To Have and to Have Not
I passed a billboard the other day on the way home from work that made me seethe with rage. It advertised designer menswear, jewelry, and perfume (?) with the single line: “The most expensive in the world!” If you’re the marketing director for this label, I want to punch you in your teeth with some solid-gold brass knuckles.
“The most expensive in the world!” THAT is your ONLY selling point?! Not “These are high-quality goods” or “Made in the USA!” or ANYTHING ELSE besides, “Our stuff will tell everyone exactly how rich you are!”?!
When I was younger, I used to get mad at my mom because she would always buy off-brand macaroni & cheese, and I would insist that she buy Kraft. Why? BECAUSE IT TASTES BETTER, not because I was worried that my friends would come over and see that we (gasp) didn’t buy name-brand mac & chee. There was a marked difference in the taste, so I used to beg her to buy the kind in the blue box — I insisted it was worth the slight difference in price. Did we stick with the off-brands for other things? You betcha. There was no reason to buy the more expensive versions of other things, because there wasn’t really a difference. But I was function over fashion with my after-school snack: I wanted Kraft because it tasted better, not because it looked better on the pantry shelf.
Now, with this brand, they offer no other reason to buy it other than for it to be an expression of your wealth. The ad isn’t even like, “Really well-made, which is why it’s the most expensive in the world!” See, I like clothes. I buy a lot of clothes. I don’t buy designer labels; I buy what looks best. If it’s from Target, awesome. If it’s from a slightly more expensive store, so be it. But I am buying the items based on what looks best and fits best, not what the tag says. (Sidebar: This is what bothers me about people who say, “I can’t afford to dress well,” because YES, YOU CAN! Kmart has some nice-looking stuff, people!) I am buying said clothing items so that I will look nice, and when people see me they will think, “Hey, she looks put together,” not, “Wow, she looks RICH!” Gross. (Here’s where I’m a hypocrite, though: I am brand loyal to Adidas, and do buy them because, well, they’re Adidas. But they just look better than any other brand of sneakers! If a pair of Adidas cost $5 tomorrow, I’d be elated! I would buy MORE, not LESS! It ain’t about status, it’s about LOOKING GOOD!)
I got off topic, sorry. My main point here is that I hate rich people.
