FASHION

The fashion industry is targeted towards one body type and is harmful for teenagers

by Caitlyn Acosta, Majory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagle Eye (Parkland, Florida)

The fashion industry is very toxic for young teens; fast fashion, fake standards, and harmful working conditions are just a few factors that contribute to this toxicity. Having been around forever, one of the biggest problems in the fashion industry is the fact that there is one body type that is most commonly seen.

The vast majority of models seen in all the big magazines and clothing retailers have the same “perfect” body, which consists of a flat stomach, long legs and an hourglass figure. Some of these magazines and retailers include Vogue, InStyle, Zara and H&M.

The haunted sexualization of costumes

by Rori Anderson, Redwood Bark (Redwood High School - Larkspur, CA)

“Halloween is the one time of year a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girl can say anything about it.”

This iconic line by Cady Heron in “Mean Girls” is not always true, nor is it a proper representation of Halloween. 

For many, the month of October embodies the spooky spirit of Halloween. In addition to  the scary decorations, pillowcases full of candy and haunted houses, it’s a time to dress up and pretend to be someone else for a night. Sadly, some people push those “creative” costume ideas, and the lack of judgment, a little too far.  Costume stores, like Spirit Halloween, are filled with a variety of options…

Fast fashion: The true cost of cheap clothes

by Gabriel Castillo, Van Nuys High School Mirror (Los Angeles, CA)

Following fashion trends is an expensive hobby. Clothing can be rather expensive, in low stock, or go out of style quickly. It’s something that’s out of reach for many.

What if there was a solution for you to “fit in?” A way for you to wear the newest clothes at cheap prices? In comes companies like Zara, H&M and Shein offering high-end clothing at low costs. But there’s a catch. 

There’s a reason these companies offer the latest clothing at such a low cost. The answer is through many factors, including cheaper materials, stealing designs from other designers and, worst of all, worker exploitation.  The current trend of big companies taking designs and making them…