Don't get your panties in a bunch

Ever wonder what kind of life your underwear led before it was yours? I don't mean this in a "dirty" way. I mean this in a who-made-your-underwear kind of way. When you see a tag that says "made in pakistan" or made in "Jordan" do you really know what that means? Do you ever wonder about these people? Who they are? do they like their jobs? (do you ever think about these things, or is it just me)

According to the National labor comittee, the people who make Vicki's secret's panties, proabably don't enjoy sewing high priced panties for a living. But I guess if I had to work 14-15 hours per day with only one day off every 3 or 4 months, I wouldn't like my job either. Imagine having only 3.3 minutes to sew each panty, and getting only .04 to do so (these panties retail for $14 each). And if for some reason, you can't keep up with the pace of 18 panties an hour, your supervisor has the right to slap and beat you. Could be worse right, at least they get to go home at night, right? Wrong! These are imported workers who are being housed in dorms. Dorms with only irregular water, and no heat in the winter. So there's no respite for these people outside of work either.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking "why don't these workers protest their working conditions?" They did, and it did get them somewhere. Prison. The workers protested and asked to speak to management about how the production goals were too high, and the management's response was to imprison 6 of the workers. The 6 imprisoned workers have since been forcibly deported. And since they were only part way through their work contract, these workers are now owe money instead of having made money.

So, my point, and I do have one is this: Next time you are in Vicki's Secret and reach for that new cute pair of "pink" panties with the "made in Jordan" tag, think about where those panties have been, and the lives behind them.

-E