This is a subject I have always been fired up about. It's why people will willingly spend hundreds of dollars on things that aren't even the best quality, let alone worth the investment. In middle school, I used to strictly be a name brand girl because in 2010 that's how you were cool. You had to have the Abercrombie shirt, the Hollister jeans, and our beloved Sperries. All these we relatively un-stylish and not flattering at all, but we had to have them to be someone. But why is it still about name brands six years later?
Girls my age would not be caught dead in Goodwill, and I basically live there. That's where the majority of my clothes and shoes come from. It's where my prom dress came from, for goodness's sake. But why does it matter? Clothes are clothes. Just because they aren't straight out of a factory doesn't make their quality dwindle. Americans feel the need to buy something that is super expensive because it is "innovative" and "never before seen" When in reality it is just as good as something you could buy at a second-hand store. Wasn't that raspberry beret that caught Prince's eye from a second-hand store? Just a thought.
I recently went into Anthropologie for the first time in Chattanooga, and there were so many trendy clothes (although I might add that I was a bit nauseous because it smelled oddly and strongly like a dentist office) and I got excited. I was looking around, holding items of clothing up to myself, disregarding to even check the price tag. Eventually, I came across a t-shirt. The material was thin, but felt amazing. It was very soft and flattering and it caught my attention. I started considering the purchase of this fantastic t-shirt. Until I discovered this thin, mediocre made t-shirt was $60. I got so frustrated! Why does something so simple and unoriginal have to be $60? I was appalled and the mood was ruined. I didn't even want to stay in there any longer because I felt like if I breathed too hard I would be charged a fee.
But this is my point: why are name brands such a big deal? In reality, what are you getting out of it? That little tiny logo? What are you paying for? The quality, durability, or function? Or the tiny tag that has the name on it? This has almost been a conviction for me recently, not just because I struggle with it, but because other people do. Don't get me wrong, saving up for something you really want that is expensive that is an investment, I say go for it. I am a firm believer in the " treat yo' self" rule. It is just something to think about. I think my recent trip out of the country really impacted me and my worldly views. Because the value of things decreases when you see the value of those who have nothing. I have never felt more grateful for what I have than I did after that trip and I encourage everyone to go on one out-of-country trip at least once in your life. It will change you.
Buddha once said a very meaningful quote that states, "When we free ourselves from desire, we will know serenity and freedom."
Free yourselves.
