This just in: Poverty is the hottest new trend! Want to join us in the forefront of fashion? Ditch those outdated designers and embrace the latest fashion craze: poverty core. It’s all about looking like you just stumbled out of a dumpster but in a totally chic way. So, grab your worn-out sneakers, a ratty-worn old hoodie, and a look pitiful enough that people look at you with disgust. It’s time to be the IT girl of the streets!

Unfortunately, society has never faced the issues of poverty with respect. To the people who live comfortably above the poverty line, the communities that suffer from poverty as victims of a capitalist world can easily be brushed off as a non-issue. The way poverty has been viewed and presented in media is through three main avenues:

1. Stigmatization 
2. Infantilization
3. Ignorance

Stigmatization is the most prevalent of the three reactions. Strangely, those who are impoverished are despised publicly and openly despite over 700 million individuals enduring extreme poverty, meaning their daily income is less than $1.90. This hate usually comes from middle to high-class groups, particularly from first-world countries. The most frequent complaints are that people in poverty are too lazy and unproductive to get themselves out of poverty. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The way the economy has set itself up is one in which you must be middle class in order to live comfortably and not survive paycheck to paycheck. While the argument can be made that some people in poverty simply lack the work ethic, which resulted in their class status, to generalize 700 million people over an assumption is ignorant. The federal minimum wage has been a mere $7.25 for over 12 years. According to Drexel University, employees working full-time at minimum wage cannot afford basic necessities, such as food, housing, transportation, childcare, and healthcare, in any location across the country. The minimum wage should not be mistaken as a liveable wage, especially given the drastic increase in the standard of living. The cost of living in the USA is considered relatively high, with expenses for housing, healthcare, and education ranked among the highest in the world. You would think that to respond to the spike in the cost of living, there would be a proportional increase in the minimum wage, but you would be wrong. The only thing increasing at a proportional rate is the number of jobs you need to have to afford a single slice of bread, let alone a whole loaf. From there, don’t even think about the nightmare of trying to feed a family on $7.25 an hour.

But interestingly enough, we seem to have jumped from the degrading and patronizing conversations we had directed at those in poverty to straight-up mimicry. It seems that a new trend popping up on social media is “underconsumption core.” This is a trend where participants can display their minimalist lifestyles with worn-out items, demonstrating that they, too, are victims of the expensive progression of the economy. However, instead of displaying the impact that expenses have despite economic class, the trend has transformed into a mockery of the working class. The recent videos of the trend depict a misleading caption proclaiming that they only have one or very few of a particular item, only to put an extensive and excessive stock of the item in the background of the video. Proponents of the trend may argue that they simply want to show that they find themselves in situations where they cannot have back-ups, but that argument can only truly apply to the origination of the trend. However, even in this case, the trend seems almost demeaning to those who live under the poverty line. Presenting underconsumption as a simple choice insults people who have no choice but to live a “minimal” lifestyle because job accessibility is limited and expenses only continue to grow. The recent videos only cause further harm to those under the poverty line. To pretend as if you are unable to purchase more while simultaneously revealing that you do have the means to fulfill your purchasing desires is proportionally more disrespectful than honoring any possible positive impact that “underconsumption core” may have had.

However, the mockery does not end in the digital world; it has manifested in fashion as well. Magnolia Pearl is an up-and-coming brand that has made “poverty-core” into a luxury brand. The idea of “distressed” clothes has taken on an entirely different meaning with the brand. Magnolia Pearl may argue that it is a mere extreme of the “boho chic” look that fashion brands tend to seek; however, the brand seems to be completely ignorant of how their version of “boho chic” can be damaging. By selling clothing that seems to be “raggedy,” it mocks the reality that 150 million people live. The issue here is that the “tattered and dirty look” has negatively impacted the homeless population to the extent that looking homeless will get you shunned and ignored. This was the case “in Manhattan’s Port Authority, Penn Station and Grand Central [Train] Station, [where homeless people] began showing up in the corridors… in business attire, suits and dresses. They understood [that] if they dressed nicely and looked normal… police were less likely to harass them, and they might be more successful [avoiding the rhetoric of being the crazy homeless person].” Magnolia Pearl’s glorification of impoverished aesthetics while simultaneously disparaging the very people who embody them is a stark example of classist double standards. This trend perpetuates harmful stereotypes and reinforces the notion that the struggle of the poor is a mere means of entertainment for the rich. The fashion industry’s obsession with authenticity is a hollow irony, exploiting the very people it claims to celebrate. The cycle of exploitation continues: The poor are commodified for their style, while the rich profit from their suffering. By supporting companies such as Magnolia Pearl or engaging in trends like ‘underconsumption core,’ we contribute to negative stereotypes and strengthen the economic divide that we pretend to aim to end.