There's a new trend sweeping the nation...or at least Department Stores; the selling of "designer jeans." I have noticed that some people will spend large amounts of money (money they don't have by the way) on jeans that price tags marked as high as $215! Who in their right mind would spend that much money on one pair of jeans? I mean in my mind 50$ Jeans are pushing it. I would say at most a 20 dollar bracket would top out one pair of jeans for me. But when jeans become $135-215$, I say it's time to look elswhere. Now I don't think that people shouldn't wear designer jeans. I myself own many pairs of designer jeans. However, I do not believe in paying more for them than the cost of your car note every month. I don't understand how someone can pay so much for something that they may grow out of in the next few years. And it may not even be the fact that they got fatter; it may be that they just don't like the style anymore.
Another problem with these so called designer jeans is that many of these jeans have holes and tears in them. It's almost like saying "Hey everyone, pre-ripped jeans!" This is by far the strangest trend I've ever seen; even for the fashion world. The fact that people are willing to pay those prices only reinforces the idea that Americans are materialistic and don't think logically. I'll continue to get my designer clothes from the clearance racks and I'll never intentionally pay over $50 for a pair of "designer jeans.
Another problem with these so called designer jeans is that many of these jeans have holes and tears in them. It's almost like saying "Hey everyone, pre-ripped jeans!" This is by far the strangest trend I've ever seen; even for the fashion world. The fact that people are willing to pay those prices only reinforces the idea that Americans are materialistic and don't think logically. I'll continue to get my designer clothes from the clearance racks and I'll never intentionally pay over $50 for a pair of "designer jeans.
Blog Reflection
ReplyDeleteIn choosing a topic to post on the Shopping Blog about I really analyzed products that are impulse buys and products that consumers just seem to not be able to live without. It seems all the products posted on the Shopping Blog were aimed at selling to a target gender or to a target group.
The advertisements that tried to sell to a gender specific audience seemed to use common stereotypes used for men and women. Products that are sold at stores like Target/Walmart, Macys, or some shoe store were pitched to women. I know I shouldn’t buy vibrating brush mascara but for $6.00 what if it makes me look amazing. Products that are sold at stores like Lowes/Home Depot, car dealers, or an auto parts store. At my house, I tend to come home with a new vibrating mascara and he comes home with a circular saw. Which brings me to the topic of gender and sexuality in advertising these products. Most cosmetics, household items and clothing are aimed at advertising to women. This is because we NEED to look good when we leave the house everyday. How we feel about ourselves seems to be directly linked to our confidence in public. Advertisers use beautiful women, usually an actress every man thinks is hot, and add some long, perfectly sculpted eye lashes to her. Then they sell us their product by promising we can look like her by using this product. This same kind of advertising is used on men as well. Car ads try selling to men a lustrous black Mercedes being driven by a young strapping fellow with a beautiful women inside. This gives men the image of being ‘that guy’ with a Hot girl next to him. The other ad that seems to get men’s attention is the ad for Axe Body Spray. A man sprays on Axe Body Spray and several scantly dress women appear from all over to hang on him. My favorite adds are the one where a man is staged in a bathroom without a shirt. This add is used a lot to sell either tooth brushes, deodorant, or any other cosmetic found in the bathroom. I find it tricky how men are used to sell men’s deodorant to women. Since women seem to buy the cosmetics, if we like the guy in the add, maybe we will buy it for our boyfriends or husbands.
It appeared that most of the advertisements picked by the class and posted in the Shopping Blog were either cosmetics, technological, or a household item. This Blog of ads portrays a society that is over-indulgent and materialistic. I also noticed that most of these products are aimed at women consumers. It seems the advertisers think that women are more materialistic and do most of the impulse buying. It’s assumed that women must have a product if it’s packaged in pink with little flowers on it. These ads are trying to sell us high-end looking coffee makers for our modern kitchens and vacuum’s that can clean our houses while we are out in public looking our best with expensive anti-wrinkle creams and wearing our latest fashioned, over-prices jeans. Do women really behave this way or are ads targeting women because we the ones home all day watching television and cleaning the house? I am not sure which of these scenarios are more insulting!
Given these observations of the Shopping Blog, I would like to write my paper about why women are targeted more than men by advertisers and do women really buy more than men? Should we really be the target of these advertisements?
Lana Altepeter