The Problem With #Haul Videos

With back to school content now everywhere, so are haul videos. There are thousands of haul videos on social media with titles like “$5,000+ Back To School Clothing Haul” or “Huge Back To School Clothing Haul”. Whether it’s been for back to school or for any random Tuesday, haul videos have become a part of social media culture. The problem with haul videos is that they normalize overconsumption. Not only is it normalized, it’s glamorized. It teaches the younger generation that more is more, new is where it’s at, and our worth is tied to our material possessions.

With fast fashion and ultra fast fashion on the rise, consumers are buying more than ever before. The average Canadian purchases 70 brand new items of clothing per year and a garment is only worn on average 7 times before being considered old and then often discarded. Back in 2021, there was a stat that TikTok videos with hashtag #sheinhaul had accumulated approximately 4.8 billion views. That’s a lot of eyes watching overconsumption and looking to participate in whatever way they can. When Shein is offering items for under $10, folks are able to get that shopping rush without feeling a big financial strain. However, when cost per wear is taken into account, often these seemingly “cheap” clothes, cost more in the long run as they are cycled through quicker. 

So what is the messaging behind these haul videos? Sitting through just a handful of videos, you can pull soundbites like:

• “I did not get one but two boxes for this Shein Haul.”  
• “I already have this exact same top.’
• “This smells weird but it’s so cute.” 
• “I bought like 50 pieces.” 
• “Over the past few years, Shein’s prices have gone up. But when shirts are only $3, I guess I can’t complain.” 
• “I used to be able to get 68 items for like $200 and now I’m getting 60+ items for around $350.”

There is no circumstance where someone NEEDS 68 new items all at once. There is no circumstance where someone needs 68 new items in an entire year. Consumerism has become a Global North epidemic. “Up to 100 billion garments are produced by the fashion industry every year. And each year, as much as 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills. And, only 20% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally,” according to TheRoundUp.Org. When we watch a fast fashion haul, it triggers something inside us. It drives our desire to belong, to acquire, and to consume. What’s missing from the glamorizing of the hauls? The dirty truth about fast fashion. What haul videos don’t mention is that…

• The apparel industry is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions
• The farming of non-organic cotton depletes and degrades soil and is one of the world’s most pesticide intensive crops.
• Approximately 70% of all clothing is made with synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon. Synthetic fabrics are oil derived meaning that synthetics are plastic. Plastics don’t biodegrade and each purchase of clothing we make supports fossil fuel companies. 
• Clothing production has doubled since 2,000 meaning more clothing and textiles going to landfill. 
• And on top of all this, which is only the tip of the fashion iceberg, fast fashion exploits labour.  Fast fashion brands are notorious for cheap labour in developing countries. Garment workers (who are mostly women of colour in the Global South), are not paid a living wage, have poor working conditions, and lack job security and basic worker + human rights. We can’t support this.

Now some good news. There is currently a new trend on the rise. It’s called Underconsumption Core. According to Teen Vogue, “Underconsumption core is a trend where creators celebrate the repurposed and prolonged life of goods [and clothes] in their home …”.  “It goes against the dominant consumerist culture but also the dominant influencer culture of lifestyle that has been propped up since the 2000 to 2010s of influencer culture. In a way, it’s to go back to the origin root, or to celebrate the modern American, or modern consumer and how they’ve been living, which is typically more sustainable than what is being pushed out there,” says Isaias Hernandez, environmentalist and creator behind QueerBrownVegan.

With viral trends sprouting up on social media every week, it would appear that many of us have had enough. Could it be that we are finally getting tired of wasting our money on cheap garbage we don’t really like? Are we finally going to embrace the ways of the days before social media where we made due with what we have? Are we waking up to our wasteful habits and demanding more from the brands we shop with? With so many folks looking for ways to save money, could Underconsumption Core be the trend that launches true sustainable living into the mainstream? Let’s hope so. We need less haul videos and more look at this loved top I’ve had for years, videos. —Jen Pistor