Yesterday, when I was having tea with a friend (spent only $1.92 instead of $7+ for lunch, BTW) she suggested we do some clothes shopping together next week. Apparently, there are some nice sales at the beginning of August. I didn't know because I mostly shop for my clothes - when I need them -- in second hand stores, T.J. Maxx or Target. I hemmed and hawed and said that I'd look around with her, but that I didn't really want to buy anything for myself -- the trip would be for her. Long story short, I told her I typically shop at second hand stores. My friend (who is retired, not in financial trouble, but on the other hand also not wealthy enough to permit any significant travel) made a face and said: "I'm worth more than that!" I explained to her that I had bought the gorgeous dress I had worn to a fancy event we had both attended a few months ago (and which she and others had raved about) at a second hand shop for $5. But she was not convinced.
We eventually changed the subject, but I was left perplexed at the exchange. Why would someone ever think that their worth as a person was somehow connected not just to how nice the clothes one wore were, but exactly where one had bought them. It was even more perplexing to me, given that this friend is very liberal, an activist, an artsy-crafty type, loves to dress very casually -- i.e. -- not one to adorn themselves with branded clothing for appearances sake. Really how can someone think this?
I suspect that this thought is some kind of meme that entered society through some kind of advertising campaign and has been uncritically accepted by some (including my friend). Does anyone know the history of this kind of thinking?
Well, after some introspection, I realized that I do think this way about spending but only spending on one kind of thing: health care and many things health related (but even here, it's hardly anything goes). We also indulge in travel, but the thinking is not because we are "worth it," but because it's just something that's pleases us, extends our experience and enriches our lives.
Thoughts?