Two weekends ago I visited Bordeaux with a girlfriend of mine from London. She was in dire need of an escape from the taxing city life and I needed to know that the world was still spinning outside of my little town where not much happens.
As we got lost around the city on the second day, we had happened on top of the hillside of one of the main high streets in the city. From there, as far as the eye could see there was a sea of heads quickly moving from one shop to another. There was such constant movement and chaos that if I didn’t know any better I would have said some sort of incident had taken place. As we waded our ways through the crowded streets and shops, I was taken aback by the rampage that was consumerism. There were clothes everywhere, nothing was on sale, yet people were still intoxicated by it all. After all, the price for a simple pair of blue jeans—though not of the best quality—was still cheaper than a meal.
I suppose I was so stunned by everything because I no longer shop from brick and mortar stores, with the exception of vintage stores. So, I don’t physically see how cheap clothes make us look like greedy monsters. Because of fast fashion and the sale phenomenon, consumers have developed a bargain psyche as opposed to a quality-focused one when it comes to clothing and fashion. No one ever really ever speaks about how much they appreciate the quality in a garment or product anymore, but rather the price they pay for it. Life in general has gotten more expensive and if it hasn’t for some, I feel we live in an era where we feel pressured to spend in order to survive when we truly don’t need it. Therefore, I could understand from a budgeting/ economic perspective where bargaining for the cheapest price seems necessary.
