2 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2021
    1. Fashion used to be an art, but the prevalence of consumerism has reduced it to a bunch of poorly made, cheap clothes.

      The specific language used in this line is slightly informal and could be interpreted as the author revealing their own stance and feelings towards fast fashion. While it is completely accurate that the quality of fashion has declined as we speed up culture and style over time, the wording reveals that there is frustration built into the writing of this journal. However, as quality has moved downward, there is an obvious acceptance in exchange for a knocked down price. This issue is nuanced and the author is able to provide the information and arguments to make readers seriously ponder the current culture and ongoing issues on the planet and those producing the clothes.

    2. n 2007, a research team from MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon conducted a study studying using fMRI technology to examine how the brain reacts when Western customers shop for clothing. They discovered that the brain shows greatly increased activity when we shop (Knutson, Rick, Wimmer, Prelec, and Loewenstein 149). The researchers concluded that consumers gain direct pleasure from shopping but they gain an even greater pleasure from receiving a bargain.

      Not only does Ledezma lay out the argument that the culture of the U.S. elevate the popularity and success of fast fashion, but she provides readers scientific evidence of the impact our culture has on our very minds. Because the ideal of cheap, in style clothing is so desirable to westerners and so deeply ingrained in our psyche, are we totally at fault for buying into an unsustainable way of life? Will humanity be able to move away from fast fashion despite the strong emotions we as humans hold towards it? The rhetor's simple language makes this study easy to understand and interestingly applicable to the understanding of globalization and fast fashion.