The Emperor's New Clothes

The media is totally taking a page straight out of fairy tales.
And it is getting pretty ridiculous at this point.
Are there really people out there so weak-minded that these tactics are WORKING?!?
I bet you are wondering who or what pulled my chain this morning, so I will tell you.

This monstrosity:



This is the latest effort by celebrities and the media to show us something heinous and make fun of it, but you KNOW in a couple of weeks people are going to be clamoring to buy things like it. IT IS AWFUL< FOLKS! It isn't going to get any less awful because it is on Kim Kardashian's arm...as a matter of fact, that right there should tell you that it is a trashy piece of crap. And Kanye COMMISSIONED this travesty...and he paid $40,000 for it.

Sometimes the items the media shows us aren't heinous but they aren't all that special either. But the public is really swayed by the LABEL. Oh, but Stacy, whatever could you mean? Oh I don't know, let's take a look:





And even:


I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with owning any of these things....if you really like them. But what I AM saying is that you could get something that looks JUST LIKE any one of these things at a fraction of the cost if you aren't obsessed with the brand. The Louboutin shoes are simply shiny black stilettos....you could get those in ANY shoe store in the mall. The Dooney and the Coach purses don't look any different from any number of purses you could buy at any store. They aren't special. The UGGs look EXACTLY like the ones they sell at Payless. (and by the way, I believe with all my heart that they are called UGGS because they are the most ugly-ass things I have ever seen AND they make you walk funny. I think they look stupid. I hate them. And I DO make fun of people who are wearing them) And Pandora....I know, heresy. But seriously, do you know that I have a bracelet that my bestie gave me that looks EXACTLY like that one that came from Kohl's. The beads are always on sale....some of them for...oh...$12. The bracelet fits Pandora beads so if there was a very particular Pandora bead, I could still have it.

Maybe it is because I am really not much of a materialist. Maybe it is because I want people to look at ME and not my clothing. Maybe it is because I am HIGHLY sensitive to being manipulated. But I SEE THAT THE EMPEROR IS NAKED. I want good quality things because I don't want to waste money replacing things. But I refuse to spend several times more for an item because of a logo.

What makes one of these scarves better than the other?

My scarf was probably about $25 and the Hermes $300-350.


What about these ballet flats?


The cheapest Tieks on the website-the ones above- which BTW aren't Nearly as cute as mine-are $175 and run as high as $295. Now mine...the gun metal grey ones with the black patent toes were $19.99 at Anne Taylor Loft and the leopard ones were $20 at Target. Those Tieks better make me fly or actually turn me INTO a ballerina.

We make fun of the infomercials we see for Bacon Bowls or Oxyclean or No-No or Pajama Jeans. We ask ourselves, are people really THAT inept at shaving? Do those REALLY look just like jeans? Is everything REALLY better with bacon? With the horrible acting, we just laugh.

But somehow when it is something high end, we fall for it. We buy into the "you get what you pay for" concept. And sometimes that concept is true. Cheap furniture isn't going to last. A pair of nicer jeans is going to fit better. But paying for quality is a far different beast from paying for a label. If you are willing to walk into Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch and pay $100 for a sweatshirt, then you need to be honest with yourself and say that you paid for the symbol on it...not because you were cold. It is the difference between making your self look nice/stylish versus trying to create the image of wealth. Screw that image of wealth. Where did we get the idea that that is important? 

Unlike Ms. Carrie Bradshaw, I would be a little embarrassed to wear Louboutins or Jimmy Choos. I wouldn't want people to think I was so wasteful with my money. I think it is irresponsible for most people to even ponder buying things like this. 

I'm not condemning anyone for these things....I'm simply presenting a new way of thinking about it. Maybe we STOP chasing the images fed to us by the media.