Watch It: The True Cost

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A few years ago I shared my thoughts with you about how I was feeling disconnected with the world because I didn't understand or realise the environmental and social impact that the items of clothing and other personal objects I was using on a daily basis were having on the world. I talked about how I was going to start becoming more environmentally and ethically responsible.

Fast forward three years, and I realise that I have completely forgotten about the promises that I made in that blog post. I have definitely become more aware of the products that I use on my body and put in my body as far as food, face wash, make-up, shampoo, etc. are concerned (minus a couple of items because I needed to use them for the betterment of my overall health), but when it comes to clothing I have completely fallen behind and really don't pay attention to where my clothes come from -- although I have done better with not shopping as much.

Then I watched a film called The True Cost, and it really opened up my eyes to the impact that, what they refer to as, Fast Fashion is having on the environment and the people making the clothes that we wear. They spoke with a woman named Shima who works in a factory in Bangladesh for less than $3 a day, and she said something that really got to me: she asked why people would want to buy things that were made with their blood. And that put everything into a new perspective.

The juxtaposition of the images of people working and suffering in the countries where our clothing is made with the images of us waiting outside stores only to rush in and fight with each other over a specific size is absolutely heartbreaking. There were no words. There were only tears. And it was at that moment that I made a promise to myself, and to the millions of men and women working as slaves in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, India, etc., that I would not be a part of it anymore.

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Another thing that I did not think about was the environmental impact that the making of clothing has, right down to the beginning with the growing of cotton using pesticides that are killing the people that use them (including cotton farmers in America), and creating serious health issues for the people that live nearby -- as well as the pollution of water. These are things that we have fought against in our own countries (and still fight for), and no body else deserves this kind of treatment -- regardless of if they live in what is considered a poor country.

All of the people that are working to make our $5 t-shirts are fighting for their basic human rights against a government and corporations that are so corrupt that they would rather make money than protect their people and the people that work for them. I know that this would never be tolerated in North America, and I think that if you were to watch this film you would also see what is wrong with Fast Fashion and that we need to stand up against it.

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Watch It: The September Issue

Grace Coddington (creative director) and Anna Wintour (editor)  photo source

Upon picking up the latest issue of Vogue from the magazine rack, I realised that I have a deeper respect for the women and men that work tirelessly on a piece of art work that I enjoy reading monthly after watching The September Issue this past weekend. 

I worked for my university's student newspaper when I was younger, so I have a bit of an idea of what is involved in putting together a piece of work to be published, but not on this scale -- not at all on this scale. The attention to detail and the extensive planning -- beginning up to six months in advance -- is way beyond what I would have imagined for putting a magazine together. This is coming from someone that has always started assignments the night before they were due, so please don't trust my judgement on the time it takes to create an issue of a magazine.

I enjoyed watching the people involved in the magazine hard at work. Of course Anna Wintour is a fascinating woman. Many people think of her as someone that is quite cold, but I found her quite quirky, funny, intelligent, witty and sad. Sad because she is so passionate about something that people scoff at and find ridiculous -- including her own family.

But my favourite would have to be Grace Coddington. It is so nice to put a face and a voice to the woman behind stunning images that I have always enjoyed. I would have to say that she shaped the style of image that my mind enjoys best -- quite unknowingly, actually, as I never realised who was behind the shoots I liked best in Vogue. She is also one incredibly sassy lady, and I loved watching her during her creative stages and how she speaks her mind. To me, she stole the show.

I do recommend watching The September Issue. If you enjoy documentaries, but aren't into fashion or religiously read Vogue it is still worth your time, and it is an interesting dive into a world that the majority of the world knows nothing about. It has also made this sketch with Seth Meyers and Anna Wintour that much more hilarious for me.

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