woensdag 10 november 2010

Celebrities supporting fair trade clothing

According to the famous Harry Potter star Emma Watson, everything should be fair trade.
She wants to contribute to this cause by creating a range for the ethical clothing brand People Tree.
Many people think this is just another example of celebrity endorsement. What are her intentions? Does she want to polish her image or does she really care about the awful situation in developing countries? It appears that Emma Watson really is concerned about fair trade. During the whole process, she was involved. I do think it’s extremely important celebrities use their status to bring fair trade to our attention.
What happens in the fashion industry, has a big impact on people, especially when a certain brand is promoted by a famous person. She’s a young actress, and adored by many female teenagers. If she sets a good example, many teenagers will follow and be more conscious when they buy clothes.
Miss Watson thinks it’s better to buy their clothes than just deposit money. In most cases, cash doesn’t help the poorest ones. Buying fair trade clothing ensures that these lower classes  will benefit too.
Why can’t everything be fair trade? Of course, fair trade products are more expensive. But a survey shows that most people are willing to pay more for fair trade clothes. Fair trade products allow the very poorest in developing countries to make a decent living. The whole world would benefit.
It sure is a little sad that people consume fair trade products just because of the fact an actress is involved in the campaign. But that’s what it takes to make people care about fair trade and buy fair trade products.
Justine Bleuze - Group 5

2 opmerkingen:

  1. In my opinion, celebrities can play an important role in spreading the fairtrade message. Definitely in this early stage it’s crucial to have some leading characters that can convince consumers to follow their lead. Due to the fact that fairtrade is a global issue, Hollywood seems to be the perfect place to find the right man for the job. Even so, this “chosen one” ought to really be concerned about the cause and actively show his or her interest.

    So to conclude I can say that I agree with Justine that a little bit of celebrity endorsement can’t hurt if that’s what it takes to give people that extra push towards ethical shopping.

    Jules Branswyck – Group 5

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  2. Emma Watson’s initiative deserves a lot of respect. In our modern society, the importance of the celebrities is often underestimated. They are role models for lots of fans who copy their behaviour.

    It is good to know that some celebrities use their status to try to make this world a better place to live in, instead of going to parties, drinking too much or just enjoying their happy life, without caring about the problems of others. As Emma Watson is well known by children as well as by adults, her influence is huge. It is praiseworthy that she uses her power to focus on the big fair trade-issue.

    Bert Aelter – Group 5

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