We’ve Been Fighting Fast Fashion Since the Industrial Revolution

From the Triangle Factory Fire to Shein, the Garment Business Can’t Escape Ethical Quandaries

Attention-grabbing headlines constantly alert us to the ills of fast fashion. The multi-billion dollar industry churns out mountains of inexpensive-but-stylish clothing, much of it sewn in sweatshop-like factories in Asia and Latin America and sold by popular brands such as Shein, H&M, and Zara. The industry exploits workers, uses harmful chemicals, and causes environmental damage to the planet. The garments it produces are of poor quality, which means consumers keep coming back for more—and the cycle of harm repeats.

Social and environmental justice advocates taking aim at fast fashion direct their …

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Kari Lake Is Just the Latest Arizona Hustler

From Make-Believe Springs and Real Estate Scams to Disappearing Ballots, the State Soaks Up Hallucinatory Claims Like Rain

Kari Lake isn’t giving up. Even as she prepares to mount a campaign for U.S. senator, and more than two months after her election opponent was sworn in as Arizona’s …

Is This the 21st-Century Heroine’s Journey?

Women Don't Have to Reinvent All That Was Lost. We Only Need to Remember It

The decision to attend my first women’s retreat felt indulgent and nerve-racking. Indulgent, because it represented an escape from so many responsibilities. Nerve-wracking in that I didn’t know any of …

Destined to Be Trans, Muslim, and Indonesian

I Leaned Into My Faith and My Queer Identity—And Gained My Family’s Acceptance in the Process

“This is my son’s taqdir,” said my father—my destiny. “If I kicked him out for being who he is, then I reject what Allah has destined for him, for my …

An elderly man with white hair and glass and wearing a black jacket places a pink sheet of paper into a white ballot box. His other hand holds two other pieces of paper, one white and and one yellow. A younger man in a gray sweater stands behind him holding his own papers.

A Letter From Taiwan: Where Democracy Has Become a Rollercoaster

A Voting Activist on the Rocky Ride Toward Increased Citizen Participation

What are the obstacles and opportunities facing democracy today? Zócalo is publishing a series of letters to highlight how the world’s democratic ideals are faring in practice. From Taiwan: Negative …

What the World Can Learn From Trieste’s Mental Health Model

The U.S. Treats People in Crisis. Italy Envelops Them in Community

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …