Why Do Celebrities Push Fast Fashion So Hard?

Opinion

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American Eagle’s latest campaign with Sydney Sweeney is odd... to say the least. The advertisements are sexually provocative, which is a little icky for a youth-facing brand during back-to-school campaign season. The script is poorly written at best and deeply malicious at worst, with a focus on the blonde, blue-eyed Sweeney’s “Great Jeans.”

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And all of it (plus Sweeney’s last few brand collaborations) have left me to wonder...is she in debt? Does she want to hurt her reputation? And most of all, why are big celebrities making fast fashion ads at all?

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Sweeney has collaborated with Hey Dude shoes, which are, to put it kindly, not the type of shoes you see A-list female celebrities wearing out and about. She collaborated with Dr. Squatch for a line of men's soap made with her bath water (no, I’m not making this up).

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These don’t seem like campaigns that a giant star would be doing.

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So why is she promoting poorly made, unethical, unsustainable, and controversial fast fashion? It could be an odd “any press is good press” publicity stunt, but my most likely hypothesis is just that she wants more money.

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This isn’t new; it’s just made more headlines than when it happened before. Celebrities promote icky fast fashion campaigns all the time.

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Nicola Coughlan and Lana Del Rey probably don’t wear Skims in their free time. Charli xcx isn’t performing in H&M tees. Naomi Campbell isn’t really wearing Pretty Little Thing to nice events.

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The fast fashion world relies heavily on celebrity worship for its marketing, so actresses, models, and singers sign on to campaigns for cheaply made clothing that they (probably) never personally wear.

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In the age of digital capitalism, advertisements and campaigns have to prioritize being the absolute clickiest they can possibly be. This means celebrities, sexualization, and controversy-fueling scripts and headlines.

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Often times, celebrities will justify these campaigns by saying that they want to make fashion more accessible, like Rita Ora’s “versatility for everyone” Primark collaboration. But “everyone” doesn’t really mean everyone.

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These fast fashion brands rely on a production method that heavily pollutes the Global South with all of their excess waste. Most of them have been accused of abhorrent labor practices, exploiting overseas garment workers who are primarily women of color. So is any of this empowering for all women or all low-income communities? Obviously not.

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These stars have the resources to know better and do better. Chappel Roan was blasted online last year for a Rolling Stone interview in which she said H&M does not belong in her world. Billie Eilish recently worked with sustainable fashion company BLACK PEARL to make sustainable style guides for each city of her European tour.

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Whether we like it or not, big stars have a huge influence in today’s world. They’re also some of the only individuals who have that much power and who can truly change the fashion world by saying “no.”

The next time you see a celebrity fashion campaign, remember to ask yourself:

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