Label Mania

I'm not as certain that I need a personal umbrella carrier a la Diddy any more. What I really need is a personal speed reader -- someone who can read all of the stuff I want to read and then give me a synopsis that incorporates my biases and my view of the world. There is just so much sitting on my bedside table right now. I finished Patricia Pearson's Area Woman Blows Gasket which I enjoyed very much, particularly the last section focusing on her 6 month sojourn to Mexico with her young children in tow.

Next up is Judith Levine's Not Buying It (for the record, I started reading it before she appeared on Oprah's Debt Diet Show). For those of you who have been living under a rock who are unfamiliar with the book's premise, Levine bought nothing bought  "necessities" for a year and in doing so improved her relationship with her partner, lost weight and saved $13,000. So far, I'm impressed.

In the book, Levine focuses a lot on the North American tendency to intertwine one's  sense of identity with one's consumer choices, especially in large cities where we tend to bump up against one another anonymously, making snap judgements about one's character and politics based on clothing choice and hair style. Levine admits that although she did not think of herself as a particularly conspicuous consumer, her short, hiply styled hair, bold Alain Mikli glasses and love of gourmet food were in many ways as carefully constructed an image as Paris Hilton's short skirts, $3000 handbags and sex tape.

It is hard to not be a consumer since so much of how we define outselves these days is done through our consumer or anti-consumer decisions (Are you a Bugaboo mom or a Birkenstock mom? Do you Chanel or Value Village?).  So when I saw that Lacoste shirt on sale the other day, I did not think "do I need an orange long sleeve shirt with an alligator on it?" Instead, I thought about the two Lacoste dresses I wore all the time when I was about 10 years old (with my termite sandals (remember those?) - ooh la la). Age ten marked the last time I felt pretty for at least 20 years so it's a period I revisit a lot.   I also loved The Royal Tenenbaums and a tiny part of me sees myself wandering around the streets wearing a Lacoste dress, ancient mink coat and oversized Hermes bag. So buying the shirt had little to do with needing or even wanting a shirt. It had a lot to do with me longing to capture a feeling, and at 90% off to boot.

Maybe instead of an umbrella guy or a speed reader, I need a psychotherapist to accompany me on my outings. So that when she seens me picking up something new she can ask me "do you need an orange shirt with an alligator which costs three times one at old navy even though it's 'practically free'" or is it something else you're looking for entirely.

 

Comments

[scarbiedoll]

It is so difficult. Every day seems like a challenge to avoid spending. There are times when I won't leave the house because I don't trust myself. I am a small items junkie. "Oh, just a latte won't hurt." or "Oh this $10 t-shirt at Ends won't break the bank." But it adds up in a hell of a hurry. Especially when you're maxed out budget-wise. I feel like we're always riding the line. I grew up poor and I always swore that I would not be like my parents -- living paycheque to paycheque. But here I am.

I went through the Oprah.com downloadable budget-planning tools and I finally feel I've got a handle on the situation. It is scary when you don't know what you're doing wrong and you feel like you're always chasing that $100 you went over-budget.

I think a good angle for you to investigate is how we learn about spending and saving, how we pass it on to our kids, and how we can teach fiscal responsibility to our children moving forward.

[Sharon]

I don't buy labels otherwise i would be in the poor house by May. I try to get what I can on sale and at Consignement shops. (Not a birkenstock mom) Although I do sell clothes for a living. (Yeah right I strave on what I sell) but they do last and when I get somethign I like I keep it.

Those books intrigue me. I'm going to check them out when I get the chance and have a few spare dollars.
;)

[Miche]

Here's the link to the post about which Beanie Baby spoke.
http://aboutmiche.blogspot.com/2006/03/one-tough-challenge.html

I'm not a big spender / buyer either, but I'm not sure I've got the nerves of steel required for this challenge.

[Her Bad Mother]

It's just so totally on target to frame this issue around how we construct our own identities (which are very often multiple) - Hip Urban Mama packs Baby in the Bjorn and dresses herself and Baby in black or some other funky combination of Holtsy labels (usually gifts, because gah - $140 for a D&G onesie?) and BabyGap hand-me-downs. Casual play group/down-to-earth mom puts Baby in Old Navy and dresses herself in yoga pants. Etc. It's such an easy way to delude yourself into thinking that you've figured yourself out - label yourself and off you go. And particularly tempting in the confusing time that is new mama-ness, when you have no idea who you are any longer...

And now that Lisa Loeb has been put in mind, 'Lisa Loeb Mommy' sounds like an awesome look and attitude to sport... hmm...

Great post - a reminder that we need to stay self-reflective when attempting to 'define' (always gotta scare-quote that) who we are. Especially as moms.

[Marla Good]

I understand where you're coming from on the idea of buying the image you have of yourself in your head when you were happy. That's why there are so many mullets and bleached-out spiral perms walking around my neighbourhood - it appears quite a few people were happiest with how they looked circa 1987.

Sometimes when I'm at Value Village, and I see a cute little plaid A-line miniskirt and a complementary mohair sweater, I have to remind myself that I would be buying that for the part of me that wants to look like Lisa Loeb - not the me I really am right now.

However, the me I really am right now found two pairs of black cropped chinos at the Great Canadian Superstore for $19 each, and she is happy about that since that me is a bit up in the air about the other pant length variations availabe this season. She is also happy that she tried the various tee shirts in what seemed to be cute styles on, because even though they were priced from $8 - $14, and were in all the shades of blue ranging from pale to aqua to teal that she wants to wear this year, as well as a few nice browns - they were no bargain. That me went all the way there for the toile ballet slippers she saw in Now magazine for $14, and when she was told they were at the Dufferin and Steele location only, decided that it was also not a bargain to take a whiny toddler and spend a fortune in gas to drove to North West Bum Truck Freakin' Ontario for shoes that might end up looking like house slippers. So I think that me did well.

[Beanie Baby]

Did you see MIche's post about the Compact people who have agreed not to buy anything not needed for 6 months or a year?

It's an interesting idea, but it makes even a committed non-consumerist like me break out in a cold sweat. Not for the clothes. I could so go for a year without buying new, unnecessary clothes. But hte books! Ah! Already I'm feeling pangs and I haven't even made up my mind whether to do it yet or not.

[Rebecca]

I'm very into labels. But only when I find them used! My daughter wears expensive brands like Baby Gap, but I'm doing my shopping at Value Village, Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Believe me, there's no high compared to the one I have when I find Baby Gap lined cords at Goodwill for 99 cents. Does she need all the bargains I find for her? Not really, but her large wardrobe means that I don't have to do laundry every 5 days. Besides keeping within budget, I'm also supporting community organizations by shopping second-hand. Or at least that's what I tell myself to warrant my shopping sprees.