Each weekend, when Saturday night rolls around, you peek into your closet to find an outfit suitable for tonight’s specific occasion. In a myriad of game day skirts, date event dresses and going out tops, somehow, you still have nothing to wear. Before looking at Amazon, Zara or other online stores, utilize your social network to find your next outfit.
The plight of curating an impeccable wardrobe and a proper appearance is a burden felt by many college-aged girls, exasperated by the pressure of social media and unsustainable societal standards.
The demand for young women to look fashionable and have new outfits for every occasion is also exploited by the fast fashion industry, which actively preys on young girls by pushing for the newest trends and a constantly revolving closet.
“I feel like in the era that we’re living in, there’s a lot of societal pressure, especially on young adult women to always look their best, to be on trend and fast fashion plays a big role in that,” said advertising senior Kaitlin Quick, who owns a sustainable clothing rental Instagram account.
Purchasing new clothes for every event and discarding them afterward is not only wasteful and environmentally problematic, but it’s also financially draining. The overconsumption of women’s clothes, especially with regard to micro trends and fads, can lead to financial disarray for young women, whilst also harming the environment.
“The U.S. is the largest exporter of second use items (largely) to the Global South,” said Chayce Doda, climate science and political communication junior, and program director of Trash to Treasure, a sustainable fashion initiative at UT.
Unfortunately, 8-10% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the fashion industry annually, which is in part due to overconsumption and waste. With the persistence of social media and micro trends in our culture, those numbers are expected to rise.
“92 million tons (of clothing) end up in the landfills every year. It’s a huge amount, and it’s not biodegrading, it’s not disappearing, it’s affecting the ecosystems,” Doda said.
However, there might be a quick fix to help ease these issues. Branching out to friends, family, or mutuals to find clothes for certain events can promote environmental consciousness while saving money and keeping you fashionable.
“Rental pages, I feel like can help push back against (societal pressure) and make (being) fashionable more accessible for everyone,” Quick said.
Clothing rental pages are all the rage on Instagram right now because they help college students save money, make money and support sustainable initiatives. Borrowing and renting clothes from friends and acquaintances is a way to help the environment by reducing waste and getting rid of that single-use mindset.
“Even I don’t buy (clothes anymore) since I got into the whole rental world,” Quick said. “I feel like from the amount of rentals that I’ve received, I can tell that people are definitely straying away from purchasing and they’re opting to rent.”
I urge students to take the phrase ‘sharing is caring’ more literally. By using your network to find outfits and diversify your wardrobe, you can begin to help sustainability initiatives and push back against the pressures of the fast fashion industry.
Petry is a government and journalism junior from Rowlett, Texas.
