How very stereotypical. Clothes are just another escape, much like drugs, or overeating, or 1,000 other little indulgences that we spend money on. The poor are no more or less apt to have poor spending habits on clothes than anything or anyone else. The question you want to ask is, 'Why do poor people waste their money on extras they don't need instead of saving for a better tomorrow?' Simple answer: All work and no play makes for a miserable life, no matter your economic status.
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Name : Bruce-J, Gender : M, Age : 33, City : Shawnee, State : KS Country : United States, 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 dont think this is the majority of lower class people. It's probably just a few people you've met. In fact, basically all upper class people purchase clothing simply because it's expensive. But the reason I can think of is, for one thing, they want to fit in. Others may not know where you live or how much is in your bank account, but they can always look at what you drive and how you dress to pass judgment on you.
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Name : Kim26353, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 19, City : bakersfield, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : varies, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : 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.
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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, It's part of the lower class culture I've been there done that when I was lower class. Now I still do it because it is professional to do so.
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Name : Jones Ingram, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 27, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Real Estate, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I'm poor because I choose to be a stay-at-home mom, and I don't buy the most expensive clothes but I also try not to waste my money on off-brand clothing because it falls apart very quickly. So maybe poor people are really saving themselves money by buying more expensive clothing. I know with my children's clothes, especially if I buy, Levis or Gap, the jeans last much longer look brand-new longer and can be passed down to the next child and still look good for that child.
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Name : Stephanie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : na, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : SAHM, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Imagine yourself growing up in an urban environment where people become comfortable in an endless cycle of living in lower class conditions. In you're mind, you feel oppressed. The rich keep getting richer while you're working overtime weekly just to make ends meet. Your hopes of owning a house, or owning a car that's not 10 years or older or more like dreams of what you'd do if you were to win the state lottery. Where is your pride? It's not in yourself because you feel as if you will never make it in this society as an established citizen who can live the American dream. So to pacify your self esteem, something has to give. You need something to feel good about. It's not going to be that Mercedes CLK, or that two-story house in the suburbs. The only affordable thing to make you feel like you're not living in shambles is designer clothing. Subconsciously , you can't drive what 'they' drive, you can't live where 'they' live. But if you spend an entire check on an item of clothing, you can dress how 'they' dress. Now you don't feel so bad about yourself.
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Name : S. Willis, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 23, City : New Orleans, State : LA Country : United States, Occupation : Retail Management, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, 
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It's the old case of 'keeping up with the Joneses', or putting on a facade of having more wealth than not. It's just like when people buy SUVs when they can't afford it. Living beyond one's means is almost the American way. No one wants to be thought of as poor. This will continue in a society that praises wealth and status.
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Name : G, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : non-denominational christian, Age : 41, City : Sierra Vista, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : sales, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Speaking as someone with a fairly low income: I wasn't aware that they do.
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Name : Vail27407, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Because they're on so low a rung on the economic ladder, they want to find ways to compensate for that. One such way, probably the easiest and most popular, is to boost their social standing. Probably the most popular and easiest way to look better among their peers is to literally look better; wealthier, more stylish. Part of this explanation for their spending habits is that things like nice clothes instantly gratify their desire to feel like they have wealth. Even though something like saving up for a house benefits them much more in the long run, it's less appealing because it's more diffcult.
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Name : Betty, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Asian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 17, City : Medford, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, An advertisment comes on, it's something new, it's hot, flashy, shows how much you'll fit in, or how countless gorgeous women will be all over you simply because you made this one purchase. What does the lower class do? Crowd the stores, just about kill each other trying to get it. And what does the upper class do? Call up their broker and temporarily invest money in the company itself. These are the things that you could say seperate the rich from the poor, or simply keep the poor from becoming rich. It isn't just clothes, they end up applying it to their entire lifestyle. Go through a neighborhood considered to be upper-middle class, you'll be surprised when you find out how many of them can barely afford it, and even go so far as to stretch their class title to 'lower upper class.' Some people simply cannot accept the fact that they have a fixed income, so they improvise by attempting to create an illusion. A lot of us figured out at or around the time we graduated high school that it doesn't matter what every single person's opinion is on you, mainly because about 99.9% of the people you walk by everyday you'll more than likely never see again, but unfortunately a lot of people are still stuck in this mentality, and feel they must flash every little bit they have to EVERYONE. Sure, there's the old saying 'In order to make a million dollars, you have to look like a million dollars,' but try explaining this to Bill Gates who while in college would often sleep in his clothes, and upon the next morning would simply go about his routine with them still on.
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Name : Joe, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 23, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : I.T., Education level : Technical School, 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!'
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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, In many instances, the poor (especially the young) believe that their appearance is proportional to how well they're accepted and perceived. If you sport the latest fashions, the gaudiest jewelry, and the most ridiculous vehicles, then you're obviously a person with some power and popularity. So, as a result, they attempt to emulate 'power' by skipping the whole 'attaining power' bit and going straight to the pay-offs. They get the gear to up their own status within their own class.
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Name : Ryan D, Gender : Male, Race : American Indian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I actually had this discussion with a friend recently while in Monterrey, Mexico. He has lived in Mexico for the majority of the last 20 years and has noticed the trend you describe. He says that the poor in Mexico buy the nicest clothing possible because Mexican society is all about perception. A person dressed in a tailored three-piece suit is perceived to be a man of some status and wealth, and those he interacts with may overlook the fact he lives in a cinder block house with a plastic tarp for a roof. By spending what might seem like an excessive amount of money to purchase fine clothing, a Mexican may find himself 'socially acceptable' and employable at a level that would otherwise be impossible.
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Name : Justin, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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