Pam’s Comments (group member since Dec 29, 2016)

Pam’s comments from the Our Shared Shelf group.

That's an important distinction and thank you for holding me accountable Barbara.

I in no way want to diminish your experience by letting a few individuals spoil something that has worked out in your favor. This is similar to snuggies. The inventor made these for individuals with mobility issues who have wheelchairs. But by selling them, making them to the mass audience, snuggies became mocked as people being too lazy. Costs came down; more people in the community could go on to use them, but they were tainted by individuals not understanding that this product wasn't intended for them

Thank you. I will amend my statement above.

Week 2: Agriculture and specific diets: Quinoa
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-la...
http://web.colby.edu/st297-global18/2...

The issue; The price of quinoa tripled from 2006 to 2013 as America and Europe discovered this new superfood. Quinoa was previously considered as a neglected crop – it was considered as a “peasants’ food with no commercial value but was a staple food to indigenous people of the Andean region over centuries because of its fantastic adaptive qualities and high nutritional values

The issue: But with the boon (a direct response to the gluten in rice and wheat) media reports started coming that the people who grew it in the high Andes mountains of Bolivia and Peru could no longer afford to eat it.

Here here

I feel that your taking my comment as a full blown attack. That's not the case.

It's a dialogue, where you say something, we respond and say something back.

Such as this:
Charles wrote I didn't want to put a link to that article because I didn't want to relay that shitty article...

My response is; That's odd. As you linked the article and created this thread. Why, as the thread and article are already here, and you are referring to it in the fourth response, do you not want to explain to everyone how much the journalists got wrong?

In addition I would add: Journalism is supposed to give both sides to a story, or else it's sensationalism and belongs in the tabloids.

If you wanted individuals to understand your argument about why journalists be so bad these days, than you should also explain why they failed, or else you run the risk of doing exactly the same thing.

Putting something out into the world that doesn't offer the full context but only to invite reaction is the same thing that you did in your reaction to journalism these days. By failing to offer context you just wrote an inciting thread meant to jolt responses.

Well here is the response. Be better. Give your audience the full scope so they can agree or disgree with your opinion that journalists need to do better.

It doesn't matter if you know Tarana Burke, Valerie Hudson, or Rosemarie Aquilina personally. You have to supply context when you are berating someone for not supplying context.

I think we can also point out that in reporting this tidbit you ended up doing the same things as the journalists you're calling out.

Her full quote is A lot of the healthiest relationships I’ve seen have been between same-sex couples because, I think, they have to sit down and agree [on] things. They agree [on] things between them as opposed to [accepting] certain sets of assumptions and expectations that are made. I’ve also kind of become slightly fascinated by kink culture because they are the best communicators ever. They know all about consent. They [smash that stuff because they really have to get it — but we could all use those models; they’re actually really helpful models.

The conversation is about consent. Specifically about those marganlized groups that tend to have the best track records on consent and where all people can look to as guides. It has nothing to do with her own sex life.

But by only mentioning that the journalists are only discussing one throw away bit and not explain the context, you are also adding to the speculation and missing the point of the conversation.

Lana wrote: "The sad thing is, it isn't just men who were judging women in the story, it was the women judging each other, refusing them their own full identities and making them disappear..."

Sø true

This month we're looking into Eco-feminsism which if you were not aware, is a movement born from the 1970's/1990's that sees a connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women. "These parallels include but are not limited to seeing women and nature as property and how men dominate women and humans dominate nature."

For a long time, most of the eco-feminist ire was against male dominated or stylized industries that perpetuate a gender stereotype like that of the oil and gas industry with it's phallic wells penetrating the crust of Mother Earth. But with Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion we're exploring an industry that is considered a woman's domain - fashion.

This isn't the industry of the burly lumberjack cutting down trees, but rather women with walk in closets unconsciously exploiting mostly women of color bent over a sewing machine working well over 40 hours a week for well less than the minimum wage. This industry isn't just pillaging the earth of limited resources but one that is also covering it in thousands of tons of discarded and unusable textiles every year.

As consumers of fast fashion we are complicit with supporting and encouraging companies to continue these unsustainable practices. But as consumers, we also have the power to demand better.

Join Our Shared Shelf as we explore the business behind fast fashion and ways we can promote more sustainable alternatives.

Thank you and we'll see you on the forums,

-The OSS Mods

Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism that sees environmentalism and the relationship between women and the earth, as foundational to its analysis and practice. Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyse the relationships between humans and the natural world.

Several ecofeminist scholars have made the distinction that it is not because women are female or "feminine" that they relate to nature, but because of their similar states of oppression by the same male-dominant forces. The marginalization is evident in the gendered language used to describe nature, such as "Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature", and the animalized language used to describe women. Some discourses link women specifically to the environment because of their traditional social role as a nurturer and caregiver. Ecofeminists following in this line of thought believe that these connections are illustrated through the coherence of socially-labeled values associated with 'femininity' such as nurturing, which are present both among women and in nature."

But the world was much different than when this term was first introduced in the 1970's.

How has our language evolved in the 50 years since then?
How has our perceptions of gender and gender roles evolved over the years?
How has Eco-feminism evolved since it began? Or, how has it not?

Week 1: Beauty Industry: Argan Oil
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-513...
"Whether it is being drizzled on salads or turned into face creams, Morocco's argan oil is the latest culinary and cosmetic must-have. But with sales soaring around the world, concerns remain about the pay and conditions of the mainly female workforce that produces the oil."

Industry: Production, which is almost all from Morocco, is expected to reach 19,623 US tons or $1.79bn (£1.4bn) by 2022 up from 4,836 US tons in 2014.

Workforce: An ethnic minority, the Berbers.

Pay: In the article; in this specific company: the women at the company are allowed to work as much as they like but make well below the minimum wage of Morocco

Issues effecting the Berber women
- Making Argan oil allows them to continue traditional practices and to hold on to this way of life.
- They make more money from oil production and have heath care now than if they became cleaning women in the city
- Before if they harvested oil for themselves; their husbands would sell the oil at the market and oftentimes keep the money for themselves.
- Automation is also competing against the Berber women; machines don't need health care and can produce the oils faster and cheaper (if not at the same efficiency)


What do you think?
What are your thoughts on this topic?
What solutions are available?

Hello OSS!

Overdressed, our Member Selected Book, takes a look at Fast Fashion and the many effects it has on the environment, labor practices, and industry world wide.

But Fast Fashion isn't the only sector or industry that exploits workers or depletes the environment at an unsustainable pace. Over the course of our 8 weeks reviewing this topic, I'll be adding one "Buyer Be-Aware" case study for everyone to read, review, and reflect upon.

Eco-Feminism encourages us to review how these industries are effecting our world and our people within it and asks for the community to come up with better solutions. These industries are here to stay (for better or worse), but as eco-feminists we can work to push for better standards, or implement better solutions that will make these industries more bearable for all involved.

Thanks!

Cline also wrote a follow up book to Overdressed that looks closer at the manufacturing process and the environmental impact behind our fashion choices


The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good

After you read Overdressed and want to learn more about the topics involved, check out this page for more books to explore.

Feel free to add more!

For Eco-Feminist Themes:


Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants


Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future


In the Shadow of Man


Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World


Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit

Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles

- Patagonia
https://wornwear.patagonia.com/trade-...
Patagonia’s Worn Wear Collection offers a selection of used products the brand buys back from customers, washes, mends, and redesigns. So far, the collection features everything from NanoPuff jackets to vests, pants, and trail packs. Customers who choose to trade in items at the Worn Wear shop will receive credit toward new gear.

But the upcycling process isn’t easy — clothes that are beyond repair are disassembled and pieced together to make other products. Patagonia takes materials like reclaimed nylon rain-shell fabric and recycled cotton to make travel bags, toolkits, and more. Items like these are part of the ReCrafted Collection.

“Patagonia repairs more than 100,000 items each year in 72 repair centers globally,” read today’s press release

- Girlfriend Collective
https://www.girlfriend.com/pages/about
Girlfriend totes itself as being a big fan of the environment and of slow fashion. And the proof is across their entire business lines. "A plastic water bottle can take up to 500 years to decompose. Each pair of our Compressive Leggings diverts 25 bottles from landfills and contains 79% RPET and 21% spandex." As well as 100% post consumer packaging, healthy dyes, and iso certified manufacturing facilities with wage and worker protections.

"And when you're done with the piece or there is wear and tear the company makes it easy to return it for store credit through ReGirlfriend. From the beginning, we designed our leggings to be recyclable with minimal spandex content and without other fibers that can’t be sorted out. (Some other activewear fabrics mix lots of different fibers which restricts recyclability.) This allows us to easily separate the fibers, recycle them, and fully close the loop.

Once we receive your item, we work with our partners, Unifi in North Carolina, to shred the leggings, separate the polyester from the spandex, and regenerate the fibers into fabric for new Girlfriend pieces. Meanwhile, you’ll be spending your store credit on whatever your heart desires."

In our EcoFeminism book, author Elizabeth Cline mentions that according to the EPA in 2010 "Every year, Americans throw away 12.7 million tons or 68 lbs of textiles per person*." While an article from The Times reports that "Great Britain throws away close to 300,000 tons of textiles a year.*"

This is clothing that is deemed to un-savable and non-recyclable. And we cannot assuage our conscious by dropping it off at a second hand store, either. According to Cline's research in 2010, "less than 20% of what is donated gets sold at thrift stores. About half isn't even considered, going straight to a post consumer waste stream."

Now that we know the stakes, let's take a moment to create a list of resources that can help us to Reuse or Recycle our clothing. What companies created recycling initiatives to help reduce the amount of textile waste that ends up lingering in our landfills.

Or do you know of any blogs, you tube videos or other resources that can help us learn how to mend or better care for our clothing.

Let's build our resiliency together!

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*the fact of 68 lbs / American from 2010 is now closer to 81 lbs/American in 2020 according to various sources.

*https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cl...

Please use this thread to coordinate book borrowing between members! Hopefully everyone who wants to is able to read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.

Please use this thread ONLY for offers of and requests for Paying It Forward. All other comments about the book and where you got it from can be posted in other relevant topics, such as the book announcement at the top of the discussion board.

Our Pay It Forward initiative is strictly with regards to LEGAL methods of book sharing (for example, sharing hard copies or Kindle sharing). Any posts regarding illegal scans/PDFs/file sharing will be deleted without warning.

Thank you.

What did you think of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion?

Did your perspective change about fashion after reading this? If so, how did it change?

But she is still a hero and not a sympathetic villain?

The colorism is real.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/prett...

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/societ... (whitening skin agents is a billion dollar industry)

You're not alone in thinking that, Frances.

I'm curious what everyone thought of Rin. Would you all describe her as the hero of the story?

Hello OSS!

Welcome to our June/July Book poll. Vote here! The topic for these months are Memoirs or Biographies from places outside of the US, UK, or Canada. This poll will be active between until the end of the month.

Much of what we have read in the past has come from these Western countries. We're making a conscious effort in June and July to explore topics beyond these shores. My thanks to everyone who helped provide names and options!

This poll is open for additional book choices. Please note, unless you add them on day one of the poll, they have a hard chance of gaining enough votes for the popular vote. That said.... help us expand our understanding and our "To Read" piles.

We're also going to try something new... this poll will be visible. You will be able to see which book is leading in the poll affording you the opportunity to change your vote if you had multiple favorites.

As always... let us know what you think! The OSS Mod Team loves to read your feedback!

Thank you and happy voting!

- OSS Mod team