In honor of International Women’s Day, I decided to wear my Empowered Women Empower Women graphic tee today. As you know, I basically buy all of my clothes secondhand, but this empowering feminist tee was gifted to me by a close friend a couple of years ago. She picked it up from The Newseum museum (now closed) in D.C. I love this t-shirt and am grateful that she thought of getting a souvenir for me on her vacation. Since I didn’t purchase this t-shirt and since Newseum’s site is now closed, I do not know the ethics behind the tee, but if I make an educated guess, I’d say it was made in fast-fashion conditions. This is one of the many problems with feminist t-shirts. Let’s dive in.
First, I should start by saying that in the sustainability and ethical fashion space, there is a lot of discussion regarding feminist t-shirts. This is because, unfortunately, the t -shirts being sold by fast-fashion corporations have the message of female empowerment, but do not actually empower the women making the shirts.
For example, Forever 21 sells feminist t-shirts ranging from $9.99 to $19.99. They are able to sell these shirts at such a low price point because they are not paying garment workers fair wages or providing garment workers with fair working conditions. It’s no secret that Forever 21 (and other fast-fashion companies) use sweatshops to keep costs low. Forever 21 also is failing in the feminist department due to their history of stealing designs by female designers. Forever 21 is just one of the many fast-fashion companies capitalizing on feminism.
Articles discussing problems with feminist t-shirts
- Behind a $13 shirt, a $6-an-hour worker
- Why Fast Fashion is a Feminist Issue
- Was Your Feminist T-Shirt Made by Factory Workers in Exploitative Conditions?
- Is Your Feminist T-Shirt Actually Feminist?
- Does Your Feminist T-Shirt Empower The Women Who Made It?
Ethical options for feminist t-shirts
- Buy a t-shirt from an ethical company instead – this company sells female empowerment t-shirts that are cute & ethically made
- Buy a t-shirt secondhand from a local thrift store, Thred Up, or Depop
- If you’re not sure if a company makes their t-shirts ethically, send them a dm or email them to ask who makes their clothes
Styling Tip
- Pair your graphic tee under a power suit like Shayzon did & dress it up with a pair of heels OR pair your graphic tee with a girly skirt and sneakers like me. I’m obsessed with this denim skirt I thrifted for $5 a few months ago.
What do you think of fast-fashion companies selling feminist tees?
