Latinx Awareness and Oppression in Sustainable Fashion Reflection
Have you ever scrolled through your Instagram and wondered why so many influencers are white? In no offense to Europe centric influencers, the oversaturation of their presence often makes me frustrated in not seeing more diversity in how to be more conscious consumers in the fashion industry. This absence in diversity makes me wonder why I don’t see more black and brown skinned influencers in this topic. This post in no means accusing white influencers in suppressing the voices of WOC and Latinx influencers or oppressing them in any way. However, it does aim to discern the absence of Latinx sustainable fashion influencers in the United States.
What is LATINX?
For those unfamiliar with the term Latinx, it is defined by Merriam-Webster as “of, relating to, or marked by Latin American heritage —used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina”. In terms of this blog, the adjective Latinx will be used to describe people from Latin American heritage, although the alternative word Latine is equally valid. It is important to understand the terminology of Latinx, because it allows everyone to have a deeper sense of the inclusivity of concepts within cultures you may be unfamiliar with.
How can Latinx Sustainable Fashion Look Like?
Latinx sustainable fashion can take on many different forms and aesthetics. It is entirely subjective upon every person that conceptualizes their heritage in their unique perspective. In more practical terms, it can be Latinx’s sharing their ethical outfits on Instagram, which may or may not incorporate bright colors, maximalism, religious symbolism, and tribal prints. Since women are largely the audience for sustainable fashion, Latinx influencers in the United States may be inspired to visualize the duality of their intermixing cultures by incorporating different prints, styles and time periods in their closet as a reference to their identity. There is inexhaustible ways “latinx’' sustainable fashion can be expressed , which makes their absence on social media well worth investigating . It brings into question the diversity within not only sustainable fashion, but within the global fashion industry.
Underrepresentation in the Fashion Industry- Latinx Oppression
Within the global fashion industry, there are very few renown Latinx fashion designers. Aside from Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta and Narciso Rodriguez, Latinx designers are struggling to climb to the top. In addition to Latinx fashion creatives, there is a lack of representation of Afro-Latinx, curvy Latinx, indigenous and anyone that isn’t white passing models. In the fashion industry, models are preferred to look Western European or racially ambiguous. This consequently casts models away that aren't size 000, blond haired, and don’t have Maleficent-like cheekbones and jawline.
The allure of European beauty standards alludes to the similar mold of ethical fashion influencers being white, skinny, wealthy and pretty enough to be a influencer. The implicit bias for white privilege is oxymoronic to the purpose of ethical fashion, which is to be aware of the larger systems of power at play. It often aims at dismantling unethical behavior, to be conscious of our choices and to create a more fair world. This is especially important since the communities and people most affected by the fashion industry are people of color.
Returning to The Roots
Sustainable fashion influencers in the western culture may not be at fault for their predominant presence on social media. In fact, it may be their only source of inspiration and outlet in learning and teaching about sustainability. Instagram in particular is a great way for influencers to provide easy and fun visuals on how ethical fashion can be accessible to their friends and family.
It has the power of bringing in a new audience into the environemental philosophy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This is especially important when there has been an decreased emphasis on recycling, which inadvertently increases the promotion of consumption and the degradation of the environment. Have you ever fallen into buying organic, fair trade products that you really didn’t need? Exactly.
In a sense, white, European- centric influencers may be doing more good than bad. However, representation always matters since the low volume of Latinx influencers on social media remains an area of concern. Reasons behind this silence may be because of lack of awareness around sustainable fashion, suppression of Latin influencers and/or differing ideologies around the status symbols typically associated with westernized thought processes on sustainability.
The Lost Symbol
Latinx consumers may have stayed away from promoting sustainability because of its subliminal stigma of associating with poverty. Think of it this way, would you promote something your parents fought so hard to escape? Since I have no prove, I challenge you to engage in a one on one conversation with anyone about sustainabilty. We all have so much to learn from each other!
Latinx's out there, take this topic and run with it. We need you to be heard.
Sustainable fashion provides an avenue in fighting for social justice by living more intentionally and consciously. It brings a balance of inequalities closer and closer together. The ying to the yang, if you will. No matter your gender and sociocultural background, anyone using their time, resources and privilege in something they recognize is important and critical is what truly matters. For my Latinx's reading this, sigue la lucha.
*This post is not and will not be considered intellectual or academic material. Thoughts are uniquely my own. Do not take my words as facts.