Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences
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Why do the people with the least income feel the need to buy the most expensive clothing?
User Detail :
Name : Margaret22217, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 27, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Graphic arts, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Conspicuous consumption is all about crafting the way you wish to be perceived. Some people believe that being seen with expensive possessions will make them appear affluent.
User Detail :
Name : Sunny27765, Gender : F, Age : 24, City : New Orleans, State : LA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Because of my low income, I haven’t bought any new clothes in more than a year and a half. I can’t afford to!
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Name : Bill, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 43, City : Naples, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,i did notice that as well. i suppose it is to deter from the ‘social’ status. wearing certain clothes makes people perceive you in a certain way. dressing in expensive clothes won’t give away the fact that you’re poor.
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Name : ilona, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 30, City : new orleans, State : LA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,They don’t, as a group, you just notice the ones that do.
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Name : Gatorboy, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 55, City : Melbourne, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,It’s less expensive than going to jail for stealing.
User Detail :
Name : Harry Highstreet, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Aliens, Disability : Mental, Race : First Place, Religion : Messlopian, Age : 68, City : St. Clair, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : Author, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,If you really want more information you should read some of Ruby Payne’s work. Essentially she says that clothing is valued by the poverty level for its individual style and expression. Personally it seems to me that most people who have less money are trying to fit into a world where it is almost impossible to be accepted if they are different (not having much money).
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Name : Kristina Krueger, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 24, City : Muscatine, State : IA, Country : United States, Occupation : Social Work, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,People with little to no money cannot buy status and prestige, a thing that seems to come almost naturally to those with money. In buying (or just owning) name-brand, expensive clothing, these people move up in status! The same reasoning applies to natives of the Amazon, people in ghettos and trailer parks, and to the wealthiest of the wealthy…
User Detail :
Name : Leah20106, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Pagan, Age : 28, City : Arcata, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Musician, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Though I am not poor, I work at a restaurant as a busboy making minimum wage. My parents let me live in my house and eat for free, (they also pay for school related stuff) but everything else I have to buy. When I first started working, the intention was to save up enough to buy a car. What happened though, was, it was taking so long to save up enough money, and that was without having to pay for a lot of things many poor people do. I got very discouraged and the result was the attitude ‘I can never save up enough, I might as well just spend it on what I want.’ So I bought a bunch of nice shoes and clothes and an xbox. This translates to people who may be discouraged when trying tos save up for a house, and they end up with with really nice things on a much smaller scale (i.e. cars, clothes, toys for kids).
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Name : Abe, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 17, City : Birmingham, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Bus Boy, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper class,First, I want to say that not only have I observed the clothes thing, but also other aspects to those who are lower-socioeconomic class – the women spend a LOT of money on getting their nails and hair done, tanning salons, etc. The guys seem to spend their money on trucks, TVs, computers, and guns/sporting equipment. We come from a lower-upper class family, but my sister (with a Master’s Degree) just married into a middle-lower class family, and now she is acting just like them in her spending habits, etc.! She ‘wastes’ what little money they have on a barely-used car, movies, DVDs, eating out, fancy clothes, etc. instead of improving their house (it has windows out and no AC/central heat, etc.). She has become a ‘victim’ of this class of people. I think that these spending habits might be from inferiority – ‘The rich people can spend money any way they want, and debt isn’t a big deal anymore, so I’ll spend for today!’
User Detail :
Name : Lisa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 33, City : Tallahassee, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Professor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Well, look at what we all grow up with, especially the urban youths, their role models are usually professional sports players or rappers. Those are really good examples of how to budget your money. Plus there’s the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality, you are what you own, you’re nothing without the ‘bling, bling and the Bentleys’. Also it’s a kind of parallel to the people who are on welfare spending money on alcohol or cigarettes (or to a lesser extent, Pepsi). Do they need it? Not physically, but psychologically. The poor NEED to treat themselves to some luxuries; it’s what makes life bearable, even if it’s just a little bit more.
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Name : Nick, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Not interested, but not entirely disbelieving, Age : 23, City : Navarre, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : Pan Machine Operator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I grew up without a lot of money, and now I’m getting a welfare grant while I finish school. Personally, clothing is one of the last things that I buy, but it’s a really big issue for me. I’ve never been too poor to buy food or necessities, but I’m always stuck wearing second-hand clothing or clothes that don’t fit right on me. I’m not trying to whine here, I’m trying to make a point — Having a certain standard of clothing may seem trivial, but it makes a big difference in how people perceive you. Having very little money, little education and so on already causes many people to look down on you. Wearing nice clothes can be a way to counter that. I know that when I do go out of my way and save up to buy a decent looking outfit, I feel much different out in public. I walk with my head higher and I feel more pride, causing me to expect more respect from people than when I’m dressed in ripped or too small clothes.
User Detail :
Name : Kassy26786, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : St. Paul, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Intern, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower middle class,All the people I know who have just graduated college and have low incomes buy their clothes on sale, from thrift stores, or places like Wal-Mart. My family endured financial hardships while I was in college due to several factors including lack of jobs with sustainable income and massive downsizing of businesses in our area, resulting in layoffs. During that time I developed a passion for thrift shops. I find a lot of practically new expensive brand name clothing at these shops. Some of my friends also save up for special expensive items just because sometimes it feels good to own a couple pieces of fancy clothing. Plus, though I can’t speak for all brands, usually the more expensive brands have better craftsmanship and last longer, so you don’t have to buy as much clothing.
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Name : Marie-J, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 22, City : Green Bay, State : WI, Country : United States, Occupation : cafe worker/graphic arts degree, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,People who have less money tend to spend a lot on the way they look because then they don’t seem like they’re poor. If you wear nice clothes and nice shoes and nice jewelry then people wo’nt think you’re poor, which is something all poor people hate: having people know they are poor.
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Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 19, City : Columbus, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : Cust Service Rep, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class,I don’t think all people with low incomes feel the need to buy expensive clothing. My family was poor for most of my childhood, and all my clothes came from Wal-mart or similar stores. However, I know that there are people who do this. I think the reason for this is a status issue. People don’t buy something by Louis Vuitton because it’s so cute or extremely well made. They buy it because it’s associated with being high class. So some people feel if they have something associated with being high class, they’ll be perceived as high class, and in turn feel better about themselves.
User Detail :
Name : Manda22322, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Memphis, State : TN, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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