A teenager struts down the halls wearing her $58 American Apparel high waisted shorts, $21 Brandy Melville graphic tee and $120 Doc Marten combat boots as people gape at her beauty, astonished at how much prettier she becomes with those new clothes. Now, this may just be a made-up scenario, but doesn’t it seem realistic?
We’ve all been told that money can’t buy happiness. At the same time, buying nice attire or makeup seems to offer people feelings of beauty, no matter how unnecessary those items are. It’s a little disappointing to see girls paying more attention to their Naked 3 eyeshadow palettes and boys to their Nike Janoski shoes than they do to their actual loved ones.
Allow me to admit that despite my aversion to it, I participate in consumerism too. I know how shopping feels. Buying nice, new things fills me with a surge of pleasure too.
However, it seems that more people are looking at the surface of an individual to judge beauty. True beauty shouldn’t be judged by the clothes or makeup you wear, let alone appearance. It’s just sad that people are still influenced to spend money in order to feel beautiful, rather than improve themselves in personality.
Materialism isn’t completely bad. You have to treat yourself once in a while. It’s perfectly fine to love fashion. If rocking a stylish outfit is what makes you happy, then by all means, go for it. But remember this before you go out and buy things that aren’t very necessary: the happiness that you feel isn’t going to last. You’ll be stuck in an endless cycle of wanting more. In the end, the one with a good heart will always be more beautiful than the one with a closet full of clothes.