Clothes factories in Tamil Nadu (south India). Garment workers have 8-10 hour shifts, forced to complete upwards of 1,000 garments a day for a pittance. Very dangerous work. Abusive supervisors.
Most of the workers wear flowers in their hair. Roses, jasmine, home-grown blooms. Knowledge of how to keep flowers fresh for longer passed between workers.
Managers say that the flowers are frivolous high-spending; obviously not. They’re salvaged from temple offerings, gifts to factor visitors, scavenged, foraged, home-grown &c.
Some womens’ children work as flower pickers before/after school.
Worn because they provide a rare piece of adornment in their lives.
Within the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU) (women-led :)), stopping wearing flowers is a sign that she is facing violence at home and for someone to check on her.
Widows are traditionally forbidden from wearing flowers, since they are “socially dead”. Within Tamil culture, flowers are linked to feminitity, auspiciousness and social inclusion.
Union leaders offer widows flowers when they come to their offices.
Of course the real issue facing these workers is not a lack of money cos they spend it all on flowers; it’s a lack of money because they’re being paid poverty wages by the factor owners. Wages average a third of a living wage.
Global fashion brands need to exert pressure on these factories to raise wages, and we need to exert pressure on the brands.
My takeaways:
- Fuck capitalism!!!!
- very cool how cultural practices surrounding flowers can be extended in solidarity and workers rights.