“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy”
-Emma Watson
The fundamental focus of sustainability is protecting the natural resources of the earth and clothes that have been produced with consideration for the many environmental challenges the fashion industry struggles with. The use of recycled materials for textiles, the use of less water-intensive materials, and the production of high-quality, long-lasting products are a few examples of how companies can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. While the fast fashion business model carelessly produces carbon, sustainable fashion has a reduced carbon impact and actively aims to cut emissions. Brands seek to establish circular systems that make clothing totally recyclable after use, eliminating the need to produce virgin fibers, in order for the fashion industry to truly become greener. By using better materials, collaborating with factory partners that decrease and recycle the water used during production, and limiting the synthetic materials and chemicals that can be used in garments, sustainable fashion can conserve water. Due to the interconnection of the climate crisis, ecosystems, and humanity, sustainable fashion stresses the need for extensive change and a variety of solutions.
The fashion business is involved in the current trend of marketing oneself as a sustainable brand. Many companies have reacted by assuming a more eco-conscious image as a result of customers becoming more aware of the ways that big businesses contribute to the climate crisis. They may even use “greenwashing,” a marketing technique, in some instances to make things appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. Sustainable marketing is a strategy that enables companies to appropriately and straightforwardly market their environmentally and socially responsible goods, services, and brand image by leveraging their green credentials as a distinctive selling point. In this day and age companies have realized they won’t last in the long run if they don’t operate on eco-friendly values and must promote change to sell and survive.
Slow fashion is a movement that has proven to have benefits that go beyond just helping the environment. Offering decent working conditions and a living wage to those who work in their factories is a key component of a sustainable business plan for the fashion industry. Greener companies always make their products of the finest quality. Eco-friendly textiles are softer, more durable, and last a long time. You won’t need to purchase new clothes all the time if you wear sustainable clothing. It’s not about following trends and always being new in sustainable fashion. It involves making deliberate decisions about your wardrobe. Being able to break out from fast fashion’s cycle of trends and consumer habits allows you to design a wardrobe that may celebrate your uniqueness. Slow fashion lessens our own waste while also lowering customer desire for new products, which can minimize the overall amount of waste produced by the fashion industry.
Hearing my peer’s elevator pitch about child marriage caught me by surprise and intrigued me because it is a subject I am not very familiar with. There was discussion about how this year, around 15 million females will get married before turning 18 years old. As they will be wedded as children this year, they will have to go through their most traumatic childhood experiences. She used the middle picture above as her civic artifact and had a visual lens perspective on the issue at hand. The image itself provokes compassion from the viewer as they see how miserable the child bride is since she is in a situation she does not want to be in. Also, she talked about how white privilege was used to promote the campaign and draw more attention to the cause because usually when people of color are used for campaign images or videos it goes unacknowledged. Unicef’s campaign against child marriage was brought up for her context since the picture is Unicef’s. Unicef has released this campaign created with Bridal Musings to raise awareness of child marriage. Perhaps one of the most insightful campaigns by the most well-known wedding websites in the world.
https://youtu.be/s63ovvCDTj0
With the use of ethos, she was able to prove her credibility as the speaker because of her background coming from her home country of Ethiopia. She was able to give a unique perspective on the topic and provide evidence reflected on Ethiopia’s cultural values and the traditions incorporated in their society. There then was a discussion on the movie Difret which tells the tale of Hirut, a 14-year-old girl, who killed her would-be husband as he and other people were engaging in one of the country’s oldest customs: abducted into marriage, and a young lawyer who journeys to her Ethiopian town to defend Hirut. I thought this was a perfect example considering the fact that she herself is from Ethiopia, but also because it shows how some cultures use child marriages to advance in society or escape poverty.
Work Cited
Prakashan, Priya. “Not All Weddings Have Happily Ever Afters! Unicef Child Marriage Storybook Wedding Video Is a Must Watch.” Latest News, Breaking News, LIVE News, Top News Headlines, Viral Video, Cricket LIVE, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Health, Lifestyle and Utility News | India.Com, 10 Mar. 2016, https://www.india.com/viral/not-all-weddings-have-happily-ever-afters-unicef-child-marriage-storybook-wedding-video-is-a-must-watch-1020653/.
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The negative effects of poverty on the world’s children include homelessness, poor nutrition, substandard housing, deficient child care, a lack of medical services, dangerous neighborhoods, and underfunded schools. For these reasons, I choose the image of this cardboard box filled with toys and the word “Donations” labeled on it as my Civic artifact. Without being disrespectful, it is a wholesome image that draws attention to itself in a positive, inviting way. With the use of pathos, the image evokes compassion from the viewer as it provides this heartwarming feeling, for example, seeing the adorable stuffed bunny in the center—makes the viewer want to donate. It also made me recall a time when I was in Colombia for my first communion instead of having presents given to me my family and I asked all the invitees to bring toys or money for donation. For this initiative, I was excited to contribute to the effort to help those that were underprivileged. When you travel from the US to a third-world country like Colombia, you encounter a level of cultural shock that is very difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it.
To escape poverty, those who are living in it must have the chance to grow. You can contribute to a healthier population in your community when you provide money, goods, or your time by volunteering for initiatives that assist the underprivileged in overcoming poverty. When you contribute to a charitable project, you’ll motivate others to follow your example. You can urge your family and friends to donate by making a donation yourself. If you are like me and have a connection to the issue of poverty you will feel more a part of the donation you make when you support a cause you are passionate about. I suggest finding out more about charitable organizations and taking action to bring about the change you wish to see in eradicating poverty worldwide.
Work Cited
Duncan, Apryl. “10 Places to Donate Gently Used Children’s Toys.” The Spruce, The Spruce, 8 July 2022, https://www.thespruce.com/where-you-can-donate-toys-3129154.
David, Julie. “50 Volunteering Ideas and Tips for Your Business.” SignUpGenius, Signupgenius, 8 Sept. 2022, https://www.signupgenius.com/business/volunteering-ideas.cfm.
The prevalence of anti-vaping advertisements commercials employs commonplaces and pathos to provoke emotion from the viewer on the subject. Organizations like The Real Cost have been raising awareness of the risks associated with vaping. These commercials show young adults going about their daily lives and show the negative effect that vaping has on these many activities and how it might alter a person’s life in a detrimental way. To get their audience to stop using vape products, they appeal to people’s emotions and the relatability of the situations that occur in their videos. Although it is already well accepted that vaping is unhealthy, advocates can have a more significant influence by utilizing real-life examples and catchy phrases such as, “Nicotine Addiction Isn’t Pretty” to convey their main ideas. Such analyses typically start by determining how much of the intended audience has been exposed to communications, if the audience recalls them, and whether the intended audience considers the messages to be of exceptional quality, aesthetically pleasing, or relevant. Furthermore, campaign evaluations also look at whether the intended audience’s views or opinions have changed as an outcome of the campaign. The Real Cost is able to inform this audience of what they already know by mainly targeting them in its commercials and advertisements.
https://youtu.be/8BdK_6cUng8
The movement’s success indicates how a thorough regulatory strategy that incorporates public education can lessen the cost of tobacco use in the public’s health care system. It is well known that media campaigns can effectively lower young adults’ vaping behaviors. Organized field trials and demographic studies have shown evidence that media efforts aimed at stopping vape use can alter public perceptions and lower the prevalence of vaping.
The effectiveness of “The Real Cost” shows that in order to accomplish their overarching aim to lessen the significant burden of vaping on public health, a robust regulatory strategy that incorporates public education about the dangers of vaping is necessary through the use of commonplaces.
Work Cited
no author. “Vapes: Product Page.” Vapes: Product Page – The Real Cost, https://therealcost.betobaccofree.hhs.gov/vapes.
No director, director. Nicotine Addiction Isn’t Pretty. YouTube, The Real Cost, 1 Aug. 2020, https://youtu.be/8BdK_6cUng8. Accessed 8 Sept. 2022.
Underwood, Elaine. “Anti-Vaping Spots by FCB Show Humiliating Side of Nicotine Addiction.” Campaign US, Campaign, 14 Aug. 2020, https://www.campaignlive.com/article/anti-vaping-spots-fcb-show-humiliating-side-nicotine-addiction/1691942.
“Fashion is more art than art is.”
—Andy Warhol
Fashion is one of the purest representations of art. Fashion design is the practice of incorporating design, aesthetics, garment construction, and elements of the world’s most beautiful things into clothes and accessories. The world of art is where designers most frequently find their inspiration. Fashion brands are known for paying homage to other craftsmen and artists through motifs and color schemes. There is no denying the connection between the two; they mutually inspire one another and contribute to one another’s growth. But, fashion is so much more than making a profit from a collection or appearing on a Vogue cover; it’s about experimenting to discover your true sense of self-expression and how one can be creative in their own when they put together their ideal outfit. Fashion was once not considered as highly as paintings, films, or sculptures, but opinions of fashion now and its other artistic endeavors have altered as it has been examined and developed a greater respect for it.
To understand the relationship, one only needs to consider the groundbreaking performer Marina Abramovi and the way she invites the audience to participate in her creation. Abramovi requested the audience to sit across from her in silence and look at each other for as long as they wished to look and be looked at in her show, The Artist is Present MoMa installation. The clothes designer produces works of art that require another person to complete them, just like Abramovi does with their performance art. Only when there is an actor to portray it can fashion exist. The wearer of the designed item is conversing with the crowd and the designer.
A representation of human creativity and communication is fashion. It contributes to the artistic expression of who we are as people and the experiences we have been through. People frequently make an effort to express themselves via their choice of attire and accessories. Your body is a canvas on which to paint your own unique expression using various colors and clothing designs; designers are painters who piece together outfits utilizing fabric and originality. By fusing many media to create these articles of clothing, people are more capable of transcending our lives and so establish a connection with the core and commonality of who we are. Art is influenced by the time period, cultures, and society, likewise, fashion has changed with time and place and is impacted by many trends and cultural elements–By reflecting developments in current culture, fashion is excellent at carrying out a traditional purpose of art. Both art and fashion reflect the history of the past and present-day by telling the story of the events that took place and impacted the artist to create their designs. A culture’s paintings may reveal just as much about it as the clothes and other items it employs for both individual and group expression. Admiration for fashion comes from the way it conveys the artistic expression of the designer.
Work Cited
Gregory, Alice. “Art and Fashion: The Mutual Appreciation Society.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 31 Mar. 2014, https://www.wsj.com/articles/art-and-fashion-the-mutual-appreciation-society-1396031035.
no author. “Marina Abramović. the Artist Is Present. 2009: Moma.” The Museum of Modern Art, The MOMA, 2009, https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/243/3133.
Dačić, Anika. “The Impact of Pop Art on the World of Fashion – from Art to Industry and Back.” Widewalls, 2015, https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/pop-art-fashion-industry.