Glitch in the Glamour: Exploring the Fast Fashion Industry’s Socio-Environmental Impact Through Interactive Collage

“Glitch in the Glamour” invites users to engage in a digital shopping experience on TaoBao, adorning a mannequin in luxurious attire while confronting the fast fashion industry's role in textile pollution. This exhibit prompts reflection on online consumption habits amidst social media's influence, inviting viewers on a journey towards mindful consumption and sustainable fashion through second-wave feminist, interactive collage art.

Project Video

Abstract

In a world where fashion trends change with the click of a button and social media influencers shape consumer desires, "Glitch in the Glamour" emerges as a critique of the fast fashion industry's detrimental impact on both the environment and societal beauty standards, particularly among young women. Rooted in extensive research spanning the ethical dilemmas of fast fashion and the pervasive influence of social media, this project delves into intersecting themes of consumer culture, environmental sustainability, and feminist discourse. By contextualizing the exploration within the evolution of feminist mediums, from historic movements to the emergence of a social media led "fourth wave feminism," the complex interplay between online action and offline impact is undressed. Positioned within contemporary fourth-wave feminism, this project shifts focus from past feminist hashtag movements to current "girl" fashion trends shaping online discourse about the consequences of social media fashion trends. Drawing inspiration from 1960s feminist collage artists such as Martha Rosler, Linder Sterling, and Barbara Kruger, "Glitch in the Glamour" confronts the uncomfortable reality of fast fashion while reflecting on the evolution of feminist expression throughout history. "Glitch in the Glamour" utilizes a combination of art and technology made through JavaScript coding to facilitate seamless interaction across mobile and desktop platforms. Users engage in a virtual shopping journey via TaoBao, immersing themselves in the excitement of online fashion consumption. Encouraged to "try on" garments, users can adorn a digital mannequin with selected items, only to confront a stark reality upon purchase – the garments pile up, and a grotesque wasteland is revealed. This juxtaposition of aspirational luxury and environmental decay serves as a visceral reminder of the hidden costs behind fast fashion. Viewers are compelled to question the rampant use of fast fashion, especially due to social media fashion trends, and the urgency of adopting more sustainable practices. At its core, this project underscores the imperative of conscious consumption in an era of unethical consumption due to ever-changing social media fashion trends. "Glitch in the Glamour" thus invites viewers to engage not only with its aesthetic allure but also with its profound socio-environmental message.

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