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Label Me
November 13, 2008
For years now, namebrands have become more and more popular - as well as expensive. In my high school, I see several students in the hallways with extremely high-priced clothing, jewelry, etc. I'll be honest, it disgusts me. Our parents/guardians have hard-working jobs and most of the things you get are coming from your parents/guardians salary. Is that fair? When you become their age, would you like it if your children spent YOUR money? Because that's how it is. Why do we need all these expensive things? Girls of all ages walk around in UGGS. At Mandee's or Target, they have boots EXACTLY like UGGS, but we choose not to buy them, because it doesn't say the namebrand stamped on the bottom/back of the boots. I'll admit, I bought my first pair of UGGS last year with my own money that I EARNED from babysitting; and I still wear them even though they have some wear-and-tear on them. Let's face it, society is very much so based on namebrand materials. Some people just cannot afford these expensive things. Since when are shirts $24.99? Why are hoodies $45.00? Do jeans really need to be priced at $50.00? Is it fair? Of course not. Will there ever be a decrease in prices? Will there be an increase? Who knows? Unfortunately, people nowadays have to cope with this type of peer pressure to look good. And personally, I'm blind-sided to really... why?
© Caite P., Marblehead, MA
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This article has 87 comments.
HeatherBee BRONZE said...
on May. 7 2010 at 2:23 pm
yeah i think its crazy to just wear name-brand stuff for status. one of my 'high class-y' friends bought sunglasses for like $200 n i was like [in my head]: wow, really? well that was wen we wer still in junior high but shes still kinda like that, i dont like it...anyway, awesome article. u point out a good message!
krazykathleen BRONZE said...
on May. 5 2010 at 4:56 pm
I use my own money to buy name brand clothing- don't just say every kid is using their parent's money. Why do care if I want to wear a jacket that says Abercrombie? I must say some of it is expensive, and sometimes peer pressure plays a part. I just wear it because I like it.
Sketched97 PLATINUM said...
on May. 3 2010 at 3:11 pm
So true. Love the article.
Bree said...
on Apr. 24 2010 at 6:18 pm
Reading this article I feel that you don't really know who to blame. So, you chose to blame "society" yes "society", all the nay-sayers blame this "society" it's people like this who create the pessimistic society. You're either blaming the people who 'follow the crowd' to buy all the name brands because they are peer pressured into it. Or you're blaming the owners of the brand of pricing it so high. But logically, they are going to price it high, one because it is quality (most of the time) and two, they know people will still buy from them. I'm sure you don't dress completely originally. So you "dress different" to dress the same? no. maybe that's not you, I've never met you. But it's all the humamists like this who "hate society" who think they're above others for coming to this 'grand realization.' I've realized this, infact, and I dress just like any average person in my neighborhood. If you have a problem with prices, then stick to that. But I feel as if you jump all over the place.
blackierules said...
on Apr. 21 2010 at 11:48 am
I like aeropostale and kohl's too! I hate the namebrand thing! I think it happens at middleschools everywhere. Thank you so much for writing this article!!!
Joyce said...
on Apr. 10 2010 at 12:53 am
I agree that people buy the brand not the product most of the time.
Yet if that brand is of good quality, then naturally you would by the product.
I myself hate brand names printed on shirts and jackets and such, but I do like brand name clothing, as long as it doesn't have the name on the front, its comfortable, and comes at a relatively cheap price within my budget.
naturelover123 BRONZE said...
on Mar. 9 2010 at 9:54 pm
I don't see the point of buying from the expensive name brands, but I don't care if someone else buys them either. If they like those brands, they can buy them...but if they're just doing it to look rich, I don't see the point. I don't care if the boots a person wears are 100 dollars or 50 cents! I don't care about name brands...I like shopping at the stores with great deals! :) And sewing my own clothing...that's fun as well!
dReameRboy13 SILVER said...
on Mar. 4 2010 at 5:32 pm
Conformity wasnt the issue... it was about people wasting money on the name, not the product. Why would you spend $30 for a green AE shirt, when you can spend $5 on a Merona shirt that looks exactly the same?
QuestionAuthority said...
on Mar. 3 2010 at 10:32 pm
That's assuming. Plenty of people buy it for the product. And head's up, there's ALWAYS going to be conformity.
dReameRboy13 SILVER said...
on Mar. 3 2010 at 12:19 pm
But the point was people conform and WASTE money when they don't need to. Whether you buy them off the clearence rack, or hot off the shelf, people buy the name, not the product.
dReameRboy13 SILVER said...
on Mar. 3 2010 at 12:18 pm
But the point was people conform and WASTE money when they don't need to. Whether you buy them off the clearence rack, or hot off the shelf, people buy the name, not the product.
girdythebirdy SILVER said...
on Jan. 20 2010 at 11:39 pm
I agree on the label obsession, but sometimes I see differently about it as well. It pains me to see a $100 dollar sweatshirt stained and ripped. However, if someone takes care of their sweatshirt, and has a few nice sweatshirts, I think differently. I still agree with you, but that's just my opinion! Please see my articles! :)
caitlin.calamity BRONZE said...
on Jan. 18 2010 at 7:57 pm
I didn't even know what Abercrombie was until I got to middle school!! Uggs are too UGGly to pay $100 for, which is exactly what my friend did. But really, there once was a tank top at A&F for $30. I was like WHAT??? I can get that same tank at walmart for $5.
question-authority said...
on Dec. 30 2009 at 4:55 pm
Maybe worker wages is the problem and not teens wasting their parents' money on designer clothes haha. To be honest, I wear designer brand clothes but I buy them from the sale or clearance, or secondhand from stores like Plato's Closet. There's nothing wrong with labels or the designer logo on it, it's fashion and I think that stores like Bebe and Aero and AE have really cute stuff, so I buy it, and I spend my own money and not that much of it.
ok thank you so VERY much for this article!!!!!!!!!!! I shop at some of these stores, but like you said, i hit the clearance aisle! It's ridiculous sometimes! Like a pair of underwear for $5. That might not sound too bad, but I can get a pack at Walmart for that much. And because it says Aerie and has a bow on it, it should be worth that much?! And UGGS, ooh I could go on and on about how they are the same as any knockoff, just say UGGS on the back. It's as if all people care about is that everyone KNOWS their wearing Hollister because Hollister is sprawled across their $40 shirt. You can't deny that everyone has at least one shirt that says AERO or ABERCROMBIE on it, but I personally think that outfits are much cuter. I have two writings about this, one called Popular Girls in UGGS and one called Gucci Capris and Hollister Tees. Thank you so much for agreeing with me, and fabulous work!!!
IsobelFree DIAMOND said...
on Dec. 15 2009 at 4:19 pm
Wow, you said exactly what I always wanted to say. Like you, I was totally blindsided by the labels in middle school. In my middle school, you HAD to have THE look, or else you'd never measure up to the people who did. I always knew this was BS, but it took me until I got to high school to change my attitude. See, my high school is different - we're all artsy weirdos (it's an arts h.s.) and you can honestly wear whatever you want. It took a change of scenery and a change of mind for me to realize how much I was missing out on by trying to keep up with the pack. Great article, really though-provoking!
Nicolioliolsterz_1 GOLD said...
on Dec. 6 2009 at 1:58 pm
Yea, I don't think that she should have to buy name brands worth $40. Everyone always compliments me on my outfits and that all my clothes look expensive. They don't know that I get my clothes off the clearence rack at TJMax and Burlington coat factory. So the name brand shouldn't matter unless YOU want it to.
koolkat101love SILVER said...
on Nov. 10 2009 at 8:48 pm
I love Kohl's! I get most of my clothing from there and Aeropostale because they are both cheap and have cute clothing.
