It's not news that we live in a narcissistic society that gets more obsessed with images every day. To some, our obsession naturally gets translated into our love for fashion. We are consumed by the newest trend and the most fabulous look that goes it. With the invention of fast fashion, looks are living their golden age. As a consequence, our daily fashion fix is Instagram. It is as easy as striking a pose and then get ready for our 5 seconds of fame. Just post it and start working on the next make-over.
But below are some stats that gives fashion and social media an entirely different look:
The fashion industry produces over 100 billion new garments every year; 300 million photos are uploaded on Instagram daily; there are 500.000 influencers on Instagram; Instagram is the social media platform with the highest reach for fashion influencers; and finally, the Aral Sea has shrunk 25% of its original size and holds only 10% of its original volume.
What does the Aral see has to do with any of it?
The Aral Sea, an endothermic lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the south, was once considered the 4th largest sea on the planet. It had consistently shrunk since 1960 when it became a central hub for cotton production.
To quench our desire to rock a new look every day, we literally turned the Aral Sea into "one of the planet's worst environmental disasters."
The fact that fashion is the second most polluting industry globally, coming right after coal and oil, might not surprise many people. That's because we've become accustomed to the guilty feeling attached to the price tag every time we shop at Zara. We pick the outfit to look at the store mirror and go instantly numb to its contribution to the planet's environmental collapse.
But we don't usually realize that beyond shopping, we are actively fueling an environmental disaster by the way we use social media too.
In other words, just by posting the look of the day, we are inadvertently contributing to damaging the world we live in.
Covid turned me into an all-day sweatpants type of guy, but I'm a confessed fashion lover. At some point, I admit, I must have been a fashion victim too. Thankfully, today, I'm recovered. But the massive fashion consumption is turning everyone into a different kind of fashion victim. Take the Kardashians, one of the most famous fashion influencers on Instagram. I'm not sure if there's a Kardashian-gram (someone should have thought about it already), but to this day, only Kim has posted 5,586 pictures– only Kim has 236 million followers. The hashtag LOFD (#lookoftheday) already counts more than 44,800,000 posts. Only these two examples can give an idea of the extent to how social influencers and followers are ultimately helping to end the planet.
But there's hope. Last year goodnyou.com posted a list of Sustainable Fashion Influencers to Follow. The website identified influencers passionate about fashion and educating followers about many aspects of wellness, mindful living, and environmental awareness. They support ethical fashion to sustainability-focused industries (check the link at the bottom).
Also, they understand that Instagram is the ultimate Fashion Bible, and they use their influence to shape their follower's lifestyles and behavior. They are aware that their audience is actively engaged in environmental issues. A Pew Research Center recent study found that most Americans support efforts to reduce the effects of climate change to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations. According to the survey, it's Gen Z and Millennials who are leading climate change activism. And Gen Z and Millenials are the most active Instagram users.
Something is changing. If in Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, staring at it until his death, for Gen Z and Millenials, narcissists aren't fashion victims; they are the aggressor too.
The new generation wants to look good, but they are also looking forward to a more sustainable future.
(https://goodonyou.eco/sustainable-fashion-influencers-to-follow-in-2020)