The above title is the name of a user group I found on Facebook today. And below is the group's manifesto:
FACT : We are better than the average human being because we own either or all of Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, etc...
FACT : We are superior humans for owning any of those brands.
FACT : We are hot
FACT : People should look up to us.
FACT : GLAMOROUS
Other Facebook groups of a jaw-droppingly materialistic nature are 'It's Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada or NADA!', 'All I Need Is My Louis Vuitton', 'Addicted to Adidas Superstars' and 'Addicted to SHOPPING!!!'
Here's a snippet from Addicted To Shopping....
Sarita (Finland) wrote
Shopping is a lifestyle - I'd rather buy a pair of fancy boots than food for the next two weeks. ;) Literally boots to die for, right? ;)
Samantha wrote
shopping makes me feel grrrrrrrrreat!!! super-fab!! once in the holidays...i went to the same mall 4 days in a row!!! i shop atleast once every 2weeks...even if i get summing small
Elena wrote
its a real therapy! shopping always makes me feel better even if i leave broke! and i wait to do it again!
26 Comments:
I hope these groups are ironic, but I have a horrible feeling they actually mean what they say. Oh dear, some people should really get a life!
Hi Neil,
I am not entirely sure you understood what these FaceBook groups are on about. I think their "FACT..." taglines are intended to be a little tongue-in-cheek. Certainly I get that impression on reading them. Probably the members of this group are aware that being a Vuitton-o-phile is more than a little unhealthy and is something of a guilty pleasure. Yet they do it anyway, because they like it. I am sure that at least some of the members of that group have a "brand problem" in the sense that you used to have one, but I'd wager that the person who wrote those taglines was chuckling to herself as she did so. Just my 2 cents.
Colm
I can't understand why anyone would get anything out of talking about shopping obsessions. Does anyone shake their heads in vehement agreement with how great it is to have to shop to fill a huge void in the self-esteem? Then again, a lot of what goes on in blogging is a search for validation. If other people behave as we behave, we're not really unhealthy. I guess.
hey, Neil. I want to marry with u :)
It would be nice to think that groups are ironic, but I don't actually have that much faith in people anymore.
Besides, my ex-partner used to live for shopping too (I shudder to think how many weekends I wasted trawling around after him in search for THE T-shirt) and he would totally agree in the idea that what you own makes you better than other people.
Boy, no wonder he's your ex!
pvgmmhi neil
i am a journalist of the swiss sunday newspaper sonntagszeitung and i would like to write a feature about your book which i liked very much.
if you don't mind i would like to send you some questions - if you prefere to talk to me at the phone, even better.
my deadline is wednesday, 17th of october.
i am looking forward to hearing from you soon,
kind regards from zurich,
bettina
Hello Neil,
I just read your book! and I wanted to say thank you for nearly rendering yourself insane and sticking with your decision! You've certainly given me alot to think about, even though I thought I was mother earth ;-) keep on keepin on, its worth it mate.
Lauren
Hi Neil,
I bought you book for research into my dissertation which is about how young people are turning into brand obsessed narcissist’s and found your book has been a great insight into the way people like you(well, the way you used to be) think and feel about brands. fascinating! Being a fashion student I am constantly involved in fashion and branding, I used to find the way advertising connected to people really interesting and even considered going into fashion advertising but after researching John Berger, yourself and others it has made me question the way I think and feel about everything around me,(quite scary really) even my career aspirations. It's made me realise how shallow and pointless it all is but I still cant shake off the habit of shopping. In terms of fashion I’ve never been a one for branding but to look for individual pieces that made people want to know where it was from but then I see some people parading the high street covered head to toe in brands and I personally think their compensating for something, maybe letting the brands communicate to others about who they aspire to be, not who they really are. I believe fashion is a way to express yourself and your individuality not a way to exploit yourself as a walking advertisement. I really feel sorry for those kind of people. There is definitely a fine line that you have to be aware of to be careful not to fall into the branding trap. Just wanted to say thanks for opening many peoples eyes to this ever growing problem. I really don’t know how I’m going to cram what I want to say into 10,000 words for my dissertation lol!
Regards
Gemma
Hello Gemma
thanks for such a positive post!
I think you might be right about the real message that people transmit when they flaunt status symbols - not so much who they are but who they'd like to be. I know the feeling very well. You end up continually playing catch up on your aspirations, and you never actually become the person that you want to be.
Listen, it worries me when you say you are reconsidering you career, and that 'it all seems pointless and shallow'. I'd hate to be a reason for you to pack in a chance to be creative. Why don't you contact me direct via Facebook (yes its another brand but i'm using it for my next book) and perhaps we could talk about it, if you like.
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hey, not sure how to subscribe, great book and some really interesting ideas. Saw the book in borders and decided to check out the site too. All the best
artizans.blogspot.com
hey neil, only just found out about you in tha local rag, and i have to say, dude, you were a 5 minute character in a novel i wrote about 7 years ago, when i was 20. Funny how your mind can turn imaginations into reality. Anyway, have a noice day, maybe you can save the planet next :p
Hello Josh
thanks for posting sir.
I'd be really interested to read your book. What was it called and who published it?
You're right, some things we read/ see do get stuck in the mind and form part of our own ideas - it happens all the time. But if you are insinuating that my life experiences described in my book are somehow appropriated from something that you wrote, and that i'm sure I've never read, then i'm afraid you are quite wrong.
I've joined such groups myself. Never thought how thoughtless it really is. I always took it as a novelty, a joke, but you often see those who truly believe in the message of being better than others because of a brand. Even bragging about how they used their charm to get those brands from others. Quite sad honestly.
Hi Neil,
I understand what you've gone through. However, it seems that you have just replaced your brand addiction for another, even more powerful addiction. You will probably start a long period of battling concepts such as the system and state. Then when you are depressed again, you will be really stuffed. With brands, you got lots of attention. With a public relations bonfire stunt, this blog and the book, you get lots of attention. You are either a very smart businessman, or a complete basketcase. Always hard to tell in modern pop culture.
Michael
thanks for posting. I'm intrigued as to how you've formed such definite predictions about my behaviour post-bonfire. Its a pity that you didn't read the book before you made these assumptions - the issues of paranoia, depression and internal conflicts with 'the system' as you put it, are all dealt with.
Do please post again and let me know how you arrived at the generalisations that you arrived at - perhaps I've been missing something all this time.
One of the few good things about being on the dole...you can't afford to buy designer shit & therefore can't get sucked into the whole "affluenza" cycle of designer consumption :p
Therefore, you are really forced to look inside for what may be making you feel dissatisfied rather than spend your way into a debt-ridden & suffocating numbness.
That said, you can pick up nice 2nd hand clothes @ selected St Vincent de Paul charity shops quite often (and the price is certainly right!)
wow - really impressive. Just followed a link here from an australian newspaper. that message is travelling even if some people cant - or won't - understand. yet.
astonishing that people listen to you point out the disparity in the costs of two shirts, hear that BOTH the shirts are really only worth three pounds and still want you to auction this stuff for charity. how about missing the point? yep, I'm going to give up brands by auctioning off an obscenely overpriced shirt and trade on the value of the logo - but for charity. huh??
keep up the good work...
aelo
ps i'll look out for your book at the library.
Hi Neil,
I just read a jounalists article about your book, and felt ide share my opinion on the issue of self-image behavior disorders.
For me, the social dilemma of fashion fanaticism is a simply a symptom of general addiction behaviour.( Think of all the other types eg sport,drugs,etc... )
Addictions certainly present benefits for the addict(otherwise they wouldnt do it !), and unfortunately, there may also be some very destructive disadvantages for them and their community.
Retail addictions can offer the depressed citizen immediate self gratification, replacing feelings of inadeqacy and frustration with a sense of possibility and achievement.
That's a good thing.
A tangible secondary, but still quite direct benefit comes from their often being treated better by strangers, who in this superfast lifestyle world, now need to make snap judgements based on the 'covers' presented to them (im sure as a author you understand the power of a attractive cover). This bonus outcome maybe a undermining addictive motivator for those whose self image is solely determined by what others think of them, but it can also be a powerful tool for career and lifestyle development too. It depends on how its used. Like diet and exercise addictions, if misused, they can be very dangerous to ones wellbeing.
The obvious disadvantages are the stressful levels of debt (especially for fashion victims) and recurring rollercaster ride of their emotions as the addict craves the rush of a instant ego boost-hit. Alas, once 'high', they never really get the focused motivation to rationally work towards the harder to gain longer term (and hence harder to enjoy)and spiritually deeper satisfaction of achieving their higher goals and desires(careers,family,self actualization...)
Your technique of 'destroy all the evidence and then go cold turkey' for self treatment of your own addiction seems to me to be very unnecassary, and probably will be quite unsuccessful as a therapy for the people with addictive personalities. Why add to your frustrations? (the main reason for most addictions in the first place)
Most addicts will just want more - rather than less, BECAUSE now they arent even allowed to have the one thing that made them feel good!
It is my experince and opinion that it would be better to keep the benefits, and then refine the addiction by limiting yourself to special purchases of the highest quality available! Hence the addict can still satisfy what ide call the soul's deeper craving of ownership of a beautiful object.
As with all addictions, it's a case of quality over quantity.
Never quit what you desire,that only leads to failure. Just improve what it is that you desire, and how you go about getting it. In my opinion this will give most the feelings of satisfaction that are looking for, without the constant feeling of needing to have it NOW !
Best wishes for the New Year .
Hi Neil,
Vis-a-vis, it is my belief that the people who are members of these 'elite' clubs - are not really searching for privilege, but rather company!
In a increasing PC world that prevents people from proclaiming such egoistic and 'tongue in cheek' beliefs, its not that surprising that people should do so upon the pseudo-subversive www
Freedom of expression needs our protection,more so than ever before, even if we dont agree with them !
I also wonder if your brandname blitz, and subsequent book, wasn't perhaps motivated by a nauseating reflux of the anti-fashionism/anti establishment movement, repeated by the UK punk counter culture of the 70's, the US hippies of the 60's before them,...
Surely coveting brands, or particular designers output is a natural expression of human desire, one that motivates some people to acts of greed and vanity (bad), and others to strive to achieve nobler successes(good).
Is it the fault of brandmakers, or brand object, that some people let their desire or habit of collecting get out of hand ?
Should the museums of the world start burning their art masters paintings just becasue they have become so ludicrously expensive and adored?
Is a Picasso or a Rembrandt really only worth the $100 of painting materials it takes to create them?
Don't they also motivate artists to create,and if so what $xxx,xx... value do we place upon that ?
And what of the addictions these masterpieces will create in other artists, that will inspire them commit their entire lives to a activity that will most likely lead to ongoing frustration and poverty, as their reward for their pursuit of beauty?
Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime,lived in poverty that led to madness and subsequently caused him to shoot himself !
Should we hence stop people wanting to become painters?
Should home owners burn their overpriced houses, especially those in the exclusive named suburbs,in the noble hope that they will drive the prices down for the rest of us ?
Lets smash the Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche and all the other marquis cars, seeing as how theres nowhere public that the owners can drive their cars up to their potential, well; legally anyhow...and the list goes on !
I only exaggerate for effect, as i think did you, so is it such a surprise to you that some people are led to wonder if your bonfire wasn't just some a kind of "bra burning" publicity stunt, designed to garner attention to what is a rather overchewed piece of postmodern idealism ?
Hi Neil,
A friend gave me the article in the Guardian about you to read. I found it very interesting as while I never really cared about what brands I bought I have worked for some major corporations such as IBM and Creative, but after 9 years the experience turned me against corporations so I quit work and started studying photography (a haven for brand and corporate based products you might say!). But my idea is different as I am in the throws of researching a photography project (which I hope will be my degree show in 2010) on the effect corporations have on society and obviously branding is a major part of that. I will do this without any direct reference or imagery from any brand name as I believe to use any of this would just be free advertising for such brands and these days whether its negative or not they tend to latch on to it and use it for their own good. I also read that you will be a father soon, or maybe already, good luck with that. As you know brands are really hitting the children market hard with a lot advertising now. I was even shocked when looking for a Birthday gift for my niece to see that they now have brand based toys such as hoovers and cookers with names like Bosch on them. This is an obvious attempt to create brand recognition at an early age. I also have to say that zonewarrior, one of the previous posts, sounds like a they are in marketing. Unfortunately someone like this will never see the negative effect that brand based marketing is having on society.
Best of luck.
David
Hello Anonymous (wish people would leave their names!).
Thanks for posting. That photography project sounds very interesting. You know Tate Modern ran an interesting show on their level 2 space last year, which included a series of shots taken in the mid west of the States. The images focused on working class housing that stood in the shadow of giant chain stores. None of the stores entered into shot, but their neon logos could be seen reflecting in the windows of the houses.
Might be worth a look for you?
Hello Zonewarrior
Thanks for taking the time to write such lengthy posts.
Coveting objects, branded or not, might be a ‘natural expression of human desire’ as you say, and it is true that we express ourselves and make meaning of our lives by the possessions that we surround ourselves by. But the difference between coveting a Picasso and, say, a Mercedes, is that the painting doesn’t have an army of brand managers, advertising creatives and media buyers with a multi million pound budget to convince people that they should covet the object. Mercedes does. Essentially, we’re talking about the manufacture of desire.
Regarding my ‘bra burning’ event – I can assure you, there are many cheaper, easier and more effective ways of generating publicity for oneself than destroying the majority of one’s possessions.
Both my therapist and my bank manager will tell you that the bonfire has reached beyond ‘idealism’. My anxiety levels have dropped, my self-esteem has improved, as has my confidence. And the cost of my lifestyle has halved. I can afford to work less now I spend less in the shops, which gives me more time to watch my son grow up. These aren’t ideals – these are tangible benefits, which I am enjoying. I separated my wants from my real needs, albeit in a grandiose fashion – and my lifestyle has changed for the better. I don’t want to sound like a crazed evangelist, so I’ll end it right there.
Hi Neil,
Its anonymous here again, I did sign my name at the end of the post, it's David. Anyway, thanks for the information it should prove useful, unfortunately photography exhibitions are scarce in Ireland. I also wanted to add that you have probably come across many cynical people regarding lifestyle change but while it's easy to be cynical at least you are trying to make a change.
David
Good on you Neil! In a world which is full of missinformation and materialistic notions of consumption, this book is a refreshing, honest and thought provoking insight into the world of the capitalist lackeys that are the consumers of today!
Couple of interesting sources that you might be interested in btw...Dr Derek Wall, Green Party MP, has some good ideas. And Cuba. Post collapse of the Soviet Union, it has had to rely on opening up the economy to free trade, and as such, racism and prostitution have reamurged with the development of the have's and have nots due to private wealth. A case study in point? I think so
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