Analysis of “The True Cost” Documentary: The Consequences of Fast Fashion
The True Cost The True Cost directed by Andrew Morgan depicts a eye opening scenario of a world that has remained hidden by the general public. How common is it nowadays to see someone walking around with a new piece of clothing on, or walking around the mall with multiple filled bags of H&M and Forever 21? The world has changed dramatically in ways that are generally misunderstood by the public with the introduction of a new trend: fast fashion. The True Cost showcases just how the entire planet has been impacted negatively and positively by this new clothing market trend. Throughout the hour and a half duration, the documentary covers everything from outsourcing of jobs to poorer regions, Monsanto’s monopoly of seeds and the impact on american cotton farmers, and the psychological impact this trend has had on consumers.
tion to the film was a mixture of disgust and curiosity. Topics such as this have always been of interest to me. Anything related to our world and the general health of our only planet should be a top interest for everyone. As humans, it is our responsibility to care for the stability and endurance of Earth. Therefore, as I continued to watch the film, I grew more and more disgusted by the filth being spilled into the Earth’s soil and rivers. Not enough people on our planet understand that we are poisoning the planet each and every day by the gases or pollution spread by the factories all over the world, especially those in the clothing industry.
Clothing factories are poisoning water sources by dumping dyes and chemicals without a second thought, essentially choking out any form of life and transforming the environment around it for the worse. This disgusts me and pressures me internally to want to help change this horrible progression. Unrelated to the environment, the treatment of the majority of workers in th clothing industry is horrendous. Workers are treated like slaves, and are paid similarly. The average pay of a factory worker in Bangladesh is 2-3$ a day. While average americans complain about being paid 8 or 9 dollars an hour, millions in different countries work hours and hours for a percentage of a hourly wage here in the states. Something needs to drastically change sooner rather than later.
This documentary relates to topics currently being studied in class in many ways. Fast fashion has made clothing as disposable as tissues or toilet paper, with consumers buying and throwing away a article of clothing within days of purchase. Environmental impacts worldwide are covered as well. The author of an in class reading, Lucy Siegle, is interviewed for the film and discusses many of the same issues that are being studied by our class. The True Cost has reinforced the topics covered in class by adding a visual image to put with the information.
