Young people are fashion obsessed. Today it is more prevalent than it has ever been thanks to social media platforms such as Instagram. While trying to achieve Instagram worthy looks people are buying fashion and beauty products unaware of the negative repercussions associated with what they are buying. Problems such as counterfeit cosmetics, inhumane human hair trade, and fast fashion are ruining the health of its consumers, ignoring human welfare, and straining the environment.
Online and in shady marketplaces consumers are purchasing counterfeit high-end cosmetics. As a result, those consumers are experiencing health issues such as eye infections and chemical burns. The goal of discussing this topic is to persuade consumers not to purchase cosmetics from unofficial retailers. The solution for consumers is an easy one. Just purchase items from official retailers.
If the price is a problem, consumers can purchase dupes from drugstores such as CVS for a fraction of the cost. Women across the globe are having their hair inhumanly cut or sometimes stolen in order to make wigs and hair extensions. This is a problem because the women that they take the hair from are often times disadvantaged and are being exploited by the hair traders. In one case in 2013 a Venezuelan woman was held at gunpoint while hair traders hacked off her hair (Carey).
The goal of this topic is to bring awareness to consumers who buy wigs and hair extensions so that they can support companies who take care of the women they get their hair from. If consumers would like to purchase hair extensions or wigs, they should do research before they hand over their credit cards. Due to the new fast fashion movement consumers are buying cheap clothes year-round that they barely use. This is a problem because of all the pollution that comes as a result due to the production of the clothes. The goal of this topic is to make consumers aware of the problems that fast fashion creates.
As well as decrease sales in the fast fashion industry to stop companies from destroying our planet. The solutions to fast fashion are not complex. It’s a change that most consumers will not struggle following. One of the solutions is that consumers can buy second-hand clothes. Often this is also the most affordable solution thanks to stores like Goodwill. Even if a consumer doesn’t like thrift shore clothes they can purchase lightly used high-end clothes on websites such as Depop, Poshmark, and sometimes eBay.
This problem can be investigated both online through reading articles but also in the community. Fast Fashion target customers are young adults and teenagers. As a young adult, it would not be difficult to investigate the target customers and see why Fast Fashion is so addictive but also how to persuade consumers to stop.
In conclusion, if these topics were to be brought to the attention of consumers it can help put an end to all the problems. If people stop buying counterfeit products the companies that produce them will not have the funds to make them anymore. If people do research about where their wigs and extensions come from the profits can go to the women who gave up their hair. If people stop buying so many needless trendy, cheap outfits companies will stop producing so many cheap products and straining the environment.