Fashioning the Ecological Crisis : Sustainability and Feminism in Fashion Advertising and Communication in Contemporary Sweden
(2023)- Abstract
- The corporatisation of social justice (gender justice, LGBTQI+ rights, racial justice) and environmental justice ideals in the last decades has grown immensely in western countries, exemplified by rainbow-clad ATM’s during Pride month or Nike using images of NFL player Kaepernick’s anti-racism protest action of taking a knee during the USA national anthem in a marketing campaign. One of the industries that has been particularly inundated with symbols of social justice is the fashion industry. This dissertation focuses on articulations of the environment, gender, and race through a study of sustainability and feminist discourses in fashion advertising and communication in Sweden – a country that prides itself on being a leader in... (More)
- The corporatisation of social justice (gender justice, LGBTQI+ rights, racial justice) and environmental justice ideals in the last decades has grown immensely in western countries, exemplified by rainbow-clad ATM’s during Pride month or Nike using images of NFL player Kaepernick’s anti-racism protest action of taking a knee during the USA national anthem in a marketing campaign. One of the industries that has been particularly inundated with symbols of social justice is the fashion industry. This dissertation focuses on articulations of the environment, gender, and race through a study of sustainability and feminist discourses in fashion advertising and communication in Sweden – a country that prides itself on being a leader in sustainability and gender equality. The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting and environmentally damaging, for example, its contribution to climate change is significant. At the same time, profits from garment production rely on the exploitation of cheap, often female labour, predominantly from the global South. There is an inherent contradiction in discourses in the light of the material impacts which marks the importance of investigating the gender/environment nexus in fashion.
While public awareness of greenwashing and insufficient ethical standards in the fashion industry grows, mass-consumption of clothing is not slowing down as a consequence. This conundrum is a central question in the thesis. Through analyses of interviews, social media and visual advertising material, the dissertation seeks to understand how discourses of sustainability and feminism circulate amongst digital media and consumers. It argues that ideology and interpellation play an important role in maintaining the dream of sustainable and socially just imaginaries of fashion.
(Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Stora företag i västvärlden har de senaste åren i ökad takt inkorporerat social rättvisa (jämställdhet, HBTQ+ rättigheter, rättvisa i rasfrågan) och miljörättvisa i deras marknadsföring och reklam. Modebranschen är en av de branscher som har använt sig särskilt mycket av social rättvise-symbolik. Denna avhandling fokuserar på artikulationer av miljö, genus, och ras genom en studie av hållbarhet och feministiska diskurser i modereklam och kommunikation i Sverige – ett land som är stolt över att vara en global ledare inom hållbar utveckling och jämställdhet. Den globala modeindustrin är en av de mest förorenande och miljöförstörande, exempelvis är dess bidrag till klimatförändringar signifikant. Samtidigt är dess vinster beroende av... (More)
- Stora företag i västvärlden har de senaste åren i ökad takt inkorporerat social rättvisa (jämställdhet, HBTQ+ rättigheter, rättvisa i rasfrågan) och miljörättvisa i deras marknadsföring och reklam. Modebranschen är en av de branscher som har använt sig särskilt mycket av social rättvise-symbolik. Denna avhandling fokuserar på artikulationer av miljö, genus, och ras genom en studie av hållbarhet och feministiska diskurser i modereklam och kommunikation i Sverige – ett land som är stolt över att vara en global ledare inom hållbar utveckling och jämställdhet. Den globala modeindustrin är en av de mest förorenande och miljöförstörande, exempelvis är dess bidrag till klimatförändringar signifikant. Samtidigt är dess vinster beroende av exploateringen av billig, ofta kvinnlig arbetskraft, mestadels från globala Syd. Det finns en inneboende motsägelse i industrins diskurser med tanke på dess materiella effekter på miljön och människor, vilket markerar vikten av att undersöka sambandet mellan genus och miljö inom mode.
Medvetenheten kring greenwashing och modeindustrins oetiska praktiker är hög, ändå ser vi inte masskonsumtion av kläder gå ned som konsekvens. Detta dilemma är en av avhandlingens centrala frågor. Genom analyser av visuellt material i form av reklamer och poster på sociala medier samt intervjuer försöker denna avhandling förstå hur det kommer sig att diskurser kring hållbarhet och feminism cirkulerar kring digitala medier och konsumenter. Avhandlingen resonerar att ideologi och interpellation spelar en viktig roll i upprätthållandet av drömmen om hållbart och etiskt mode.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3f572db6-8a8c-4ce7-bf1a-e2a1f26121b8
- author
- Takedomi Karlsson, Mariko LU
- supervisor
-
- Andreas Malm LU
- Vasna Ramasar LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Gill, Rosalind, City University of London
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-12
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- feminism, femvertising, fashion, advertising, marketing, sustainability, consumption, gender, greenwashing, social media, feminism, mode, reklam, marknadsföring, hållbarhet, konsumtion, genus, sociala medier, femvertising, greenwashing
- pages
- 274 pages
- publisher
- MediaTryck Lund
- defense location
- Världen, Geocentrum I, Sölvegatan 12, Lund
- defense date
- 2024-01-29 13:00:00
- ISBN
- 978-91-8039-900-5
- 978-91-8039-901-2
- project
- Fashioning the Ecological Crisis
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3f572db6-8a8c-4ce7-bf1a-e2a1f26121b8
- date added to LUP
- 2023-12-19 11:40:17
- date last changed
- 2024-02-08 08:47:06
@phdthesis{3f572db6-8a8c-4ce7-bf1a-e2a1f26121b8,
abstract = {{The corporatisation of social justice (gender justice, LGBTQI+ rights, racial justice) and environmental justice ideals in the last decades has grown immensely in western countries, exemplified by rainbow-clad ATM’s during Pride month or Nike using images of NFL player Kaepernick’s anti-racism protest action of taking a knee during the USA national anthem in a marketing campaign. One of the industries that has been particularly inundated with symbols of social justice is the fashion industry. This dissertation focuses on articulations of the environment, gender, and race through a study of sustainability and feminist discourses in fashion advertising and communication in Sweden – a country that prides itself on being a leader in sustainability and gender equality. The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting and environmentally damaging, for example, its contribution to climate change is significant. At the same time, profits from garment production rely on the exploitation of cheap, often female labour, predominantly from the global South. There is an inherent contradiction in discourses in the light of the material impacts which marks the importance of investigating the gender/environment nexus in fashion. <br/><br/>While public awareness of greenwashing and insufficient ethical standards in the fashion industry grows, mass-consumption of clothing is not slowing down as a consequence. This conundrum is a central question in the thesis. Through analyses of interviews, social media and visual advertising material, the dissertation seeks to understand how discourses of sustainability and feminism circulate amongst digital media and consumers. It argues that ideology and interpellation play an important role in maintaining the dream of sustainable and socially just imaginaries of fashion. <br/><br/>}},
author = {{Takedomi Karlsson, Mariko}},
isbn = {{978-91-8039-900-5}},
keywords = {{feminism; femvertising; fashion; advertising; marketing; sustainability; consumption; gender; greenwashing; social media; feminism; mode; reklam; marknadsföring; hållbarhet; konsumtion; genus; sociala medier; femvertising; greenwashing}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{MediaTryck Lund}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Fashioning the Ecological Crisis : Sustainability and Feminism in Fashion Advertising and Communication in Contemporary Sweden}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/167058272/opponent_och_e-spik_Mariko.pdf}},
year = {{2023}},
}