Making Sense of Irrational Consumerism - by Iris
Growing up, I thought the marker of being a member of the upper class was owning a BMW. Nowadays, it seems that everyone has a BMW and the truly rich drive Porsches. Even this notion I’m starting to question; perhaps the truly rich don’t drive at all, but ride in lowkey Black vehicles with private drivers, while the rest of their name brand cars are just for collection. “Irrational” consumer choice fascinates me, especially spending decisions for intangible purposes such as on luxury goods. There’s the counterintuitive idea that the most popular name brand items are most sought after by the middle class. We all know that one friend who lives paycheck to paycheck, with thousands of dollars in college debt, but will splurge on a Gucci belt or Yeezy sneakers. This is loud luxury, which signals to others that they are not a member of a lower class. Loud luxury allows for individuals to practice penuciary emulation, when a member of a lower class tries to signal that they belong to a higher
Growing up, I thought the marker of being a member of the upper class was owning a BMW. Nowadays, it seems that everyone has a BMW and the truly rich drive Porsches. Even this notion I’m starting to question; perhaps the truly rich don’t drive at all, but ride in lowkey Black vehicles with private drivers, while the rest of their name brand cars are just for collection. “Irrational” consumer choice fascinates me, especially spending decisions for intangible purposes such as on luxury goods. There’s the counterintuitive idea that the most popular name brand items are most sought after by the mi
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