Occasionally, you’ll see me engaged in a rant or two, be it here or some place like Facebook or Twitter. I have a lot of feelings, okay?!
Mostly, I have a lot of strong opinions about shopping, global ethics and the intersection of the two.
Ethics are important to me, and there’s no reason to sacrifice the environment, social rights, or labor standards in the name of a cute skirt. In fact, I have devoted a gigantic section of my site to ethical consumption, and you can find all of our posts about sustainable fashion & natural beauty on our Ethical Shopping page!
From a collaboration with eco-friendly brand, Butter LONDON.
For a period of time, I owned Awakened Aesthetic, a site devoted to living stylishly and ethically, but I decided to bring those philosophies back to Broke & Beautiful because – why separate them? I’m happy to do my best to shop ethically (or as ethically as I can) in every facet of my life… especially if I get to be super-cheap about it!
In other words: I am not a fan of fast fashion, and you won’t find me worshipping fast fashion meccas that flaunt low prices in exchange for social responsibility.
Researching the companies I make purchases from is par for the course, for me, and if I’m posting about something with sketchy ethics, I will definitely mention it. I believe people should make their own decisions about where to shop, but I think they should be informed! Whatever I can do to aid in that process, I’m happy to try.
Read This Post: On Being an Ethical Budget Fashion Blogger
Things I Like To See
This is a list of things I like to see when I’m shopping online, typically in the “details” section. They push all of my ethical buttons (in a good way). The more, the better.
- Made in USA
- Cruelty-free (meaning not tested on animals for any reason, in any country)
- 100% fair trade (meaning the workers who created the products were paid a fair wage)
- Biodegradable (meaning they will decompose into the earth without harming it)
- Carbon neutral (meaning the brand offsets its environmental effects proactively by planting trees, etc.)
- Charitable donation (i.e. “5% of each sale goes to Blah Organization”…)
I also give a lot of credit to brands that develop vegan products and gluten-free cosmetics. Neither applies to my personal lifestyle, but they are extremely important to identify and discover for those who need them!
Places I Do Not Shop Due To Ethical Reasons
- Urban Outfitters (see a small rant in this post)
- Forever21
- Victoria’s Secret
- Mango
- Romwe
- Choies
- Wal*Mart
This will be continuously updated!
Please feel free to contact me about any questions you might have regarding my ethical rants!
View Comments (4)
Hi! I just stumbled across your blog. I have been thinking about similar issues a lot in the past year - trying to figure out how it looks in real life to shop ethically and yet not spend a huge amount on clothing. I will definitely be checking your blog!
The Best part of your ethics’ list is, that you prefer things Made In USA. Appreciate your other mentions also. I hope you continue like this forever and inspire others to do the same.