Have you ever picked up a new sweater or pair of pants from your favorite clothing company and wondered where that piece of clothing was made? Of course you haven't.

We live in a consumer culture where we are so absorbed with buying that we never have to think about who made it or where it was made because frankly, it does not affect us.

We're surrounded by the idea that we need all of the trendy clothes, so it doesn't matter that women and children slave over articles of clothing under minimum wage in harsh working conditions. The clothes that we are buying often do come from harsh working conditions and we as a culture need to realize this. Everyone who regularly watches TV has seen one of GAP's catchy commercials flaunting its new line of clothing. Whether it is swing dancers or popular music stars such as Madonna, who catch your eye, these commercials leave an impression that GAP clothes are hip and very modern. One of the things that GAP does not flaunt around in its commercials is the fact that the company have been under media watch for some time now as sweatshop masterminds.

Personally, I am not concerned with fashion at all, so I believe that this is yet another approach to stopping sweatshops.

Truthfully, all my nice clothes come from my mom because she thinks I am a horrible dresser and feels sorry for me. I cannot recall how many times my mom has said, "Tim you look like a damn hobo, I am surprised people don't offer you sandwiches when you walk down the street." This may be pathetic, but at the same time I don't consider myself materialistic at all. Hell, my favorite shirt is a thirty-year-old bowling shirt my dad gave me when he was a professional bowler.

I am not saying my way is the only way or anything obnoxious like that; all I am saying is that we as college students shouldn't be wrapped up in expensive or name-brand clothing. We have much more important things to spend our hard earned bucks on, such as cheap cigarettes and forties of ice cold Colt 45. We do not need to change everything. We just need to stop being so tightly wrapped up in the material world. Just because I'm living in a material world does not mean I have to be a material girl (or boy).

That is what we have to do as students of Elon University. I am not asking you to cut off all your ideas of fashion, but I am asking you to make a statement to these big retailers like such as GAP to finally show them that these sweatshops are not acceptable and that we are well informed on the current status of their workers in other countries. We also could stop being so absorbed with fashion because frankly, it is stupid.

Elon University Pendulum © 2003