Fashion Kills
Throughout human history, fashion has been a powerful marker of social status, setting individuals apart from others in society. Fashion has become a nationwide phenomenon, but are the clothes on our backs linked to injury? In this discussion, I will focus on the often-overlooked aspects of the fashion industry, such as its contributions to climate change and its role in safety-related risks. I’ll explore the importance of wearing non-slip shoes and hard hats for workplace safety, as well as the long-term effects of high heels and tight shoes on health compared to going shoeless. Let’s consider if some fashion choices can indeed lead to injury—or even death. Does fashion kill?
Injuries in the workplace can be common, especially for those required to be on their feet, but wearing appropriate clothing and footwear can minimize these risks. For example, non-slip shoes are designed to help prevent slips and falls. A slip occurs when there is a lack of traction, while a fall involves a height component. In Slips, Trips, and Falls: Call of Duty, David P. Gelkey found that from 2012 to 2018, fall-related fatalities led to 32,000 deaths in the United States and cost an estimated $50 billion. The study revealed that 25% of falls were due to improper footwear, with a failure to wear non-slip shoes contributing to 1,335 additional deaths annually. Employees have a right to a safe work environment, and if employers fail to provide this, it becomes essential for individuals to protect themselves.
Car accidents in the United States account for around 42,000 fatalities annually, with the U.S. Department of Transportation reporting approximately 850 bicyclist deaths. A study on visibility-related factors in crashes involving bicyclists found that 74% of participants in collisions with vehicles were not wearing reflective clothing, and 79% were not wearing fluorescent clothing. Visibility aids, like reflective or fluorescent gear, reduce the likelihood of being hit while biking. Without these indicators, riders are at a higher risk.
Fashion is often seen as a commodity driven by trends in a capitalist society. While sweatshops—factories with harsh working conditions, long hours, and low wages—are widely criticized, a newer model, fast fashion, has taken over. Fast fashion is the rapid production of inexpensive clothing to meet ever-changing trends, largely driven by major corporations. While most people don’t consider their wardrobes a source of pollution, the fashion industry significantly contributes to climate change.
In our society, social media and fast-paced marketing push consumerism. An article, Changing the World Not Just Our Wardrobes: A Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing, Care and Quiet Activism, conducted a study asking participants to estimate their number of garments. The findings showed that participants underestimated the count: the average guess was 111 items, while the actual average was 146 items. This consumer behavior, a result of fast fashion, increases demand for cheap, mass-produced clothing. Yet, blaming consumers alone overlooks the larger responsibility of the fashion industry.
Major fashion corporations often avoid scrutiny regarding their role in climate change, but they are as culpable as oil giants. According to The Environmental Price of Fast Fashion, the fashion industry is a major consumer of water, accounting for ~20% of industrial water pollution due to textile treatment and dyeing, and ~35% of global CO2 emissions. CNN’s Helen Regan reported on pollution in the Dhaleshwari River in Bangladesh, describing the water as “black like an ink stain” from waste discharged by nearby garment factories. For communities in South Asia, contaminated water sources are a grim reality, with widespread sickness resulting from consumption. Fashion’s environmental toll is significant, as the industry uses nearly as much water as agriculture, which accounts for ~30% of water consumption. Regan noted that producing a single pair of jeans requires around 7,500 liters (2,000 gallons) of water—equivalent to 16,700 pounds of water.
The materials used in clothing also have environmental consequences. Natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, and silk, are sourced from plants or animals, while synthetic fibers, like polyester, nylon, and spandex, are chemically produced. Both types of fibers have drawbacks: cotton requires significant water for growth, while synthetic fibers rely on petroleum-based products. Effects of Technical Textiles and Synthetic Nanofibers on Environmental Pollution highlights the extensive use of resources, including oil for polyester production, metal for equipment, and water for industrial processes, underscoring the environmental harm caused by the industry.
Fashion’s impact on society reaches far beyond style, touching on crucial issues of safety, health, and environmental sustainability. The choices we make in clothing can affect our personal safety, in the workplace incidents related to improper footwear and the dangers bicyclists face without reflective gear. Additionally, the fast fashion industry has grown into a significant contributor to pollution and climate change, using vast amounts of water and non-renewable resources, and releasing harmful waste into ecosystems. While individuals may feel driven to follow trends, it’s essential to recognize the broader consequences of these choices. Fashion can have hidden fees, from physical risks to environmental degradation. As consumers and producers alike consider the true impact of fashion, it’s worth asking: Ultimately, the answer lies in whether we are willing to make responsible changes for a safer, as for why fashion kills.
Reference
Aldalbahi, A., El-Naggar, M. E., El-Newehy, M. H., Rahaman, M., Hatshan, M. R., & Khattab, T. A. (2021). Effects of technical textiles and synthetic nanofibers on environmental pollution. Polymers, 13(1), 155.
Cockayne, S., Fairhurst, C., Frost, G., Liddle, M., Cunningham-Burley, R., Zand, M., Hewitt, C., Iles-Smith, H. M., Green, L., & Torgerson, D. J. (2021). Slip-resistant footwear reduces slips among National Health Service workers in England: a randomised controlled trial. Occupational and Environmental Medicine (London, England), 78(7), 472–478. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106914
Hackney, F., Hill, K., Saunders, C., & Willett, J. (2021). Changing the world, not just our wardrobes: A sensibility for sustainable clothing, care, and quiet activism. In The Routledge companion to fashion studies (pp. 111-121). Routledge.
Lacherez, P., Wood, J. M., Marszalek, R. P., & King, M. J. (2013). Visibility-related characteristics of crashes involving bicyclists and motor vehicles – Responses from an online questionnaire study. Transportation Research., 20, 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2013.04.003
Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(4), 189-200.
Stringer, T., Mortimer, G., & Payne, A. R. (2020). Do ethical concerns and personal values influence the purchase intention of fast-fashion clothing?. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 24(1), 99-120.
Twist-Rowlinson, K. (2015). Who got your back? Select hard hats that prevent back-of-head traumatic injuries. Chilton’s Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, 48-.
CNN
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
I don’t see the value of the comparisons you make in your early observations, MADClTY. A far more valuable contrast would be between the protective clothing that SAVES lives and the precarious features of high heels and overly long sleeves that actually kill. You get there, sort of, but you should really commit to it. Skip the “social status marker” for now and concentrate on the threats to life. Also, under no circumstances RETREAT from your title by ASKING if Fashion kills. You’ve already declared that it does.
Injuries in the workplace can be common, especially for those required to be on their feet, but wearing appropriate clothing and footwear can minimize these risks. For example, non-slip shoes are designed to help prevent slips and falls. A slip occurs when there is a lack of traction, while a fall involves a height component. In Slips, Trips, and Falls: Call of Duty, David P. Gelkey found that from 2012 to 2018, fall-related fatalities led to 32,000 deaths in the United States and cost an estimated $50 billion. The study revealed that 25% of falls were due to improper footwear, with a failure to wear non-slip shoes contributing to 1,335 additional deaths annually. Employees have a right to a safe work environment, and if employers fail to provide this, it becomes essential for individuals to protect themselves.
—You don’t QUITE SAY that your statistics come from the workplace.
—Gelkey doesn’t say (or you fail to say he does) that 32,000 died ON THE JOB.
—What’s the point of the Dollar Cost?
—Your numbers are hard to follow. 25% of 32,000 deaths is 8,000 deaths from improper footwear, TO WHICH WE ADD? 1,335 for non-slip shoes? What’s the difference between slippery shoes and improper footwear?
Car accidents in the United States account for around 42,000 fatalities annually, with the U.S. Department of Transportation reporting approximately 850 bicyclist deaths. A study on visibility-related factors in crashes involving bicyclists found that 74% of participants in collisions with vehicles were not wearing reflective clothing, and 79% were not wearing fluorescent clothing. Visibility aids, like reflective or fluorescent gear, reduce the likelihood of being hit while biking. Without these indicators, riders are at a higher risk.
—Presumably, most car accidents DON’T involve bicycles, so the 42,000 don’t really factor here.
—You might be fudging the 850 bicyclist deaths too, since you don’t say they involved cars. The DOT might still report them.
—Once you undermine the credibility of your own statistics, readers get very suspicious. Were the 74% of bicyclists riding AT NIGHT when reflective clothing would matter? You might also need to educate readers about whether fluorescent clothing or gear are effective in daylight.
Fashion is often seen as a commodity driven by trends in a capitalist society. While sweatshops—factories with harsh working conditions, long hours, and low wages—are widely criticized, a newer model, fast fashion, has taken over. Fast fashion is the rapid production of inexpensive clothing to meet ever-changing trends, largely driven by major corporations. While most people don’t consider their wardrobes a source of pollution, the fashion industry significantly contributes to climate change.
—This is a VERY SUDDEN change of topic that needs a simple introduction if you’re going to have any hope of connecting the dots.
—Oddly, though, the environmental damages done by rampant fast fashion probably actually do more to KILL than the examples you’ve cited so far. The shoes didn’t kill anyone; the FAILURE TO WEAR protective shoes contributed to death. The street clothes didn’t kill bicyclists; the FAILURE TO WEAR “Alert-wear” contributed to their collisions with cars.
Want to hash out a few of these issues and get back to me for more Feedback and a Regrade when you’ve had a chance to do some revisions, MADClTY?
Before you make any revisions, Copy and Paste all your material into a second post and call it Definition—MADClTY. Save that post WITH NO REVISIONS so you’ll have an original draft to export into your Portfolio along with the Rewrite.