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When Siya Gautam first showed up on my feed, she was throwing away all her polyester activewear. What a waste, I thought. Then the caption piqued my interest: “My very first investment in cleaning up my activewear with skin healthy fabrics.” The content creator picked Tencel Modal instead, which, she noted, is made from wood-based fibres and certified environmentally safe.
As a dancer, I’ve worn similar stretchy, sweat-proof clothes to my classes every day. Curious, I opened her page, and discovered a series of videos in which she routinely recommends non-toxic swaps for intimates, sleepwear and gymwear. Alarmed, I wondered, Were these everyday clothes causing unseen harm to my body?
Like Gautam, a growing corner of self-appointed investigators on social media is questioning chemicals in clothing and what they put on their bodies.
Almost all of them highlight the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) used in processing synthetic fabrics — petrochemical derivatives like polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex and elastane, commonly found in activewear, swimwear, innerwear, jackets, sweaters and blended fabrics — and are committed to making their wardrobes plastic free.
It isn’t just fast fashion, they point out: those wool blend sweaters and starchy cotton skirts at the upper end of the market almost always have a touch too much acrylic, polyester or acetate mixed in. Consumers have begun to ask: does premium pricing align with material integrity, and are we really paying the price with our health?
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