Boycott Forever 21?

Documentary film Made in L.A. (2007) reveals an uncomfortable truth about the sweatshop industry in Los Angeles, capturing the lives of three Latina immigrants whose fight brings justice to the garment workers producing clothing for major retailer Forever 21. The film gives viewers an intimate look into the lives of Lupe Hernandez, Maria Pineda, and Maura Colorado letting us also celebrate their victorious win after a three-year-long boycott of the garment industry and pending lawsuit against Forever 21.
Unlike the many documentaries produced each year, Director and Producer Almudena Carracedo was able to convey a very clear message about human rights, rather than impose an opinion on an uniformed audience. It is apparent that these women, along with many other illegal immigrants, have been exploited and taken advantage of by garment industries that pay them far less than minimum wage and degrade their dignity as humans.
The fact that the documentary is almost entirely in Spanish further aids the understanding of where these women have come from and who they are. Subtitles are provided, however, as the documentary progresses you find that you have stopped reading them so carefully and focused more on the emotions these women feel.
The camera predominantly films the characters from a medium-long shot which seems like their lives and experiences unfold right before our eyes in a non-invasive way.
Just by simply taking a look into their lives we see Lupe Hernandez, originally from Mexico City, and Maria Pineda along with Maura Colorado who immigrated from El Salvador, transform from quiet, struggling women into powerful, fearless representatives of a widely oppressed population of exploited people. The courageous act of these women are inspiring for all. As an audience, we respect them completely for fighting and bearing their personal lives as they could easily be deported or blacklisted from future employers.
By learning about their rights from a small Garment Workers Center in Los Angeles, these women along with many others learn that if they stick together and fight for their rights, the system will crumble. However, by boycotting their jobs they are forced to look for other means to survive. We may wonder how these people are providing for themselves and maintain their homes and families. Here, the director fails to address how survival is possible during a boycott.
This documentary is able to convey a very clear message about human rights while showing the daily struggle of these immigrants who live in fear that they cannot provide for their families. They are humans just like legal U.S. citizens who deserve the right to be treated fairly in and outside of work. The cameras follow a particular strike in which the protestors stand outside of a Forever 21, in hopes of persuading others not to shop in the store. One scene in particular stands out when a woman looks at a garment she’s sewn in the window of a Forever 21. The garment sells for at least twenty dollars, when she received nineteen cents to make it.
Though the only commentary from a Forever 21 representative came from an Assistant Manager, holding a McDonalds cup in her hand, admitting that she “had no idea” Forever 21 exploited their workers, the documentary does capture the nature of Forever 21 C.E.O, Don Chang. After a protest at Chang’s home in Beverly Hills, he is filmed getting in a Range Rover and driving away, failing to address or comment on the strike. Shortly after this strike, we learn that he has filed a charge of libel against the protestors and the Center, something many big corporations do to intimidate others out of their lawsuits.
After a strenuous boycott, endless protesting, and lawsuit, the garment workers finally win when Forever 21 settles the case, instituting minimum wage and fair labor regulations for its workers. Hernandez, Pineda, and Colorado are all ecstatic along with the rest of the workers, we too partake in their victory. But, the end is bittersweet as we learn that much of the garment production ceases to exist in Los Angeles and Forever 21 moves their production to third world countries.
This film exposed an awful truth that many of us fail to recognize because the topic is widely absent from the media. Unfortunately, people will still continue to shop at retail stores like Forever 21 who exploit their workers because this issue does not directly affect them. For those who have seen the film, simply remembering one of the women whose life was directly influenced by the garment industry may stop them from shopping there all together.
My rating: ****
Rating Scale:
* Not good
** Interesting
*** A little more fascinating, but so what?
**** Wow, I didn’t know that!
***** Completely informative with views of the other side