Response
Now here is an issue at home. Rather than being hundreds or even thousands of miles away, both Los Angeles and Forever 21 are American. Who can say that they have never bought anything from Forever 21? I definitely have. It is cheap, it is fashionable, and the stores are convenient. It has never occurred to me, or probably many others of our age, how and why these clothes are extremely affordable. Ironically enough, as I write this I wear a grey dress recently purchased from a local Forever 21. They may not have the best quality, we all may notice how things start to pill and wear faster than normal, but does it stop us from buying it? No. So will the knowledge gained from this documentary, of the women who must suffer through sweatshop labor to make what I have on, keep me from wearing their clothing? To be completely honest, I do not know. I will now definitely think twice before entering the store, possibly even be a bit pickier about what I buy and if I really need it, but the big question is, is will I still make the purchase. Will you?
Seemingly, the women portrayed in the original documentary have a better life today. It is nice to actually see the result of a ‘call to arms’ documentary. Daily, we see, read, and hear cries for help from those who are less fortunate and it is nice to finally see a result. These women, formerly employed in LA based sweatshop labor, now have better pay and working conditions which will ultimately lead to a better life. If only all the causes we had could turn out this way…
Interestingly enough however, I am curious to see how this documentary negatively affected the sweatshop laborers. Illegals are the primary workers in these factory’s, did they get deported? Did the factories simply burrow further underground? Did the bosses get meaner and more strict with the women in a preventative measure to ensure they never again spoke out? We tend to only focus on the good of a situation like this, when good occurs, but we cannot forget those who were not helped.
