When it comes to slow food and slow fashion, we have to slow down, people. Seriously, everybody needs to slow down. As a follow-up to my previous article about living in the developing world, I thought it would be a good time to talk about why slowing down is a good thing. The slow food and slow fashion movement is an incredible way we can pursue life. These things are pretty important. No one wants to go hungry. No one wants to go naked! If we all focused more on making slow food or slow fashion part of our lives, we could do a lot of good.
Slow-Food: Like, Baking for 45 Minutes in the Oven?
Well, baking something for a while in the oven sort of touches on slow food, but there is more to it. Slow food began as a movement in the eighties. Carlo Petrini founded an organization called Slow Food in 1986 as a reaction to McDonald's opening a location near the famous Spanish Steps of Rome. Slow food is the opposite of fast food, and it strives to reflect local traditions and local ingredients. Slow food stresses the importance of a local ecosystem. It's a far cry from ordering a bag of wrapped up hamburgers while sitting in your car.
Eating Slow is Healthy for You
From a health point of view, I think we all remember the famous viral videos of the mystery pink slime that become McDonald's chicken nuggets. There is nothing, absolutely nothing remotely healthy at any fast-food chain. Even if they now feature salads, read the ingredient list. It is full of chemicals because that salad was pre-packaged in a huge factory somewhere and they have to preserve the lettuce leaves for around two weeks. It's so gross and so bad for you! These types of chemicals are so hard for your body to break down, and then they get stored in your fat. Now, we see so much weight gain and a myriad of health problems, including cancer.
Good for You, Good for Everyone
Kudos to you Carlo Petrini! Nothing is more irritating to me when traveling to see McDonald's everywhere. I feel like a fast food chain on every corner discourages people from eating local foods. Huge fast food chains also put the little guys out of business. They can't compete with the dollar menu! Do yourself a favor and start eating slow food. Maybe it costs a bit more at first, but in the end, the benefits will even out. Support your local farmers and restaurants and eat healthier in the process.
Taking the Slow Fashion Movement Seriously
Today, the slow fashion movement is growing out of a reaction to chain stores with a quick product, just like the slow food movement started in the eighties. Fast fashion can be hard to resist, but it's necessary we try for the environment and human rights. We are currently living in an era where we can buy clothes incredibly cheap. We find new styles all the time, and when we are sick of the style, who cares! It only cost us ten bucks! Think of the slow fashion movement like slow food--if that one dollar hamburger is bad, then what is the ten buck shirt? I think everyone would rather have a home cooked meal over a dollar menu burger.
Even I'm Guilty of Fashioning Fast
I totally understand. That t-shirt for ten bucks is just so darn tempting, especially when you are someone like me who ends up with spaghetti sauce and stains every day. I need cheap clothes! "So what is the problem with cheap," you might ask yourself. According to an editorial in Notjustalabel.com, the majority of today's fashion industry relies on the quick turnaround of production and consumption. The latest fashions come and go for the lowest prices, but there's a hidden cost to cheap and fast. The environment and the people who make the clothes both suffer a great deal. This means we should really support slow fashion as soon as possible.
Let's Talk about the Environment, Please
From an environmental standpoint, all that cheap stuff we throw away is overburdening the landfills. The places where we can send all our old clothes is limited, too. In an article by the BBC, some African nations are saying, "No," to our second-hand clothes. Then, the constant production of harmful chemicals that go into fast fashion is tremendously bad for the environment. Do you think companies that make something you can throw away really care if they make something sustainable? Slow fashion, like slow food, takes the environment into consideration. The slow fashion movement is a movement that needs us, as consumers, to make better choices for the environment.
Let's Talk about the People, Please
Think of the person who made that shirt for only ten bucks. What do you think they earn? Fast fashion brands have all recently come under fire due to investigations into human's right abuses. Why do you think you never see photos of their employees? It's because they are working in inhumane conditions! They barely make enough to scrape by in their home countries. There are no unions, no organizations coming by to make sure working conditions are up to safety standards. Businesses tell these workers they are easily replaceable, and they should be happy to earn anything. It is so sad and terrible. I can barely even think about it.
A Different Way to Approach Fashion
I hope that through Banda Bags I can teach people the benefits of slow food and slow fashion. Whether or not people want to buy from us, it's about starting a slow fashion movement more than anything. I just want people to know that they can make a huge difference in their lives. This difference can also make a huge impact on the lives of others.
