Representation of Readymade Garment Workers as Weak and Building Awareness of Ethical Consumption

A Study of the Garment Industry in Bangladesh

Abstract

　International development research has noted that people in the developing world, especially women, are often depicted as weak. This is the case both in PR brochures published by NGOs and in the press. This paper examines this image and how it is presented in a specific context - the promotion of ethical consumption. 　A particular focus will be placed on the garment industry in Bangladesh, which gained international attention after a building collapse incident in 2013. 　This paper will start with a literature review to help provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry. Then it will move on to a media analysis of a Japanese newspaper database and of a documentary film. These analyses will illustrate how the industry and its garment factory workers are represented through media. 　After the 2013 tragedy the industry received a great deal of attention raising public awareness of the issues affecting its workers. This paper will conclude that people in the Developing World are sometimes presented as weak in order to arouse sympathy and thus promote ethical consumption.