Harriet Blog #4

Out of the three essays, the one I found the most interesting was "Clothing Optional." This essay brought up a lot of points that were really surprising to me, and things that never would have crossed my mind. The author discusses some of the negative and even dangerous sides of clothing, especially cotton clothing. I had no idea that jeans are dangerous, because they are dyed using toxic processes. The author also mentions why cotton clothing is dangerous. Cotton is treated with tons of chemicals, because it is so susceptible to pests and diseases. These pesticides can have harmful effects on people that wear the clothes made with this cotton, and even more harmful effects on the people that make the clothes. The pesticides kill a shocking number of people a yer, which is between 20,000 and 40,000. This author really brings a new pespective to the clothing I throw on each day, and don't think twice about. Gina Sinisi then brings up a lot of safe, economical alternatives to buying the dangerous cotton clothing. This includes buying organic cotton, second-hand clothes, doing clothing swaps with a friend, or buying hemp clothes. This article was really eye opening for me and was really informing. I like the way she organized this essay, by presenting the downfalls to cotton and then giving safe alternatives to help the environment, and people on the other side of the world.