Can You Really Be an Ethical Fashion Influencer? A Moral Inquiry

So you want to be an ethical fashion influencer. You care about the planet. You thrift. You know about Rana Plaza. Maybe you even bring up the pains of capitalism on your platform. But here’s the kicker: can you really influence people when you still buy and promote things, even slow, “conscious,” or recycled things, but still call yourself ethical?

Let’s unpack the moral mess of fashion influencing through a few ethical theories, some consideration on performative activism, and a dash of existential dread.

The Ethical Dilemma: Consumption vs. Conscience

Let’s start with the obvious tension: Influencers, by design, promote consumption. Even if you're hyping up handmade, upcycled, organic cotton panties sewn under the full moon, you're still encouraging someone to acquire something.

But if the alternative is people buying fast fashion from Shein, isn't it a better option… still better?

This is where utilitarianism comes in, a theory based on maximizing overall happiness and minimizing harm. A utilitarian influencer might argue: If my post gets 10,000 people to shop from a small ethical brand instead of H&M, I’ve reduced harm. That’s moral, right?

Sure, if it makes people happier and reduces harm. But what if that same post still encourages consumption? What if it pressures someone with limited income to “invest” in a $90 ethical sweater they don’t need? What if it turns “sustainability” into another aesthetic to keep up with?

Now we’re in murkier territory when it comes to creating happiness amid harm.

Slow Fashion Deontology: The “Do the Right Thing” Theory

Deontology, unlike utilitarianism, doesn’t care about outcomes, instead, it focuses on duties and rules. It asks: Is this action right, in and of itself?

If your principle is: “We should not encourage unnecessary consumption,” then influencing, no matter how “green,” might violate that principle. Now this is a very simple example and breakdown, but you get the idea.

Yet, it showcases that making a product, even ethically made, for the sake of aesthetics or affiliate clicks, is morally wrong, according to a strict deontologist.

See the moral tension in slow fashion?

There is complexity in trying to do better. You can get stuck between wanting to inspire better choices and not add to the noise of the endless shopping culture. This is the paradox of the ethical influencer, while the pressure of bills lurks on your shoulders.

Performative Fashion Activism and Identity Capital

Now let’s talk performativity. Being an “ethical” fashion influencer can easily become more about looking good than doing good. Talking about labor rights gets you praise on Instagram. Wearing vintage on TikTok gets you clicks. It's a great brand…. but then it isn’t.

It is performative activism, and it thrives when we confuse intent with impact.

You might intend to raise awareness about garment workers …. but if your platform profits from centering yourself there, are you doing what’s right? And if your outfits focus on aspirational aesthetics and filter your values through curated hauls, what’s the moral impact?

In some cases, your message can get drowned in your self-image and looks.

For other ethical influencers, the message becomes the images you show.

That's when we slip into dangerous territory that can make ethics a costume for branding, not a moral compass.

The Struggle of Fashion Ethics in Capitalism

Here’s the truth most of us avoid: You can be an ethical fashion influencer and still promote capitalism to survive.

You promote slow fashion, but you need to post constantly to keep engagement up…… You want to empower others, but your “sustainable” lifestyle may still be inaccessible to many. You share anti-capitalist values but rely on affiliate links for income. This can make your efforts entrenched in playing within our capitalist system, so even when you call for change, you are forced to exist inside the very system you want to challenge.

It’s uncomfortable. It’s messy. But it’s real when you have to pay bills.

And maybe that’s the point.

We are not perfect under the legacy of capitalism’s violence against others.

Ethical Fashion Influencing in a Recession

The goal of influencing shouldn’t be about moral perfection. It’s moral honesty.

Influencing, like fashion, is layered. We can’t fix it by pretending we’re above the contradictions. We fix it by naming them, sitting with them, and doing better where we can.

So we should ask ourselves:

Am I centering education over aspiration?
Am I honest about what I don’t know?

Am I pushing people to buy, or helping them pause to think?

Am I creating space for conversation, not just conversion?

The ethics of influencing are not clear-cut. But that doesn't mean you can't still act with integrity, care, and consciousness.

And being a truly ethical fashion influencer might mean stepping out of the spotlight sometimes. It might mean using your platform to amplify labor organizers instead of just your outfits. And it might mean reminding your followers that the most sustainable clothes are the ones they already own.

Ethics in fashion influencing isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions. Staying grounded in your values and PLEASE remember that being ethical isn't a static label, it’s a constant practice…….. Even if your fit is fire.

XOXO,

Elle