just buy fast fashion
should i
just stop doing fashion related videos
altogether
alexis sunshine83 it's always sunny here
he's in china's alexa sunshine 83 right
here hello hello
happy sunny day today's video i honestly
never thought
i would make i thought i would continue
to kind of
bottle up these feelings and would never
talk about it online
and you know i could continue to do that
but
i think it's important to kind of share
my
feelings specifically with the
sustainable fashion movement
because i sometimes kind of hate it and
i don't want this video to deter
anyone from like being involved in the
sustainable fashion movement
because i think kind of the idea of
kind of sustainable fashion and all that
is really important
but of course you know it's not perfect
and as time has gone
on it's definitely kind of become a very
gray area of what's sustainable what's
ethical is anything actually sustainable
and ethical and i kind of want to just
compile all my thoughts and
this will be a little bit of a ranty
video if you don't like those types of
videos that's totally all good i
obviously don't usually do this but my
friend carrie dayton posted a video
recently
where she honestly just opened up on how
she was feeling
with her channel and just kind of
different things within kind of
sustainable fashion i felt compelled
to be honest with you guys because i've
definitely received
very constructive criticism the past
couple of years
with regards to my thrifting videos and
i always reply to those
because i completely understand both
sides and i don't think there's
kind of a right or wrong answer and i
know a lot of people
get very defensive when it comes to
thrifting or anything
with regards to sustainable fashion but
i think if you are kind of
involved in i'm just calling it a
movement because it's just easier
i guess to like generalize then you are
doing it because you see the injustices
that fast fashion
has caused not only on people but also
the environment so
i think it's important to also listen to
the
other side of it kind of seeing the
negative and positive side
with sustainable fashion it's made it
difficult to know
you know what is right should i be
making sustainable and ethical like
fashion related videos should i just be
thrifting should i just buy fast fashion
should i
just stop doing fashion related videos
altogether honestly
i have these thoughts regularly because
i don't know what to do and it may be a
good thing or a bad thing but i very
much
care about the people that watch my
videos of course you know
people that just say like you suck i i
don't care what you think but people
that actually
truly watch my videos that i connect to
i
want to be the best for you and it makes
me
like so anxious all the time to think
that i could let any of you down
or do something that could be perceived
in a negative way
and it's caused me to very much filter
myself
when i'm filming i am thinking about
every single second
what i am saying how it could
potentially be miscommunicated and i
just put so much
stress on myself to honestly be perfect
and be
you know the most ethical and
sustainable person because i get
comments all the time that say like i
helped you stop
buying fast fashion or went to a thrift
store for the very first time because of
me
and that just means so much because i
know thrifting has honestly changed my
life and i truly
truly love it but i have been talking
about
shifting kind of my content for a while
actually my plan for 2020 was to not
make thrift hauls i still wanted to go
thrifting because my favorite part about
thrifting is actually going to the
thrift store and showing
like all the gems you can find but not
feeling a pressure to
buy it because i mean you guys have seen
my decluttering videos
i have a lot of stuff one thing carrie
mentioned in her video is kind of
over consumption and any time i make a
decluttering video i get the comments
that say you know it's really
hypocritical
that you go thrifting and then you do a
big massive declutter those two in one
sentence doesn't make a lot of sense
when you're trying to promote
sustainable buying and i totally agree
with those comments but of course if i'm
mainly doing
thrift hauls literally every single week
like i'm going to
accumulate a lot of stuff and that's why
kind of jumping back to what i was just
saying
i was just mainly gonna focus on going
to the thrift stores i was gonna go to
different cities i was gonna go
to different states and i wanted just my
entire channel honestly
to shift but of course the pandemic
happened the first month of the pandemic
i literally didn't know what i was going
to do because i was like oh my gosh like
i can't go to the thrift store i can't
like that's my whole thing i you know
tried a lot of
different types of videos and i really
didn't want my channel to turn into just
like a haul channel because i know
preaching about sustainable fashion
while over consuming even though it's
secondhand fashion which is so much
better
they don't they don't really go well
together specifically with rifting
like i have to acknowledge kind of that
negative side of how thrifting is being
gentrified and the promotion of over
consumption
at thrift source is problematic of
course there's also like reselling on
like depop and poshmark which
that's oh gosh there's so much to unpack
with that i watched a video
kind of talking about the like
gentrification of depop which i think
was totally valid and
i always try to reiterate that i do not
thrift to resell
but then i also understand the other
side of it where it's like these clothes
they have ended up in landfills and now
they're able to actually go to a person
and especially
during a pandemic a lot of people can't
go to the thrift store and if it's
between them buying
on h m or on d pop like it's probably
better that they bought on depop so
there's a place for
resellers and all that and i just wanted
to mention it in here because i think
that kind of goes hand in hand
with kind of the topic of thrifting and
the sustainable fashion movement
the theme of 2020 for me was to just
survive with my channel it was it was
really difficult to figure out you know
what is the right way
to do this and i definitely fell back
into just doing hauls and i absolutely
you know again love thrifting i love
going on depop poshmark thread up but
i don't need 20 items for one video when
i can't even leave the house i think
that's also another thing that has
really amplified kind of my feelings on
it is i can't even really wear
these clothes out and i'm just gonna be
completely honest i wear the same thing
every day when i'm not filming i'm
wearing the same thing every day which
is why anytime i do like an outfits
video i almost feel like so
silly because i'm not really gonna wear
it out right now and i wouldn't
necessarily like
never do a thrift haul ever again i
think it's just more of
trying to be intentional and also like
telling other people to be
intentional because whether i like it or
not if i'm just doing you know a bunch
of thrift hauls and just buying a bunch
of stuff
it's going to encourage other people to
do that and potentially
end up buying a bunch of stuff that they
don't even like that then
ends up either getting thrown away back
to the thrift store that may not even
end up in the thrift store and just goes
to a landfill that was never kind of my
purpose of turning my channel into a
thrifting channel it was literally to
just
show the really awesome stuff that you
can find at the thrift store i wanted it
to be like hey
if you buy fast fashion you know totally
understandable look what you can find at
the thrift store
maybe try going to the thrift store
before you go into the mall
again i want to continue to do them to
an extent because
it does help people find out about
thrifting but i feel
like just doing thrift hauls all the
time kind of
ruins that but honestly i've just been
trying to survive i know with cases
getting worse
trying to figure out what videos i'm
going to do because now i can't go to
the thrift store it's been a very
difficult thing of course i want to
obviously recognize my privilege for
having this job like i absolutely love
it and honestly just having a job right
now
during a pandemic being able to work
from home
is such a privilege and i completely
acknowledge that but i think it's
important for me
to acknowledge kind of the criticism and
also
i just feel like i haven't been myself
for a long time i got a comment
a couple of months ago being like you're
not as funny in your videos and
number one we're in a pandemic and also
like the us is on fire now kind of
saying all this like
again i love thrifting i will be doing
thrift hauls but
i want to be just intentional about it
but it kind of has put me in a weird
spot because
making a thrift haul or a thrift with me
i will kind of get
negative comments about it again i
completely acknowledge it but
there's also a tough point where like i
want to promote
secondhand fashion but then some people
are saying don't do that you should be
buying fast fashion because thrift
stores aren't for you
and it's it's honestly just such a
struggle to figure out like what is
kind of the right thing to do and also
kind of something else with
sustainable fashion is sustainable and
ethical fashion like as a whole
has a lot of issues honestly i am scared
to promote or talk about any sustainable
and ethical brands because number one i
feel like something's gonna come out
that they potentially are
racist then there's the classism about
how expensive sustainable and ethical
fashion is it's very expensive although
if the workers are actually being paid
fairly and
being treated well and the clothes are
with
kind of good material i completely
understand the price
but doing videos kind of on that
it excludes a lot of people and then
also
there's a size inclusive part which is
so aggravating
and asia barber had posted something on
her instagram kind of saying that like
all these the same ethical brands are
saying how amazing she is
yet like she can't even buy from them
because they don't even
carry her size and she'll busily
i feel like i have to say her username
so you know who i'm talking about but
she recently made a video
about how almost all sustainable and
ethical companies literally only go up
to a size large when
the average size of a woman in the
united states is a size 16 18 so they
aren't even catering towards the average
and it's like
how can you say that you're sustainable
and ethical when you
aren't even like offering items for the
majority so that's a whole
other thing of like they actually
sustainable and ethical are they size
inclusive
have they done anything racist like
there are so many little like
attacks that you now have to do which is
so ridiculous like why can't
brands just be good but honestly anytime
something negative kind of
comes up about a sustainable and ethical
brand it makes me want to give up it
makes me like
makes me want to give up on even talking
about it because i'm like
this is giving a bad name for the entire
movement now i don't want to deter
anyone from buying from a sustainable
and ethical company that's actually
doing amazing stuff it's just when i see
comments
on other youtubers videos specifically
like their fast fashion videos
which i i totally understand i feel like
that's a whole other thing that i can't
really
talk to because people make fast fashion
videos for a bunch of different reasons
a lot of the times is because they don't
want to exclude
the people that watch them whether it is
sizing or is pricing but on those videos
you will see
all the you know very valid criticism
about how they're very disappointed in
this youtuber
doing this fast fashion haul although i
find that it depends on the brand i mean
they can do a bunch of fast fashion
hauls yet
only some people react to certain brands
when honestly they all
are literally doing the same thing and
with that a lot of them are like you
should do thrifting videos
or sustainable and ethical fashion
videos and to be honest i
think people don't do it because they're
gonna get criticism either way if
they're very passionate about like
sustainable fashion movement they're
like well i'm gonna get criticism anyway
this company will sponsor me so i'm
gonna go with that company
that's like a generalization when you
talk about sustainable fashion you were
opening yourself up
to a lot of criticism not just on that
but
also just how you live your life and
it's almost better to not
talk about it than to talk about it even
though with sustainable fashion i know
for myself i want to promote that even
if you're doing one thing like you buy
something from
forever 21 every single week but maybe
just for one week you buy something from
the thriftwood this is just a really
random
example and it's not very good but even
if you just happen to have like a mix of
thrifted pieces
and fast fashion pieces like you are
doing something but when people start
like bullying other people for not being
perfect it causes a lot of people to not
even try because what's the point
they're gonna get criticized
anyway and obviously the hope is you
know they're able to
change their shopping habits to buy
second hand but that takes a really long
time i mean everything in my closet is
thrifted but it's taken
three years and there's also still
things i can't buy secondhand
specifically shoes
i have really weird feet and for me it's
just a lot easier to buy like fast
fashion shoes and i'm very
honest about that because i want to show
that it's okay if you're not perfect but
you are making changes with other things
i feel like it's very reminiscent about
like
when veganism like really like became
super popular and like
the very intense like bullying vegans
kind of came out
like if you're not doing everything 100
then like you shouldn't be doing it at
all
but that's not how you actually help
the movement and obviously when we then
are talking about brands that greenwash
like that is whole other thing unpopular
opinion i don't know
i would prefer for brands to focus
on actually paying their workers fairly
and not treating them
poorly than make a sustainable fashion
line the fact that it's easier for them
to focus
on the actual items being like made of
sustainable
fabrics or whatever than actual like
human beings
is really frustrating to me like focus
on the human being obviously
in a perfect world i would love you to
focus on both things yes that's amazing
that they
are i guess acknowledging what's pop i
mean that's why they're doing it it's
because
sustainable and ethical fashion is kind
of like a a big buzzword
trying to do like the bare minimum so
they seem like they're
more sustainable and ethical than they
actually are and then it causes a lot of
people
to then buy from them because they're
like oh they're doing like amazing stuff
like this is
really really great that don't realize
that they're
green washing and it's a whole other
thing and honestly like i don't know if
this video made sense i didn't have a
script i was literally just like word
vomiting
everything and again i hope you can
understand
like my thinking and my intentions and
just like
the weight that i just put on me the
past year a lot of times you just can't
win when it comes to sustainable fashion
movement and there have been times where
i just like absolutely hate it because
it can be so overwhelming to know what's
right and wrong and
i don't think there is really a right or
wrong i mean there's like aspects of it
where there is a clear like right and
wrong thing but also like
we live in a very imperfect world you
can literally be doing the most but
privilege plays a really big part in it
also like even thrift stores
even thrift stores can then be
problematic and you're like oh my gosh
but i i need to buy secondhand but this
is the only thrift store i can go to
so like is it right for me to buy from
that thrift store should i just buy fast
fashion and it's just like a back and
forth
i'm curious what your guys's thoughts
are on
everything that i said honestly i i
can't believe i got myself to make this
video and like
talk about this because i i again i just
never wanted it to be taken
in a bad way which i'm sure there will
be aspects of that and i love
you know sustainable fashion in the
whole movement but
i think it's important to recognize the
cons of it also recognize like
what i can do to make it better as well
and yeah are you still here if you're
still here
give me a thumbs up because i can't
believe if you are still here with all
the like talking that i've done but
anyway if you guys would like to
continue to see my face
to be a part whatever this channel is
going to turn into in
2021 then make sure you subscribe right
down below and hit the little bell to be
notified every time i make a new video
and
also don't forget to follow me on
instagram alexandran83 to save
the i cannot talk because like i have no
saliva in my mouth from talking so much
to follow me to keep up to date with me
during the week yes that's how it goes
i will see you guys in my next video i
hope you have a super sunny day
enjoy life be happy and i'll be lots bye
[Music]
you
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