If you spend a fair share of your time on Youtube, I’m willing to bet that you’ve stumbled across a “shopping haul” — a video in which someone purchases and displays a large amount of tech, books, makeup, or clothing — at one point or another. These videos are insanely popular and garner millions of views.
As someone who’s very invested in fashion and shopping, I began to consume these videos at a young age. I envied the people who seemed to have everything and were able to buy so much! It was only recently, when I took a closer look at these videos, that the unfortunate truth began to sink in. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the clothing shown in the vast majority of these videos was from fast fashion brands like Shein, Zara, and Brandy Melville.
If you — like me — occasionally buy from these companies, you might be wondering what the issue is. The unfortunate truth is that fast fashion relies on cheap slave labour and pollutes the air, water, and earth. My guess is that the influencers who create these haul videos are aware of this truth. But, the allure of cute clothes at a low price (not to mention the popularity that comes with it) seems too great to pass up.
Huge hauls of poorly made clothes lead to a great deal of waste. Many of the garments in these videos fall apart, lose their shape, or tear within a year. It goes without saying that this is awful for the environment. And the insane popularity and high frequency of these videos only makes things worse. These videos also perpetuate the practice of buying in excess, which contributes to even more problems, like overspending and compulsive shopping.
The Bottom Line
While these videos can be fun to watch, they’re also very problematic. In a time when possessing the newest trends and having tons of clothes is considered a blessing, it’s important to remember how these clothes are created and the impact that they have on workers and on the environment.