Exploitation is defined as the mistreatment of an individual in order to benefit from his or her work or in Marx’s terms it would be the proletariat working for the bourgeoisie. A popular fashion chain, Forever 21, has been accused AGAIN recently of sweatshop labor. This is not the first time Forever 21 has been accused. Forever 21 has been running sweatshops in the United States in the state of California before the year 2001. They have employed Mexican immigrants to provide others with cheap clothing and great deals. Women are the ones that make up most of the labor. Made In LA (2007), a must see documentary, is about three women discussing their working conditions, wages, and the inequality they experienced when working at Forever 21.
One of the women named Guadalupe Hernandez explains that she was paid four dollars working ten hours a day with no overtime pay in a factory with no bathroom or water running. These women have to put up with these poor working conditions in order to provide for their families whether they’re back in their native homeland or in the United States. Marx describes, “Labour power is, therefore, a commodity which it’s posser, the wage-worker, sells to capital. Why does he sell it? In order to live.” (Marx, 204) Although these workers are paid less than minimum wage ($8.50) they still accept this exploitation to bring goods to their household or better yet to survive. The capitalist makes a living by owning the means of production and receiving a profit while the proletariat is forced to sell their labour power.
Marx divides estranged labor or alienation into four different categories: process of work, product of work, workers, and species being. The process of work is basically an individual working for someone else. A poor Korean immigrant couple named Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang founded Forever 21. Secondly, the object of production is not our own but is the bourgeoisie’s work. The object of production in this case is the cheap clothing for both women and men. Third, the workers, also known as the proletariat, are the ones who have to work long hours, suffer poor working conditions, and are barely paid. Lastly, their species being is being demolished. The bourgeoisie are robbing them off their time and energy. For example, they’re working these long hours but yet aren’t able to take a break or spend time for themselves. They tire themselves out in order to receive their wage.
The U.S. Department of Labor has requested Forever 21 to release their labor records but Forever 21 has refused to comply with the request. It’s time to bring awareness to others who don’t know what Forever 21 is really doing. Yes, women get beautiful yet cheap clothing but what about those women who don’t get paid properly.