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Shoes, Money and Other Sad Stories.
Posted by The Splintered Chapters
on
6:20 AM
This story might not be an old familiar tale, but the thing about women is that despite all of the modern aphorisms and hardcore feminists that tell you otherwise, through advances of technology, half of us remain as primitive as ever when it comes to material.
I mean, come on – what are the chances that the first Man to decide that fur made lovelier shoes than leather was indeed a homosapien with an XY chromosome?
But as blessed as we are with an imaginative fashion sense, we females may be just as cursed with a groaning bank account. Sadly, it isn’t under the weight of all that money we would love to have, more likely leaning towards the fatal the hunger pangs, especially in the bad mood the economy is now in.
It’s ingrained throughout history, this obsession we have with looking just right, depicting our far-too-complex personalities (or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves) through the threads we wear and the heels we pick.
Some of us would rather die than look like everybody else (though fact remains that almost nothing is original anymore), while others sprint towards the latest fads seconds before it is out in public.
Even the fairy tale characters had their own personality-matched style. See, Cinderella saw hers through a glass slipper – which experts would probably say portrays her fragility and possibly exhibitionistic side. Snow White and her step-mother had something against self-tanning and probably thought they had a little goth thing going on. Even Little Red Riding Hood expressed her vivacious-yet-cleverly-blanketed-by-awkward-innocence side more through her addiction to scarlet apparel. See? Ingrained!
I was discussing the issue with a friend a while ago and we both came to the conclusion that unless we have bigger, more troubling issues on our platter, the idea of not having the urge to buy things is clearly disregarded at best. Even when you think you’ve got everything you need to own, something pretty comes trudging towards you in the form of a fictional TV character with amazing fashion sense, and it’ll keep you drooling with jealousy until the next shopping spree you embark on. Which would probably be the next day, if self-control is not one of your strongest traits.
See, most of us, once exposed to the creative aesthetics and personal side of fashion, find it harder to revert to habits of merely throwing on clothes through random shut-eye-point picks from our closets. Now we want more oomph in our look. We want to be known as the witty girl who can hold her own in a conversation about sinks, plugs and computer hard-drives while still owning a distinctive enough style when it comes to apparel an
d footwear. (Or, you know, that might just be me).
And how else can one practice self-expression than to attain the little trinkets of what would eventually make a – or several – uniquely ‘you’ outfits that the rest of the general public might just view as anti-social or bravely exclusive? ‘I need more clothes’ and its alternatives is a statement uttered by people all around the world, so much so it’s become a modern proverb in itself.
It starts out innocently enough, but soon, your wardrobe might be the primary cause of late nights and back aches. This new apparel regime I adopted, of having urges to wear an outfit I see on TV or on the Internet and not resting until I’ve accomplished my goal, is a rather unhealthy one, to put it diplomatically.
Let me explain: I, personally, have a serious case of Getmorestuffitis, an unofficial medical term for someone, usually of the female species, who tends to purchase an item of long-term desire (often reluctantly because of the apparel’s exclusive nature) which also happens to burn a whole in her wallet upon cash transfer. Thereafter, she would make attempts to better the state of her conscience which is shame-ridden about the iffy purchase by heading to the nearest discount store and buying other safe, easily-liked items. After which, she would be overcome by a massive amount of guilt for the splurge, that she will hunt for yet another potential and hopefully more confident purchase at the next store.
And the dreaded cycle continues.
Upon diagnosis of this curious case of oniomania, I realized that the best way to spend less and hence keep food on the (fast-food joint) table was to tough it out. If I suddenly feel the uncontrollable urge to blow $200 on a pair of Doc Martens when I already own about thirty pairs of shoes of various colour, creed and heel height, I simply close my eyes, count to ten, play a little bit of metalcore and try hard to forget about it.
Though the sad details of your shopping sacrifice might fleet by while you sleep at night, tantalizing you with that would-be purchase, what you need here is major self-control. Avoid fashion blogs that might tempt you to get clothes you don’t really need. Lookbook.nu may be good when you just got your paycheck, but when you’re broke? That’s the last time you should be looking into getting more clothes that you already have.
What you need to do is work with what is already in your closet. Try on a different ensemble, for one. Pair up random tops and bottoms to see if you can pull of several looks you might not have thought of before. Who knows – you might find a vintage gem at the back of your wardrobe!
The key is creativity: just because you may have a distinctive personality style, it doesn’t mean that said-style has to remain static and unmoving. Despite the intimidating factor of change, there is nothing wrong with wearing something that would earn you silent approving nods from the mass of fashion conformists on the train to work once in a while. I think the off-putting notion about wearing something unconventional is getting the stares but think of it this way – and coming from someone who hates attention even if it danced a merry jig naked before my eyes – you’re never going to see the strangers on the street again anyway! They can stare all they want; at least you know you pull it off. (But first, try to – you know – pull it off).
It all begs the classic age-old question that is all too familiar to the ears of us shopaholics: money or self-expression? Why not both, though? Instead of spending far too much on clothes you think you’d wear because it looks good on someone who happens to be writing a fashion blog and taking pictures of herself at the comfort of her own home, be comfortable in your own style. So get the basics down to pat and then jazz it up. Don’t be afraid to be the cliché if the cliché tells you to be yourself.
I mean, come on – what are the chances that the first Man to decide that fur made lovelier shoes than leather was indeed a homosapien with an XY chromosome?
But as blessed as we are with an imaginative fashion sense, we females may be just as cursed with a groaning bank account. Sadly, it isn’t under the weight of all that money we would love to have, more likely leaning towards the fatal the hunger pangs, especially in the bad mood the economy is now in.It’s ingrained throughout history, this obsession we have with looking just right, depicting our far-too-complex personalities (or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves) through the threads we wear and the heels we pick.
Some of us would rather die than look like everybody else (though fact remains that almost nothing is original anymore), while others sprint towards the latest fads seconds before it is out in public.
Even the fairy tale characters had their own personality-matched style. See, Cinderella saw hers through a glass slipper – which experts would probably say portrays her fragility and possibly exhibitionistic side. Snow White and her step-mother had something against self-tanning and probably thought they had a little goth thing going on. Even Little Red Riding Hood expressed her vivacious-yet-cleverly-blanketed-by-awkward-innocence side more through her addiction to scarlet apparel. See? Ingrained!
I was discussing the issue with a friend a while ago and we both came to the conclusion that unless we have bigger, more troubling issues on our platter, the idea of not having the urge to buy things is clearly disregarded at best. Even when you think you’ve got everything you need to own, something pretty comes trudging towards you in the form of a fictional TV character with amazing fashion sense, and it’ll keep you drooling with jealousy until the next shopping spree you embark on. Which would probably be the next day, if self-control is not one of your strongest traits.
See, most of us, once exposed to the creative aesthetics and personal side of fashion, find it harder to revert to habits of merely throwing on clothes through random shut-eye-point picks from our closets. Now we want more oomph in our look. We want to be known as the witty girl who can hold her own in a conversation about sinks, plugs and computer hard-drives while still owning a distinctive enough style when it comes to apparel an
d footwear. (Or, you know, that might just be me).And how else can one practice self-expression than to attain the little trinkets of what would eventually make a – or several – uniquely ‘you’ outfits that the rest of the general public might just view as anti-social or bravely exclusive? ‘I need more clothes’ and its alternatives is a statement uttered by people all around the world, so much so it’s become a modern proverb in itself.
It starts out innocently enough, but soon, your wardrobe might be the primary cause of late nights and back aches. This new apparel regime I adopted, of having urges to wear an outfit I see on TV or on the Internet and not resting until I’ve accomplished my goal, is a rather unhealthy one, to put it diplomatically.
Let me explain: I, personally, have a serious case of Getmorestuffitis, an unofficial medical term for someone, usually of the female species, who tends to purchase an item of long-term desire (often reluctantly because of the apparel’s exclusive nature) which also happens to burn a whole in her wallet upon cash transfer. Thereafter, she would make attempts to better the state of her conscience which is shame-ridden about the iffy purchase by heading to the nearest discount store and buying other safe, easily-liked items. After which, she would be overcome by a massive amount of guilt for the splurge, that she will hunt for yet another potential and hopefully more confident purchase at the next store.
And the dreaded cycle continues.
Upon diagnosis of this curious case of oniomania, I realized that the best way to spend less and hence keep food on the (fast-food joint) table was to tough it out. If I suddenly feel the uncontrollable urge to blow $200 on a pair of Doc Martens when I already own about thirty pairs of shoes of various colour, creed and heel height, I simply close my eyes, count to ten, play a little bit of metalcore and try hard to forget about it.
Though the sad details of your shopping sacrifice might fleet by while you sleep at night, tantalizing you with that would-be purchase, what you need here is major self-control. Avoid fashion blogs that might tempt you to get clothes you don’t really need. Lookbook.nu may be good when you just got your paycheck, but when you’re broke? That’s the last time you should be looking into getting more clothes that you already have.
What you need to do is work with what is already in your closet. Try on a different ensemble, for one. Pair up random tops and bottoms to see if you can pull of several looks you might not have thought of before. Who knows – you might find a vintage gem at the back of your wardrobe!The key is creativity: just because you may have a distinctive personality style, it doesn’t mean that said-style has to remain static and unmoving. Despite the intimidating factor of change, there is nothing wrong with wearing something that would earn you silent approving nods from the mass of fashion conformists on the train to work once in a while. I think the off-putting notion about wearing something unconventional is getting the stares but think of it this way – and coming from someone who hates attention even if it danced a merry jig naked before my eyes – you’re never going to see the strangers on the street again anyway! They can stare all they want; at least you know you pull it off. (But first, try to – you know – pull it off).
It all begs the classic age-old question that is all too familiar to the ears of us shopaholics: money or self-expression? Why not both, though? Instead of spending far too much on clothes you think you’d wear because it looks good on someone who happens to be writing a fashion blog and taking pictures of herself at the comfort of her own home, be comfortable in your own style. So get the basics down to pat and then jazz it up. Don’t be afraid to be the cliché if the cliché tells you to be yourself.
xoxo,
My Pseudonym Dilemma.
