The perilous nature of some fashion items have a long history, from the potentially to the damaging . But health-harming trends aren’t a thing of the past.
Author
Naomi Braithwaite
Associate Professor in Fashion Marketing and Branding, Nottingham Trent University
Fast fashion, the making and selling of cheap clothes with short life-spans at mass volumes, has become a notorious modern-day phenomenon – so much so that in 2023, the attempted to crack down on the “overproduction and overconsumption of clothes and footwear” to and .
Fast fashion might be cheap but its environmental costs are dear. The detrimental of the consumer appetite for trend-driven disposable clothing – and the consequential impacts on – are well known. But is a comparatively under-reported danger of consumers’ continuing love affair with fast fashion.
Affordable, on-trend clothing is often made from synthetic materials that can . But garments can also contain including (synthetic chemicals used widely in consumer products from non-stick baking tins to clothes), , and .
Approximately are used in the fast fashion manufacturing process, with residues . Alden Wicker’s 2023 book, , reveals the unregulated use of and the impacts these can have on our health. , for example, which are , causing a health issues.
And there are other, perhaps more surprising, potential dangers lurking in your wardrobe too.
Trainers and sneakers
Trainers have become the most popular shoe style of the , transcending fashion boundaries of gender, race and age. The – buoyed by brand collaborations with hip-hop and pop stars such as , and the line – has increased consumer demand for footwear that’s both and has .
This is a trend that shows no sign of going out of fashion: according to predictions, the global sneaker industry will be worth . But how bad can it be to value comfort as well as style?
For example, wearing trainers too much can lead to , a condition that’s impossible to reverse. The trend for platform trainers isn’t much better: this style can be a painful . And sock sneakers – trainers that look like thick, usually colorful socks with rubber soles attached – is the style to a sprained ankle.
The best bet is to opt for athletic trainers that are designed to offer a supportive fit.
Waist trainers
Waist trainers, brought into vogue this century by , are similar to the corsets and girdles of the past. They are designed to pull the wearer’s waist in as to achieve an eye-wateringly – TikTok speak for creating the illusion of a tiny, accentuated waist.
Endorsed by influential celebrities such as and , the waist trainer, if worn over a prolonged period, may help achieve a temporary . And like the corset, the waist trainer does seem to – it may , for example.
Waist trainers and similar shapewear can also give the appearance of significant weight loss. But any actual weight loss from wearing the item is most likely because of water loss through – muscles in the core are used less while wearing waist-trainers, so long-term use can lead to muscle wastage.
Also, the pressure exerted on the waist and internal organs can cause appetite loss. Perhaps unsurprisingly, prolonged wearing of waist trainers can result in such as acid reflux and, in more extreme cases, the pressure on the diaphragm can cause respiratory problems.
If that isn’t enough, wearers of waist trainers and corsets may be at . There’s also a reported case of a woman who developed (a serious condition usually caused by a blood clot) after wearing a waist trainer – although such extreme health outcomes are very rare.
And while the potential health risks of wearing waist trainers might seem overwhelming, a study in the found women who wore them following a cesarean delivery experienced less pain.
Heavy earrings
The emergence of the , with its of fur coats, leopard prints and , has also popularised weighty earrings. But the of heavy earrings can cause elongation and thinning of the earlobe, which in extreme cases can .
To correct the damage caused by wearing excessively heavy or large earrings, lobe surgery has become one of the .
But it is not just heavy earrings that you may need to be wary of. Large , although seemingly lightweight, can get caught in hair and clothes. In 2023, a TikTok video of a woman showing the tear in her earlobe caused by a large hoop earring went viral, with over .
Ill-fitting thongs
Love them or hate them, . From showgirls at the World Fair in the 1930s to 2023’s for wearing a thong peeking out from the waistband of clothing, these notorious items have been rubbing us the wrong way for almost a century.
Renowned for being uncomfortable, it’s perhaps unsurprising that ill-fitting thongs can cause intimate irritation and chafing, especially if made from synthetic fabrics.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. that a well-fitting thong made from natural fibres, alongside regular washing of underwear and scrupulous personal hygiene, can ensure thong-wearers enjoy their whale tails in comfort.
Naomi Braithwaite does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
