Lessons From a Red Dress

Who can resist a bargain ?

I thought I’d order a red dress from Amazon.

My wardrobe is mainly white, navy blue, and camel, with a few black items, and so I thought this would really be cheerful. And what a bargain price was advertised !

When the dress arrived, there were a few disappointments, the first being the sense of body shaming I experienced. The dress was labelled XL ( extra large) !

In North America, I am considered to be a medium sized woman, with a normal BMI (body mass index). However, the dress came from China, and there, according to cultural standards, perhaps I would be considered to be especially ‘large’.

Nevertheless, the dress fit me, and I removed the tag displaying the size.

The next disappointment was the strange chemical smell of the garment, which was decidedly unpleasant. After hanging the dress outside in the sun, and then washing it, the strange odour disappeared.

Suddenly I was overcome with conviction, and realized how petty and entitled my attitude was ! I had complained about the size label, and the smell of the dress , without considering the health and safety of the workers who work in challenging conditions , using a variety of dubious chemicals to make clothing.

May God make us aware that people work in extremely uncomfortable conditions to produce ‘bargain’ products for us.

I enjoyed wearing the cheerful red dress, and remembered the people in far-away factories who had created it.

Nevertheless, I cancelled my account at Amazon.

I’d rather wear the clothes I already have rather than wear items that almost certainly involved some human suffering.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

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