More Than Just Designer

We are experiencing phenomenon where clothing and possessions equate to worth even more so than ever before. Whilst luxury and wealth have always been recognised as the tell-tale signs of success, when simply navigating through my social media accounts I am besieged by my peers’ new Louis Vuitton bag, Alexander McQueen trainers and Mercedes cars.

Whilst the best of us may infrequently indulge a little piece of luxury; a ring for a 21’st birthday or some tech following an accomplishment, I’ve noticed more and more so the growing keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ sensation diseasing our social media. It started with a friend of a friend leasing a £400 per month Mercedes whilst living with their parents. Whilst, in my opinion, it seemed a bit counter-productive and wasteful, I reminded myself that it was exactly that- an opinion, and where people spend their hard-earned money was none of my business. 

But then I reflected upon Christmas day 2018, when taking a quick scroll down my Instagram feed I was bombarded with post’s flaunting piles of presents comprising the latest phone, headphones and clothing. Okay, maybe strange things are happening. 

Last week, I saw a viral tweet whereby a girl was called out for posing with a fake Louis Vuitton clutch. That’s right, someone actually took time out of their day to see if a strangers bag was true designer or not. Yikes. 

What surprised me most? The woman in the picture responded to the aforementioned tweet, not questioning why the girl might feel so deeply concerned about the price tag behind an aesthetically similar bag, but instead, shunning her ‘ex-friend’. The woman claimed her friend hands told her it was a fake, and appeared equally appalled that she was holding a bag that, execution-wise, would not have altered the look whether the price tag was £750 or £75. 

This superlative society in which we are living in is often sanctioned by fast fashion conglomerates as ‘freeing’, whereby we are granted the ‘privilege’ to explore our identities. Yet when a person chooses to replicate an appearence that they may not be able to afford with ‘fakes’, they are slammed and exiled. In actual fact, high-street in its entirety is based upon designer catwalk trends, not to mention your ‘Kim K’ inspired dress from PrettyLittleThing.
I have no problem with people indulging in designer items, maybe they want a t-shirt that feels a bit more special, or simply want to indulge in higher quality items. It's fine to like what you like! However, it should be questioned whether you are putting your money into what you personally love, or what you are told you should (yes, I’m looking at you, Instagram). The inspiration that truly made me think (perhaps too deeply) to write this post was another tweet I saw last week. I’ve posted a picture of the tweet below, and I ask that you seriously think about it. Does seeing this reassure you and your worth? Or does it terrify you that this has to even be said?