Consumerism/Fashion > Human and Animal Cruelty

I have had a soft spot for animals ever since I can remember. Not just domesticated animals, but all animals. Cats, dogs, cows, horses, fish, giraffes, elephants... Whatever animal you can name, I love. This love started when I was little girl and has continued on into my young adult life. Over the past few weeks I have been reflecting back on how I portray this feeling into my purchasing habits. I eat meat, I wear UGGs, I own leather shoes and purses but I have never once stopped to think about my purchases from an ethical perspective. I try to model by life based on the ideas of benevolence and belief that all beings should be treated humanely and equally. How come what I buy and how I act doesn't reflect the feelings I have toward equality and humaneness? 

In the 17th and 18th centuries, animal cruelty was a societal norm. They were hunted for their meat and tortured for human entertainment. These traditions were challenged during the Age of Enlightenment during the late 18th century. People began questioning the norms of the past and searching for equal rights among all beings. During the 19th century of romanticism, connections were drawn between man, nature, and ethics. As our society changed from agricultural to industrial, consumerism formed, demand was on the rise, and the business mindset began to change form. The idea of fashion began and people became obsessed with purchasing. In order to keep up with demand, companies started operating unethically to maximize profits and lower costs. 

In my opinion, the pressure to have the latest trends has turned into a monster that drives our aesthetic desires and overshadows our true feelings and values. Recently, I learned that UGGs are created from the process of skinning sheep alive. By skinning them alive, they save money and are able to keep up with the high product demand.  So, if this knowledge is public information, than why do people still buy UGG boots? It's because fashion trends tell us that we need them in order to be accepted in society. As a result, people lose sight of what is important to them and animals are continually treated poorly. This concept doesn't stop at animal abuse, it continues in the abuse of humans. Most items of clothing that we wear were manufactured in a sweatshop where women and children work long hours under harsh conditions with little pay. Since when is fashion more important than human rights? An essay entitled "Women Shopping and Women Sweatshopping" in Thinking With Style, discusses this moral dilemma. "This leaves a consumer with a moral dilemma of some complexity: is shopping for a new pair of party shoes a harmless hobby, or is it an act of capitalist imperialism? By buying these shoes am I actually hurting someone in some far corner of the world?" These are the types of questions that consumers are neglecting to ask themselves because they have become so preoccupied with fashion and the pressure to always have the latest trends and styles. By being preoccupied with fashion and aesthetics, we are neglecting the importance of human rights, ethics, and morality.