Wednesday, October 03, 2007

My Days of Guilt-Free Shopping Seem to Be Over

Despite the fact that I had every intention of seeing The Corporation when it came to theaters in 2003, I only got around to it last month. It’s the kind of film that (once again) makes one consider the costs of our consumerism, both environmental and human.

Although I am not much of an activist, I can console myself that as a grad student, I tend to be fairly conservative in my consumption...morality enforced by poverty.

But now I have this new job, a little more corporate…and I really want some new pants to wear to work. I’ve gained a few pounds somewhere along the line, and I long to wake up in the morning and have a few options I don’t feel I’m bulging out of.

Formerly, it was challenging enough just to find clothes that I liked that fit, but now I also don’t want to support sweatshops. American Apparel is a brand that comes to mind, but it's hardly business-wear, nor is the company ethically perfect--as suggested here, the situation is complex. So what to do? With limited time, money and choices within this local, perhaps it's back to the GAP company--maybe Banana republic, as that article and this one, imply that the GAP company has been coerced into trying to standardize their working conditions, and that watchdog groups are active in pressuring them to be vigilant--to what extent they can. So that's my plan. And they need to fit.

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