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Edit: https://blog.spacehey.com/entry?id=1298112 Please read this blog instead because this comment section is a cesspool. Dead serious please don’t comment on this post. Yes I know temu and shein aren’t the only unethical brands, every brand is trashy. I don’t know why everyone in this comment section assumes I live in mainland America. I’m Puerto Rican. I DON’T LIVE IN FIRST WORLD. Again see my new blog.
No if's and buts or ands about it. I'm not saying this to any particular subculture group of people and especially not to people who are new to a subculture and making a genuine attempt to be apart of it, you guys rock and I hope u stik to it.
I'm saying this to all y'all who claim to be this that and the third, whether it be punk, goth, emo, or scene, and are constantly not only switching aesthetics and subcultures every week based off of what's the newest trend on tiktok, but don't make an effort to understand that subcultures particular lifestyle or views or even listen to the music (if it's a music related subculture.)
Don't even get me started on you guys buying your fashion off of Shein and temu. Don't make me laugh, you know damn well it's based off of literal slave labor and that those clothes aren't even made to last. How else do you think it's so cheap???????
"But- there are no stores near me that sell-"
find an online store that isn't slave labor and is actually made by people who are apart of that subcultures? Go thrifting?
"But the thrift stores near me don't-"
No really? I had no clue that savers doesn't look like your depop cart.. Find stuff in thrifts and STYLE IT!!! DIY IT!! Make new clothes out of those clothes!!!
"But I don't know how-"
That's what the plethora of tutorials on YouTube are for.
Comments
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Emma
I think the major problem with your line of thinking is expeting everyone to behave the same way you do or you believe is correct in order to go against capitalism. There are plenty ways of doing things in order to not support industries that profit from suffering: being vegan, for example, is a boycott to the livestock farming industry, at least I like think that way, although I'm not vegan; being someone who has their own family farm, which is less cruel towards livestock; buying thrifted, second-handed, clothes, which, although the clothings was made through inhumane, analogous to slavery, conditions, help clothes being less discarded; etc.
There are many ways to try to go against the industry, DIY is far from being the only way, and not necessarily everyone will do everything I listed, because we usually choose only one.
And what we do is only individual actions, which means it doesn't really work for anything besides our own satisfaction. If you look to what happened throughout history, a lot of countries have experienced economic collapses due the overproduction, but instead of giving it for free so they wouldn't have so much stocked, they would rather destroy and discart everything. This happened in Brazil during Vargas dictatorship, where the dictator Getúlio Vargas literally burn tons and tons and tons and tons of coffee because they weren't able to sell it. It's not that there weren't people he could have given it to for free, there were people suffering from hunger and poverty to whom he could have distributed the coffee. He chose not to, and that what capitalism does: it chooses not to. Animals will be killed to become beefs we buying it or not buying it. If we don't buy, there is a very simple thing they will do: dispose it in some third-world country.
Not everyone has the time, the energy and the mind to costumize everything in their lives because time IS money in capitalism and we're all surviving it.
another thing i wondered is if we do boycott these companies.. what happens to the workers? also shipping is available to everyone. stuffs expensive.
by Conchita; ; Report
If boycotting companies of fast-fashion actually worked, then these workers, and probably the factory itself would just manufacture under the name of another brand, a brand which is less known or recognized as one that uses mass production, or a brand that people don't put effort into boycotting - Gucci, Wig brands, Nike, Adidas, Apple, eletrodomestic brands, etc.
by Emma; ; Report
aisiaissinking
I feel so bad because I just got into alt fashion and I bought like three accessories off of Shein to help my outfits look alt because I had other way of doing it at the time without realizing that fast fashion (especially Shein) is a big no in alt subcultures. That was my last time buying from shein and I definitely won't buy ever again. That was the first and last time I ever planned to buy alt stuff from Shein anyway. And most of my clothes are thrifted (I love thrifting). But I wanted to know, does that make me a poser?
WiNTERiZER
This is so real. Reminds me of when someone said I couldn't be goth to my face because I wasn't wearing completely black clothes that day. e_e It's really to easy to fall into the mindset of needing to conform to trends, but that just makes life more stressful and the subculture more ingenuine. I'm not saying people can't look stereotypically goth/emo/scene/what the fuck ever, but if you get obsessed with it to the point where you get insecure or gatekeep others, you need to get over yourself and cope.
braineater
i cant really dress alt cause i cant order from online (i cant to ship where i live) and i know no thrift stores near me and when i do they only have fem clothing,, i did make some diy shirts but thats all
when i go the netherlands next summer im planning to get some more stuff though.
mavis ♱
a reminder that there's no such thing as "goth" or "emo" clothes! going to a thrift store there's no goth section or anything, just skirts, corsets, tshirts, jeans , ect. the whole fun part about being alt is mixing a matching to make ur aesthetic. being able to search up " goth clothes" kinda beats the fun outta seeing a goth in public and frantically trying to recreate that outfit from memory lol. which I feel like a lot of Shein lovers think of the subcultures
✧Jaltsito✧
Jmmm, as a person that lives too in a "third world" i think that it's important to invite the peaple to diy their clothes and be creative with them, cause that makes it better and authentic. But to call poser to any one that just buy something in a fastfashion store or themu or anywhere or call poser someone by their clothes i think its too bad, remember me to that metal heads who tell u "tell me 3 songs of that band" and i know that it's important to know what are you wearing but too it's important to not be a fashion cop even a subculture cop and call yeah ypu posser. I mean that's more posser than use themu clothes.
But it's true that if you like something, do it, don't buy damaged clothes or things that want to be diy and its so simple to make, its like ? (hehe been hypocritical here).
tysm if you are reading at this point <3 and. JUST BE YOURSELF AND BE FINE WITH OTHERS <3
Kenny !
you're so right. people on tiktok hands out the word poser to describe any person getting into a new subculture and stumbling on their personal flare, but more accurately it's people who literally pose themselves in a position to be seen DUE to their style/takes for the attention or money, like industry plants and clean goth girl shopping hauls. "if you don't like it look away" doesn't apply when someone barges into an established place with morals and guidelines and breaks it all "apparently" for the same cause as the rest. these cultures are MESSY and IMPERFECT because we as humans are, so please go mess up trying to bleach a shirt for the first time because it makes you more hardcore than buying anything online will. so many of us in these cultures have been dirt poor for decades, but we can always source things as ethically as we can to support fellow working class people.
""if you don't like it look away" doesn't apply when someone barges into an established place with morals and guidelines and breaks it all "apparently" for the same cause as the rest."
No, but it rlly does, liek... It's just not that deep, man, let ppl have fun XD There's rlly not a lot of subcultures that r SO STRICT that if u admit 2 buying ur bleached shirt instead of making it urself, ur considered a poser- Like- Not a lot- Only ones I can think of off the top of my head r punk and maaaaybe goth and dats it- And it's most likely gonna stay dat way, srry? (Not rlly nah- XD)
Shirt from Temu or shirt u made, both look hxc so who cares- XD Honestly I rllllllly wouldn't recommend forcing DIY cuz it 100% takes the fun out of DIY- XP DIY used 2 just be a chore I did cuz I wanted 2 fit into my subculture and something that was actually pretty anxiety inducing, stressing over if it looked "DIY" enough, when I stopped caring and did it of my own volition it actually became as fun as ppl say it is- XD Just let ppl live, man- XP Just a piece of advice from ur ol' Baizey bear ;D
by xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx; ; Report
it just kinda matters when kids die in factories to make this stuff
by Kenny !; ; Report
NOW HOOOOOOLD ON PAL- I wasn't saying dat it dosen't matter on a *moral* level, just not on a subculture level- Y'know, a poser isn't just "Any1 I think is a bad person" XP There's some places I won't buy from 4 moral reasons, but if some1 else does I won't call them a poser- Dat just dosen't rlly make sense 2 meh XD I don't buy from Temu cuz well- It's low quality and breaks easily and I just kinda don't trust shady sites like dat 2 not steal my credit card or something- XD But I know ppl in subcultures who buy from them, no issue, nothing "poser" abt it- If u wanna argue from a moral aspect go right the hecc ahead- A "poser" aspect? Nah, u lost me- XP
by xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx; ; Report
our subcultures started on our morals and therefor they are directly linked! if you go back far enough in history, you'll find the goths were inspired by the punks and so on so forth, it all connects back to these core moral ideas. these cultures started from our needs and continue because we are still fighting for livability. i will not call anyone a bad person or anything for buying once from shein, but a consistent usage of it when claiming to be a part of the group that wants to dismantle those systems is a bit hypocritical. it might not make a difference to the fashion blogs, but it takes away the whole idea of the community and to the people actually going through the experience. it's basically just the thing of why be a part of the protest group when you're going to support the thing they were just protesting, yk? it just kinda makes the person seem like they're not into it for the ideas or community, but the face of it. i understand if you disagree, i just think our culture and our morals/ideologies are very tied together
by Kenny !; ; Report
I think where we disagree is the idea that *everysingle subculture* has a moral code; which is just factually not true. There's A LOT of subcultures that don't have one, emo, scene, mall goth, e girls/boys, pastel goth, mostly the more modern subcultures (2000-today) don't have any kind of moral code, and r more so based around fashion and/or music.
If u were talking abt punk or goth I could understand, but ur just 4getting that there's HUNDREDS of subcultures that AREN'T protest groups and r instead just cliques based around a similar music or fashion taste :P
by xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx; ; Report
Side note: I'm very much of the opinion dat there needs 2 be MORE subcultures w/o a moral code 2 them, I feel like having so many w/ such hard beliefs threatens 2 take alternative fashion from being a form of self expression and instead 2 being a uniform 2 advertise ur opinions :P From the top of my head the only ones dat r like this r punk and goth but WAY 2 many ppl want 2 turn emo and scene into dat and dats just a very bad idea imo XP Ppl should be allowed 2 dress a certain way and be a certain way without having 2 defer 2 an ideology :P
by xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx; ; Report
i see your point about it being very different as time has gone on, i guess i just wish people stuck to those grass root ideals a bit more. with things like emo and scene being so expressionate and loud, it'd be really cool to see more focus on strong moral codes like what people did in the early punk scene. you brought up the idea for me that when scene was popular, it was seen as the epitome of consumption, and maybe it was around that time we started to let go of morals being a large part of subcultures? either or i appreciate the debate, you're right that it's not possible to regulate that which doesn't limit itself. the only real "codes" i can think of for scene/emo since it's start has been fashion or socially based, and even since then it's changed a lot. The cultures and the ties between them had changed more than I thought about in all honesty
by Kenny !; ; Report
YESSS dat wuz my only issue w/ what u were saying! It just felt unfair 2 call some1 who's liek emo or scene a poser because of a tenant that's not even in *their* subculture. If it heeeeelps there r plenty of ppl trying 2 turn scene into a moral code, but I'm 100% not down 4 it- I think there needs 2 be subcultures dat aren't so radicalized and r just based on a small benign similarity; I guess u could call me "scene" and I *like* being in a subculture where I could find some1 who wildly disagrees w/ a moral tenant I have, I *like* meeting different ppl, I *like* dressing liek dis because it looks good rather than 2 show off "I think this way or that way", I like dressing 4 me, not 2 make some huge statement and I feel like ppl who just aren't that opinionated or who's opinions can't be summed up into one subculture OR who do have opinions but they just... Want 2 dress a certain way- Should be allowed 2 w/o being lambasted, y'know? I rlly do enjoy my subculture just being abt music and fashion and nothing beyond that, I actually even like the "mass consumption" part of it cuz I rlly like snooping in on what's trendy- Again, if it helps, the TMZ just follow the trend and what's selling part of scene has been largely lost- But I miss it- Honestly 4 scene I wouldn't say there rlly *is* any code, the word "scene" is derived from "music scene" so it's just ppl who have a similar taste in the specific scene music genres, that's what I rlly like abt it, it's very open ended and isn't specific or rigid like punk or goth, it's just guys being guys ;3 I will say though dat I rlly enjoyed debating w/ u cuz u were shockingly civil and rlly nice!!! :D
by xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx; ; Report
iкe's кaleidоscоpe. ☆
the children crave lead in their clothes
lmfaoooo
by rabbitfoot; ; Report
Nana 🫧
This !! And these ppl always water down every subculture that is currently viral (example: representing goth just as black clothes & an eyeliner) and turn them into "micro-trends".
MazenChichko
Fr & i dont understand why most people just buy off shein when diy is way more fun & u can make litteraly whatever u want
franci ♱
so real for this, there are so many fucking people that need to hear this. i also made a blog post about it (the one pinned on my profile), if u wanna check it out
Sage.exe
Okay but you do realize that stuff you can find at thrift storez can be given to them from someone who bought it from SheIn, temu, etc?? 90% of clothez are from China or slave labor. I understand your point, but it really doesn't make sense. Depop sellerz also get their things from China and sell it for more XD very silly how people think tho. /nm, and not meant to be condescending.
the point is that thrifting doesnt support or fund slave labour like buying new clothes does. yeah, the clothes are the same, the money just isnt going to bad causes. theyre already there, and buying second hand just means u dont have to support the industry. plus where i'm from, thrifting always comes with a charity donation, so youre doing good in that way too
by myka!!; ; Report
finley 🦇🕸️⋆⁺₊
THANK YOU for putting this out there. it’s literally so infuriating seeing “alternative” people buying all their shit off shein, temu, aliexpress, etc etc. there’s stores out there that DON’T profit from slave labor, and it’s actually frustrating to see ppl try & defend the ones that do. plus, the majority of alt subcultures are HEAVY on diying, it’s something EVERYONE can do, & there’s not rlly an excuse not to, you can’t be TRULY alt and buy into fast fashion. it’s literally contradictory.
xXBaizeZOMGAshbearXx
Usually I'm not the type 2 use dis word but dis is liek- Actually gatekeeping lmao- We need 2 get deez sticks out of our asses- XD
starcrossedsorrows
i love buying second hand shein stuff and making it look 10x better then it did on shein its so fun cause its always sold for criminally cheap and is so easy to diy cause the seams suck
its only "criminally cheap" because slaves are involved.
by crimson; ; Report
well obviously id never buy it from the company itself but buying it second hand harms no one, is cheap, and easy to modify. also id rather it be used then end up in a landfill
by starcrossedsorrows; ; Report
true, if someone else already bought it at full price before thrifiting it the harm has already been done :/
by crimson; ; Report
yeah i dont enjoy that fact but it feels more harmful in my opinion to let the things that were made harmfully go to waste after theyve been made idk if thats how everyone sees it but thats how i do
by starcrossedsorrows; ; Report
clover / lark
it kills me whenever i see a punk/emo/whatever USE FUCKING SHEIN omfg you’re missing the whole point of the subgenre its DIY DO IT YOURSELF
ray
the death of subculture, im sick of people saying theyre poor as their excuse to buy fast fashion.. cos new flash diy is CHEAPER!!! goths and punks in the 80s didnt have fast fashion everything was diy. if you love the shitty quality and look of shein clothing buy it second hand.
m0rty
holy shit can you save some kudos for the rest of us gah dam
Dont worry bro ill share som w u ^__^
by ♱ the crunchening ♱; ; Report
d͓̽̽r͓̽̽o͓̽̽w͓̽̽n͓̽
listen man i get what your saying but also its life and some clothes its nothing to get that upset about so what if ppl switch up every week i do that sometimes but thats because i dont like sticking to the same thing i like to switch it up. I also love rock and metal but i dont dress like i do. tbh i didnt read the whole thing it just came off as very judgy and ima jst say let ppl be theres so many online stores that do bad stuff including child labor and even stuff to animals but ranting abt it on here wont really help and not many people can afored the real deal so they gotta go for the cheap option i use temu for art supplies that honestly alot of the time are so much better then the other stuff ive used and for my nail charms etc
x.emoGURLL.x
thank uu for finally saying smth im tired of ppl buying shit from shein and temu like its low quality and its all slave work, finding a thrift store isnt hard and if u rlly dont live near one go on depop or thredup or smth and learn to style and customize clothes, i found like old gray and black sweater and all i did was cut off the neckline and now i get compliment on it, its rlly not that hard its simple diys
need help? go to youtube there are TONS of diys are there trust me
but u ate them up w that period 👏