Emily Niebuhr is an English senior and an opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
Halloween is a multi-costume, multi-day affair in college and cutting circles out of a white bedsheet and being a ghost isn’t good enough anymore.
With the click of a button, you can order every outfit and accessory necessary from fast-fashion retailers like Shein and PrettyLittleThing. Want to be Harley Quinn? A pirate? Or some kind of bunny for under twenty dollars? They’ve got you.
It’s cheap, convenient and fast. But what are your bunny ears really made of?
Fast fashion is not only bad for the environment; it’s bad for you. That cute, inexpensive skirt has hidden costs in the form of hazardous chemicals.
Forever chemicals on your skin
Greenpeace tested 56 Shein products — here’s what they found.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or forever chemicals, are chemical compounds that break down very slowly over long periods of time. Widespread use of PFAS in clothing, cookware and packaging has led to the contamination of water, soil and animal and human bloodstreams.
The Environmental Protection Agency determined that exposure to PFAS can interfere with hormones, increase the risk of certain cancers and affect fertility. Unfortunately, there are many gaps in research because their effects are difficult to quantify due to their wide range of applications.
Greenpeace found that seven garments, specifically jackets, contained PFAS that exceeded legal limits by up to 3,300 times. They also found carcinogenic heavy metals, lead and cadmium, in two products.
Overall, the study found 11 hazardous substances in 18 of the 56 products at concentrations exceeding European Union regulatory limits.
What’s the big deal?
As a leading fast-fashion brand with over 600,000 products, it would be impossible to test every gold bangle and graphic tee for cancer-causing chemicals. But the likelihood of their presence in other products is high. Shein’s largest manufacturing and distribution centre is in Guangzhou, China. Many products circulate through these factories with loose regulations, resulting in chemical contamination.
KnowTheChain is a branch of the Business & Human Rights Centre that assesses labor conditions and strives to promote supply chain transparency and the removal of forced labor from major corporations.
Shein scored shockingly low on their 2024 assessment — 14 out of 100. Within the “Enabling Worker’s Rights” section, they scored five out of 100.
Aside from ethical concerns and health concerns, Shein represents perhaps one of our biggest wastes of resources. The company is a fast-fashion black hole. Shein has laughably committed to a model of decarbonization, yet according to their own 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report, their emissions increased by 23.1% between 2023 and 2024, from 21.3 million to 26.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Shein is scarier than any Halloween horror movie. Like most major companies, it prioritizes profit over the health of its workers, consumers and the planet.
Go closet shopping instead
Still unsure about ditching your Shein shopping cart? I would never suggest wearing less than three costumes, but I’d argue there are better ways to find them.
Madi Gates, a statistics junior, mixes buying new accessories with reusing old clothing.
“I try to thrift some costumes,” Gates said. “My sister donated a red dress that I wore for a Betty Boop costume and then I borrowed some of her other stuff.”
A lot of students also turn to websites like Amazon for convenience, which presents similar ethical dilemmas to shopping from Shein. I’ll admit, I did that last year when I was putting together a Judy Hopps costume.
Shahbano Aurangzeb, a biomedical engineering junior, has done the same.
“I usually just pull from my closet, but if I need one piece, I’ll go to Amazon and buy that one piece, usually an accessory,” Aurangzeb said.
Ordering an accessory or two from Amazon or Shein can be cheap and convenient, but it’s not as convenient, free or fun as a friend’s closet.
Kylie Anderson, an architectural engineering junior, has a creative solution for her Halloween costume.
“I try to make one, and then I try to throw one together with what I have in my closet already, and then usually I’ll borrow one,” Anderson said. “I don’t like spending money on costumes.”
Shein may seem cheap up front, but it has hidden costs. Before you click deliver, check out a few other places. The perfect accessory can often be as nearby as your own closet. You’ll avoid exposing yourself to cancer-causing chemicals and that awkward moment when you realize you’re wearing the exact same mermaid net skirt as everyone else.