The unintentional effects of intentional boycotts

By Caitlyn Sutton

Have you ever been clicking through Instagram stories and encountered the same call to action posted by multiple different people? In the age of social media, boycotts spread like wildfire. If a brand or corporation does not align with the morals of a group of people, there is potential for offended groups to call for a boycott.

Now, are boycotts all bad? Of course not. Boycotts can be catalysts for change. They put pressure on corporations and companies to change their policies or make for better conditions — but boycotts do not always equal action.

For example, SHEIN is an online clothing retail company, which many high school and college aged students use regularly. The appeal is from a mix of cheap prices and not having to leave the comfort of your home to buy clothes.

The issue with SHEIN is that it promotes fast fashion. The fast fashion industry is not the most ethical and it exacerbates overconsumption from microtrends. Buying from SHEIN and other companies with similar brand tactics tends to be shamed.

However, the truth is that online fast fashion brands tend to be a convenient way for people in our age group to get clothes when budgets are tight. Fast fashion companies may not be the most ethical retailers to purchase from and support — but sometimes it is the only option. Why should we boycott brands and shame people who can not afford to boycott them in the process?

Boycotting brands like Target for their DEI erasure is valid — to an extent. Small Black-owned businesses such as BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages have products that are sold in Target and the sudden boycotts can make sales drop unexpectedly for these minority businesses.

In this example, boycotting does the exact opposite of what the boycotters are aiming to do. This is why boycotting can be advised against.

If a chain such as Target is being boycotted, the items that are not selling will be wiped from shelves to accommodate the loss in revenue. Brands by small businesses are likely to be dinged by this, potentially having to shut down if their products are dropped from the almost 2,000 Target stores across the country.

Oftentimes, boycotting corporations does more harm than good. There is absolutely no guarantee that a boycott will cause a change in a company’s policies, so sometimes people are guilted into doing something — and the end goal never even gets met.

Our freedom of speech as Americans is exercised any time we boycott, but we just need to be mindful of how our voices are used. If a brand does not hold your political beliefs or share the same morals as you, there is the option for you, yourself to stop supporting them.

There is no reason to make others feel ashamed for buying what they need to get through their day-to-day lives, even if you do not agree with where they are putting their money. Boycotts can make companies feel pressure, but do not necessarily force anything to change.

Caitlyn Sutton is a freshman journalism major