[Dan27363]

This is kind of a hit or miss phenomenon in my experience. My fire station is situated in a lower-income section of the city, and the clothing preference runs the gamut from rags to the hippest of the hip ‘urban’ clothing. I heard a quote (I think from a movie) that went something like ‘Once you’ve been hungry, you’ll never be full again.’ I suppose that since impoverished people don’t necessarily have the ‘real’ wealth that you or I might have (a secure job, a pension plan, insurance, maybe a house, etc.), the trappings of money become more important. Expensive clothes allow them to have the external appearance of higher income, which is probably good for self-esteem and status in a society that values such material items highly. A person in clothes from Goodwill may get treated more poorly than a person outfitted entirely in the newest hip clothing, even though the hipster may not have a dime to their name. However, I’ve never noticed a poor person wearing anything that makes me think of REAL wealth – – a Rolex watch, Armani suit, Coach handbags, or something like that. Seems to be limited to semi-expensive ‘branded’ items like FUBU jackets, Nike or Reebok shoes, etc. Also, this isn’t just a low-income earner problem. A lot of people spend a lot of money trying to look like they’re wealthy. I don’t think it’s uncommon for high-income earners to bankrupt themselves with expensive clothes, cars, and houses. Have you also noticed that there are a lot of people who put $10,000 worth of rims or stereo equipment into cars that aren’t worth $500?

User Detail :  

Name : Dan27363, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 31, City : Evansville, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[G]

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.

User Detail :  

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, 

[Stephanie]

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.

User Detail :  

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, 

[Bruce-J]

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.

User Detail :  

Name : Bruce-J, Gender : M, Age : 33, City : Shawnee, State : KS, Country : United States, 

[Joe]

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.

User Detail :  

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, 

[Shionedy]

Material items, no matter what your economic status is, give one self-worth. If I am poor but I wearing designer shoes, it is important to me that you think I have more than what I do. Some folks will say, ‘I don’t care what people think of me, blah blah blah’. ‘I buy designer things because it is what I want’- those are just excuses. The bottom line is homes, cars, jewelry and clothing give you a measurement of a person’s economic status. Look at the list: If you can’t afford the house, car or jewelry, clothing is next on the list.

User Detail :  

Name : Shionedy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Executive, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[teenager]

Welfare actually doesn’t do that much. If you cared you would ask somebody. You are clearly uneducated.

User Detail :  

Name : teenager, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 14, City : baltimore, State : MD, Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Daniel Gedamke]

I think every one of the responses here does something to shed light on the subject. I’d like to mention one more aspect. I DON’T buy expensive clothes, but where I live, there’s an attitude of ‘God help you if you’re not in the country club.’ People are more likely to see (and treat) you as a human being if you dress decently and as though you do have money. So I try to dress a little closer to their standards, not because I care what they think, but because it helps to avoid some of the retaliation they dish out to those they look down on.

User Detail :  

Name : Daniel Gedamke, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 41, City : Stuart, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : (starving) writer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

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