Madeline Atwood’s Reviews > The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion > Status Update

The reason over 4mil Bangladeshis work in fashion production is because Bangladesh was steered into treacherous over dependence on clothing exports by the neo-colonial policies of the international monetary fund (IMF) and World Bank. These institutions pushed for Bangladesh to abandon dreams of self sufficiency.

“Never forget that fashion brands make their sourcing decisions deliberately, following colonial pathways to industrial sites where they can evade the standards that keep people safe and where they think any resistance to their crimes can and will be crushed. This colonial exploitation is backed by deeply unequal global financial systems.”

Quote from 1968 play, The Price: “Years ago, a person, if he was unhappy, didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d go to church, start a revolution, something. Today you’re unhappy, can’t figure it out, what is the solution? Go shopping.”

“Under capitalism, people are locked into a mindset where having is more important than being. We learn to value things only when we directly possess them, rather than looking for happiness in ourselves, in labor, in society, or in nature. Commodities acquire meaning because people are alienated. People balance endless stretches of meaningless working hours with a dreamed future of excitable consumption.”

“The system is on life support and that life support is debt.”

“The fashion industry is a neoliberal icon of what economist David Harvey described as an ‘increasing reliance on fictitious capital and debt creation.”

“Multiple studies have linked household debt with increased depression & stress, a decline in relationships, parenting behavior, & positive child outcomes. This is not a problem of irresponsible consumers; people are actively and officially encouraged to get into high levels of debt for systemic reasons. Interest rates are kept low to keep people shopping for goods that are becoming more expensive as wages drop.”

Advertising is a symptom of this system, not the sole arbiter of problems, but still represents massive amounts of waste.

“If makeup is a creative pursuit, allowing women to express their individuality, why is the same picture painted day after day with little room for novelty and imagination? The woman who does not paint her face encounters sanctions that would never be applied to someone who chooses not to paint a watercolor.”

“If we do not critique capitalist compulsions, then statements from makeup magnates, like Helena Rubinstein - ‘there are no ugly women, just lazy ones’ - become truisms rather than merely grasping attempts to make billions by exploiting peoples’ insecurities.”