By Samhita Holla and Haley Kim
Across the globe, Shein has become an international industry that allows consumers to purchase a variety of trending clothes for an overwhelmingly cheap price. Since its 12 years in the making, Shein has taken over fashion throughout social media; from influencers posting “shein hauls” to “closet clean up” reels after a single wear. In addition, Shein emits approximately “16.7 million total metric tons of carbon dioxide” according to the Yale Climate Connections. The company is continuing to accumulate an insurmountable quantity of microplastic pollution in limited wastelands that is proving to be irreversible. Shein has persistently proven to be selfish in their own personal profit and disregards the toil it takes not only on the environment but on humanity. When will society finally acknowledge the greed and corruption that lie in the heart of this industry?
Shein intentionally violates labor laws by mistreating young adolescents merely for profit. With an environment built off of rapid production and cheap costs, distributors are pressured to “cut corners” by misusing and exploiting minors. In 2023, the company blatantly admitted to the use of child labor in painstaking work environments with little to no pay (BBC News).
Moreover, Shein workers are continually denied their humanity and are brought up in harsh, back-hunched labor for countless hours on end. They make a whopping 2.50 dollars a day, work for a meticulous 75 hours a week, and make an estimated grand total of 831 dollars a month. Shein workers are desperate to get out of this cage, but without a sustainable income, they are forced to stay, and cannot live but merely exist.
Next time you are upset about that one fraying stitch on your clothes, realize that it was not a malfunction from the machines but a child whose scarred hands slipped from exhaustion. Think to yourself, is that 7 dollar shirt worth someone else’s pain?
