Being fashionable means spending money

All the forms of popular culture have one thing in common - the message that to be fashionable we must buy things. Every time something goes out of fashion and something new comes in, it is time to get out the credit card and check book. When we choose clothes, music, and entertainment, we think we are expressing our individuality. In reality, we are following the fashions which are forced upon us by the small group of people who control the media and manufacturing companies. So, being fashionable means spending money.

대중문화의 모든 형태들은 한 가지, 즉, 유행을 따르기 위해서는 물건을 사야 한다는 메시지를 공통으로 가지고 있다. 어떤 것이 구식이 되고 새로운 것이 나올 때마다, 신용카드나 수표책을 꺼내는 시기가 된다. 옷, 음악 그리고 오락을 선택할 때마다 우리는 우리의 개성을 표현하고 있다고 생각한다. 그러나 실제로는, 언론 매체나 제조회사들을 지배하는 소수집단의 사람들에 의하여 강요된 유행을 따르는 것이다. 그래서, 유행을 따른다는 것은 돈을 쓰게 된다는 것을 의미한다.

Does it matter if people are paying for image instead of substance? Many of the arguments against brands are similar to those long depolyed against advertising; that the lure poeple into buying things do not need or pay more for things than thay are worth ; that they lead to unhappiness among those who cannot afford them ; and that they represent a triumph of consumerism over human values.
A particular concern is that brands are increasingly targeting younger people, who are more prone to the desires and insecurities that emotional branding seeks to expolit. Many parents today despair at their children? obession with brands, a phenomenon unknown in their own younger days.
On the other hand, it can be argued that brands are just harmless fun. consumers are not stupid; they know what they are doing when they pay extra for branded products, and happily do so for the cachet they bring. The pleasure of owning a Prada handbag would be greatly diminished if Tesco sold them for the price of a can of baked beadns.
In a sense, the argument seems pointless since brands, like advertising, and essential part of the consumer society. As long as competitve capitalism exists, brands are here to stay.

 

관련글1] 2010/10/21 - [Think something] - 아이폰을 꼭 써야 하는가

관련글2] 명품 쓰니 행복하십니까…年 5兆 ‘봉’ 노릇한 당신 “한국만 오면 4배 뻥튀기”…명품에 중독된 코리아
              http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/show.asp?idx=1867581

관련글3] 5000만원 벤츠 한국에선 1억 넘게 http://news.donga.com/Economy/Car/3/0109/20120824/48803153/2

관련글4] 시장(Market)에 대한 철학적 성찰 / 이정전 서울대 명예교수 [프레시안]
             http://www.pressian.com/article/article.asp?article_num=60090626184114&section=02