a vow

Have you seen the TV show 'Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts'? It's a great new show on the eco-channel, whatever that is. The green channel. You know what I'm talking about? It chronicles these 6 or so young British men and women as they explore the backside of the fashion world. And by backside, I mean back side. Each one of them is tied to the fashion industry in some way - a design student, a daughter of a designer, fashion obsession, shopaholic, etc. They are all upper-middle class goodies who work little and play much (that's my own impression). So, they spend each episode deep in the bowels of some link in the fashion-industry chain that leads to their own over-indulged closets. For example, last episode they were in India, living and working as cotton pickers. They were paid, worked and lived just like Indian cotton pickers. And, to say the least, they were slightly out of their comfort zones.

The only housing they could afford was a dingy, decrepit slum with broken windows, holes in walls, and way-less-than-sufficient plumbing. They picked cotton by hand, one little puff at a time for hours on end, taking small brakes for snacks, working well into the night. In other episodes, they have worked through the night, taking brief naps on the floor of the workroom amidst rat-poop mud. And they were paid next-to-nothing. Just like all the other workers.

The point of the show is to uncover the nastiness of mainstream fashion, especially cheap fashion at stores like Target, Old Navy, H&M, etc. (I named those stores, not the show.) So, it works. I am seriously appalled at what it takes to put a shirt on my back. I am disgusted with myself that with every purchase I make, I help keep those practices active. I support them and encourage them. Like I might as well walk right up to the front door in my designer jeans and Merona blouse and yell, 'Get to work, you mongrels! I want a new jacket!'

SO... I am making a vow. To myself, to you, to them. I will NOT BUY anything that I, or my son for that matter, intend to wear that is brand new. I promise to always shop second hand from here on out - thrift stores, consignment stores, yard sales, whatever. And, when I can afford it, I will only purchase fair-trade items brand new. I'm serious. I wish I could do more. I wish I could knock down the door, pull the plug and give all those cotton pickers a back rub. But, I can't. I can do very little. So, because it makes me nauseous to know that my vanity has cause someone else's poverty or illness or even death, I will do what I can.

You should watch the show.