I don’t think it’s cool that Gomez didn’t acknowledge the protesters that showed up at the Adidas NEO show carrying an enormous banner which read: “Selena: Don’t be an Ambassador for Sweatshops.” That’s direct and I think reasonable. All it means is, Gomez has influence and it would be great if she tried to use it to make things better for people that weren’t dealt the same outrageously good hand of cards. Selena didn’t respond to the protesters IRL or later, when she mentioned the show on Twitter: “Amazing show for @adidasNEOLabel tonight!! They looked amazing.” Amaaazzzzing.
The situation with sweatshops and factory labor conditions is, for those of us that follow fashion, the single most important thing we’re not paying enough attention to. I get that the word
“sweatshop” reads very Nineties, but grunge makes a “comeback” twice a month and I don’t hear anyone complaining. (Haha, jk I complain alllll the time.)
The protesters were from a group called United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and as the website LaborNotes uh, notes … they showed up to raise awareness for a recent Adidas factory closing in Indonesia which put 2,800 people out of work. USAS claims that Adidas owes the now-unemployeed factory workers a collective sum of $1.8 million in severence pay. The Selena Gomez / Adidas NEO action was part of a larger campaign which is kicking off to get students and unviersities to stop buying Adidas merchandise.
Image via Getty
