I found the discussion about how we define ourselves through commodities and brands interesting. It’s something that we don’t really want to admit to ourselves but there’s usually some type of brand or consumerism that we associate with our personality and how we differentiate ourselves from others. For some people it’s cars or if they’re and I phone or Android user.
I don’t care about cars and I don’t really understand the differences between different kinds of smartphones. Instead, I define myself by the clothes and accessories I wear. For me, fashion is a way of expressing myself and I get joy out of putting together what I’m going to wear each day. I went to a private school where I had to wear a uniform. Being creative with the way I accessorized was a way to differentiate myself. I recognize though that fashion is intrinsically linked with consumerism and defining myself through fashion means defining myself through brands. Or the inverse of not wanting to identify with a brand because of its style, image, and actions. For instance, I like the playful, quirky, and colorful quality of Kate Spade earrings. I don’t resonate with Lilly Pulitzer or J. McLaughlin because I view them as too preppy and associated with country club culture.
The commodities we decide to buy and not buy can be highly tied to our ideology. My thesis is about sustainable fashion and the obstacles/friction people face in deciding to buy from sustainable clothing lines. Some people will refuse to buy from fast fashion brands like Zara because of the harmful impact fast fashion has on the environment. Buying from these brands would be a threat to their identity as being eco-conscious. Even though it’s based on ethical reasoning, they are still defining and differentiating themselves through consumption patterns. Others don’t want to buy from sustainable brands because they view them as a less fashionable and of lower fabric quality since this often means not using fabrics like fur and leather. Based on their perception of sustainable fashion, purchasing sustainable brands would be a threat to their identity as fashion-forward.
ReplyDeleteHello Erin, I really agree with your post. I feel that as the years go buy, our society keeps relying their happiness in material things and commodities. We are always in denial because we do not want to see the truth and admit that our lives are dependent in capitalism. Consumerism is almost an unconscious action we do without wanting to. The problem comes when people abuse their privileges to buy unnecessary objects to fufill their desires.
I am the type of person that really does not care about brands or getting something new. I had my I phone 5 until sophomore year of college. Still, I know of people that always need the new I phone whenever it comes out or some people that keep buying 5 Cartier bracelets and add dimonds to it. Even with cars, I am happy with whatever car my parents can give me, but I still see people that are obsessed on getting a big brand car.
I believe that this idea of consumerism takes part of a certain type or sub-culture and ideology. Coming from a private school and now going to Rollins that is a very lets day ‘privilaged’ school, I am able to see how being part of this upper class society, brand and consumerism seems normal. When I used to be part of a sorority, I remember I was really nervous when big/little came and I had to get a little. I really wanted to get a little and participate in that process, but everyone in my chapter always went of the top to give their little baskets that included really expensive gifts (they prob all spent at least 600$ ), and I felt pressured into making my little’s basket special and good. I definitely did not spend that much money, but I still regret falling into that sub-culture of consumerism.