Secondly, the writing style is incredible sloppy and most of it reads more like a really aggressive social media post. I would admire the attempt at trying to make such large subjects more accessible, however it just comes across as really lazy and uninformed writing. Barber's isn't just a voice we should listen to - it is a voice we MUST listen to.' - Clementine Ford Aja Barber: I absolutely believe young girls and women are targeted the most by fast-fashion brands, but brands are definitely starting to branch out. We need to stop thinking that new clothing is needed to have a better life. There are countless examples in the cult-classic films that we love— Clueless, Pretty Woman, The Devil Wears Prada, Funny Face—they all have a makeover scene where suddenly the person who is not accepted and not cool enough does a bunch of shopping, and now everybody’s looking at them differently and treating them differently. But in real life that’s not how it works. Moreover the “need” to get a new outfit for every single occasion, something that is very normalized in our society, is only adding to the problems of fast fashion. I want to end on this quote: “The future looks both bright and bleak.” Can you talk about the brightness a little bit? Do you think we can fix the fashion industry?

Essentially these big companies want to come to Kantamanto, take the waste which is polluting neighbourhoods for next to nothing, put it into a blender to melt the materials down into new materials (this is a very simplified definition....no one @ me.)” In an interview for Vogue about Consumed, Barber expressed interest in writing fiction in the future, "I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life, because if I’m still doing this, it means that we haven’t fixed the problem. I want to inspire people to collectively fix the problems facing the fashion industry; I want to get money into the hands of people who deserve it — namely garment workers — and then I want to dip out and write fiction books." [5] See also [ edit ] the second half of the book focuses on action, which i was hype for. it’s easy (& true!!!) to say that the onus should be on corporations & the government to fix the problem of overconsumption & climate change, but that’s not an excuse to be finding small actions we can all take individually too. as someone who’s been plant-based for nearly 6 years for sustainability reasons, i am a strong believer in the combination of individual choices + collective action!! there are a ton of super accessible actions shared (& some that seem a little out-of-touch to anyone who’s not an influencer). for me, the main takeaway (& the one i have been prioritizing for the last 2-3 years) is that to be more sustainable, we just need to buy less shit. it’s easier said than done, but honestly, it’s really not that hard!! a little impulse control & some hobbies to turn your attention away from online shopping, voila. i swear i have felt so much happier with more free time (& money!!) & fewer clothing items that will ultimately end up in a landfill. I think this is a great book for people like me — those who have used consumption to fill a void, who used to pride themselves in not wearing the same thing twice, who was led to believe that the more you have, the better you are. As someone who works in the social media / fashion world, it definitely was a wake up call to the ways I perpetuate consumerism. We live in a world of stuff. We dispose of most of it in as little as six months after we receive it. The byproducts of our quest to consume are creating an environmental crisis. Aja Barber wants to change this - and you can, too.From influencers of colour and even Andre Leon Talley at US Vogue receiving less pay than their white counterparts, down to the fact climate change disproportionately affects those living in non-white countries, the genius of the book is to link these varied injustices. A call to action for consumers everywhere, Consumed asks us to look at how and why we buy what we buy, how it's created, who it benefits, and how we can solve the problems created by a wasteful system. ELLE UK unveils new sections, a design refresh and new contributors in the September issue". Hearst. 28 July 2022. On the other hand, for those with the financial means to over-consume clothing, how do we begin to undo that impulse to shop? That dopamine hit, that craving to feel better by owning something new? Economist Impact: What women-led initiatives are making waves in circular/slow fashion (or the circular economy in general)?

Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change is a mouthful and a must-read for the current political and ecological crisis. If you’re reading this article, then you can benefit from reading this book. And when it comes to people who have spent years over-shopping, how does our thinking need to change? This is a genuinely bad book, and I don’t say that lightly, but for a non fiction title covering such broad and significant topics, this is an awful attempt. A hugely compelling exploration of a culture of exploitation and how, together, we can end it.' - Gina Martin A call to action for consumers everywhere, Consumedasks us to look at how and why we buy what we buy, how it's created, who it benefits, and how we can solve the problems created by a wasteful system.

If you enjoy shopping and care about the environment, I think this book will change how you think about shopping--both why we do it and how it impacts the world. Even if you're not a huge shopper, this book will probably make you rethink where you shop and how you rewear and reuse stuff.

Overall, this is essential reading for those looking to learn a little bit more about such important issues as colonialism, climate change and consumerism. We are all part of this system, and we can all play a part in changing it. So read this book, feel your anger, direct it to those with power, and get inspired to make an impact. As Barber says: “You are so powerful. Every decision you make on this planet has an effect.”

Summary

Barber was born and raised in Virginia as the middle of three sisters, and attended college near Washington, DC. [6] During her studies she spent a year on placement in London, England, with the fashion brand Rude. [7] Adulthood [ edit ] If you ever wanted to express to someone how capitalism and the false belief in endless growth is completely destroying the environment, the world and people but have never had the articulate language or the handy statistics to prove your point, this is the book that you buy that someone. Aja Barber has written an eloquent manifesto with a focus on fast fashion on how corporations see the public as consumers and their enormous greed. One example being the Bangladesh factory fires. I think it would have benefited with more details for people that didn't know that happened or forgot about it.Like a couple more sentences just explaining the impacts. Like how the doors were chained. Or that a lot of the survivors or families didn't get any compensation from the fund raising or government. Would have helped really shine a light on how shit these manufacturing conditions can be. Barber’s debut book Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change and Consumerism was published in 2021 and was received positively by Vogue. [5] Zhou, Maggie (21 September 2021). "Colonialism & Fast Fashion Are Inextricably Linked — Aja Barber Explains How". Refinery 29.