When I started this course, I had no idea what I was getting myself into because I had no idea what wicked problems were, and every time I go to class and tell my friends I’m going to my wicked problems class, they ask me what in the heck is wicked problems. I tell them Wicked problem is a course where we learn about the social or cultural problem that is either different or impossible to solve, and we do this based on the fashion industry. This class is challenging and very interesting because there are many issues in the fashion industry. The problem is that no one really talks about the problems in the fashion industry. Everyone just kinda pretends it is not a real issue. Some problems are impossible to solve, but some can be translated, but it is hard to find a solution.

  In wicked problems, we read chapters from books and articles about issues, and we really go into a deep conversation about the subject. We answer questions about how it affects the environment and how we can solve it. I really like this class. I get to learn how to look at problems differently and try to find solutions for them. We have to be able to solve sustainable issues, and that helps the environment. 

   In the fashion industry and in life, you have to find ways to be sustainable and help the environment. In life and in the fashion industry, everything is constantly changing. It never stays still. We have to find ways to be sustainable and save the environment. For example, no more fast fashion. Fast Fashion is the number 1 issue in the fashion industry because the whole reason fast Fashion is literally designed to be replaced quickly, and it just ends up in the landfill because it is not degradable. Fast Fashion might be cheap, but it is not affordable for our environment. Fast Fashion is also full of toxic chemicals and dangerous dyes that are bad for us and the environment. One idea I have for fast Fashion is once we are down wearing the item and when the company wants to eliminate it. Instead of people throwing it away, we can donate it to goodwill or a homeless shelter, so someone indeed can wear the clothes. So it does not end up in landfill that hurts our environment.

    Besides learning about wicked problems, We also know about mindfulness in class. Mindfulness is essential because it is a type of meditation that focuses on what you are sensing and feeling in that moment. On January 25th, I test positive for mono. Mono is terrible. You feel like you will die because you are in so much pain from your spleen and liver and lymph nodes being so swollen. You are also stuck in bed for weeks because you are so weak that you can not get out of bed or sit up in your bed, but when you can sit up, your ribs dig into your swollen spleen. When we started to meditate in class, I could not do it because deep breathing was a killer to my spleen. Still, as I began to get a little bit better, I started to meditate in class, and it kinda helped the pain even it really hurt to breathe deeply, but it kinda helped the pain after even it would not last long, but it relieved some of the pain. 

   Meditation also helped me with my stress and my anxiety. I have horrible anxiety and stress. Meditating is perfect for stress and anxiety because you have to stop taking long deep breaths, focus on your breathing, and try to forget what you are stressing and having worries about. I also meditate before my test because that’s when I highlight the most, which usually helps me be calm before entering the test room. Mediating is a great thing, and it does not take long at all. It takes as long as 30 sec to a minute. 

This class has taught me a lot it taught me a lot about all the problems in the fashion industry and in the world. I know they look at Fashion differently. I was never for fast Fashion, but now I’m really against it. We need to find a solution because we can not keep doing this to our environment and filling up our landfills. I now have a positive outlook on Fashion and the environment. We should never give up finding ways how to save the environment. The class also taught me how important mindfulness is, and it can help protect our mental health, and it can only take a minute. We need to start being sustainable and help save our environment.