Is Fashion Worse Than Smoking and Why Can't We Stop?

27/07/2024

How are they even connected?

As a person that deeply cares about mental health, is also a fashion designer and online marketer, I can't help but to think about the deeper roots of the problems we are facing in the fashion industry. You might not often think about how smoking and consuming fashion are related. The link between them is the instant gratification both provide and the addiction we created over the long years of consuming it.

I believe many designers feel like drug dealers, given the current state of the fashion industry. It's fascinating but also very understandable why there is such a high demand for something so satisfying yet of low quality and clearly harmful to our lives and our planet.

Is it so Dramatic?

There have been many times when I thought the panic about fast fashion might just be overly dramatic marketing, a manipulation tactic to make us buy greener alternatives. However, the more we learn and the more research emerges, the clearer the issues become.

The Counterproductive Pressure to Be Ethical

It seems that the drama and pressure to behave more ethically and ecologically have actually driven us in the opposite direction. Why is that? Well, sometimes, people just want to do something that isn't right. Especially young people trying to find their place in a world with a harsh economy, constant information overload, and endless life choices—sometimes, when you do everything you can and things still don't work out, the last thing you want is to be more obedient and put the common good first.

Cultural and Personal Barriers

Simply put, we have too many other concerns to feel responsible for the state of our planet while we feel like we were never even able to take care of ourselves and feel safe enough.

Even financial stability is not the answer to all your safety and security, as people who seem to live perfect lives are dealing with generational traumas and are skeptical about current societal values. External wealth can also be very fleeting. Sometimes, when we reach a goal or status that should satisfy us externally, it only uncovers our deep traumas and trust issues.

The sudden stop from escapism in a form of external satisfaction suddenly makes us want to do something 'sinful' or even self-destructive.

The Need for Authenticity

But where does this need for such behavior come from? There might be many reasons, but an obvious one seems to be the need for authenticity. Sometimes, you simply want to do something that no one approves of. Sometimes, we want to test things ourselves and see if what people say is actually true. Sometimes even when things are seemingly working out, the only thing you need to do to feel like you are making your own decisions is doing the opposite of what you're being told.

To put it simply: WE HATE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO, but paradoxically by being told what NOT to do we actually fall into the trap.

This need for authenticity is closely related to fashion. Trends play a significant role in helping people fit in, feel younger, belong to a group, or stand out. Fashion is a tool to express agreement or disagreement with societal groups; it's a way to show what you care about.

Fashion as an Addiction

So, what's my point? Fashion is a highly accessible, polluting, instantly gratifying drug. And as much as we would like to be conscious of it, we need some help because this is bigger than us as individuals. It would take a lot of therapy and solving deeper problems for us to stop consuming it.

Just like for a person addicted to smoking or drinking its very hard to overcome addiction while staying in the same environment that caused it, we also need to change the environment. We need it to become harder for us to consume low quality fast fashion and easier to make the healthier choices.

Shall we go to rehab?

What could be effective solutions? Treat it like any other addictive substance. As people that are trying to break from addiction I believe we need help from higher authorities. This means imposing stricter rules about transparency in fashion production, higher taxes on fast fashion as they have obviously ethically questionable and polluting practices, providing more government support for sustainable designers, thrift stores, and businesses that recycle or upcycle clothes. We need to ensure that not only big cities but also small towns have access to healthier alternatives like thrifting or buying from local ethical businesses.

Until we address these broader issues, the question remains: Is fashion a worse addiction than smoking? Perhaps the answer isn't about which addiction is worse, but recognizing that both require profound and immediate changes in how we interact with the world around us.

If you feel like expanding your knowledge about current state of fashion industry I recommend this video, which i consider to be one of the best explanations I've seen in a long time: