Therapeutic Shopping
I believe in what my sister dubbed as “Therapeutic Shopping”, that’s a vision in itself. It is amazing how good one feels when one spends so much money on clothes and bags. Fashion victims? Style queens? Not really, all those are labels and I do not subscribe to any, that’s just worn-out talk.
I think there is an immediate reaction in the cells of my body when I go shopping - for therapeutic purposes, mind you. The sheer gladness I feel when I buy a fur hobo with animal prints is surreal. So wild, so sexy - my new bags! I am in love, there’s this crazy adrenaline rush swooping my narrow frame off its severely small feet. It is true that I committed a major budget crime today but that’s OK, I need those things. I really do, I can’t imagine my life without my four-hour-old Quftan. I’m not spoiled, seriously.
Perhaps that was not much of a convincing argument. I can’t make convincing arguments all the time, sad but true. I wonder if there is a real connection between shopping and mood. If there is one that you know of, please post what you know as a comment. I would love to learn something new today, other than the fact that I am not exactly the money-smartest person out there.
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December 19th, 2005 at 8:21 pm
my leftist inclination says:
the connection between shopping and mood is media and pop culture. we are not fashion victims, nor are we style kings or queens, just model consumers, some more so than others.
December 19th, 2005 at 9:16 pm
Designers hand bags and Purses are no longer bought, rental is the current new fad for the hand bags. It is almost impossible to own all the hand bags that you want, so the alternative is : Rent them, take a look; http://www.purseblog.com/trends/rent-a-purse/
December 19th, 2005 at 9:30 pm
Jameed… I could agree with that but you know not all people buy in-trend things, so they’re basically not model consumers, if we want to say that model consumers are those that “global fashion trends” target.
Hatem Abunimeh, that is brilliant! I bow to that idea and I salute it, but I like owning my things (wouldn’t mind if they were a little cheaper though). Thanks for the info, I did learn something new today from you.
December 19th, 2005 at 10:53 pm
Tololy - Habibty of course shopping and spending money on yourself makes you feel great .. this is a fact only another woman would understand
It enhances your mood and makes you feel better about yourself .. just try to control it and don’t make the tantrums as often as our mood swings :)
You can get away with it every once in a while … I know what you mean and experienced it first hand .. so enjoy it honey and buy whatever bag or purse design that makes you happy .. after all it is you who will be wearing it .. so you must like it …
Nice purse by the way
December 19th, 2005 at 11:17 pm
I soooo hear you!! I think shopping and mood is linked intricately!!
I dont go for labels either and I do not need to buy anything expensive to get the happy adrenaline.. even buying magazines can do the same.. thank god.. otherwise i would be broke by now…
i love the vibrancy of your fur bag by the way… that’s one other consideration.. it reflects the person that you are… :)
Hugs
elle xo
December 20th, 2005 at 3:22 am
I think that there is a link between an ostensible sense of euphoria and shopping; it is a constructed feeling/reaction to spending, to buying, to being a consumer. It is a constructed reaction because there is no biological or natural relationship between the two (consuming and feeling good about the act of consumption). We only feel better when we shop because we have been taught to feel that way (I say this not to deny our agency in this matter). We live in consumer-driven, capitalist societies where the spending experience is misinterpreted as an actually powerful one; it is also mistakingly viewed as an enabling experience (and sometimes a therapeutic one).
On a side note: was the purse made of real fur?
I agree very much with Jameed.
December 20th, 2005 at 6:35 am
Khalidah… I do try to control it and I am happy to announce I succeed most of the time but, when a girl’s got to shop, she’s got to shop. Thank you for the beautiful comment :)
Elle Sheri: Welcome to Tololy’s Box! I am glad you could relate to this entry, you should’ve seen me when I was typing it in.
I agree with you, buying a book or a magazine makes me feel just as great as buying shoes, most of the time.
Hello Dana and welcome to the Box. You present some valid points, I must say. I think there is some truth to what you claim about the way we feel about/after shopping being something “nurtured” in us, and not something natural. That may be true, I do not have any studies on the subject on my hands but I could understand that.
And no, the hobo is definitely not made up of real fur. I would never carry or wear a dead animal,ever. I am against killing animals to provide the rich with fashionable apparel, those animals are real “fashion victims”. I thank you for your concern, consider Greenpeace :)
December 20th, 2005 at 8:04 am
Shopping and dark chocolate are loaded with disease-fighting anti-oxidants, and should be consumed (or in this case practiced) regularly to ward off disease and depression!*
*: According to highly unscientific research conducted by the CafeLulu research facility
December 20th, 2005 at 8:46 am
Shopping is a nightmare for me, I hate it! though I love the fact of having new stuff at the end of the day.lol
I’m a loyal handbag person though, I’d cling to one alllllllll the time until my friends begg me to change it:p Too much of a hassle changing it, and then taking all the stuff out and then putting it back into another, since my bag is literally a “travel bag”, I have my camera, two reading books, cards,a whole set of pens and pencils ,mobile, nail file,hand cream and finally my notebook!
December 20th, 2005 at 10:02 am
There’s nothing like a good retail therapy session - the high you get after finding and purchasing those new clothes that make you look and feel fabulous about yourself, that great new bag that is not only trendy, but also suits your needs perfectly, those shoes that are so comfortable that you can wear them straight away without them ever hurting your feet, etc. I even get the feeling after placing an order at Amazon, and then again when the box of brand new books arrives! It’s that feeling of knowing that you’ve done something just for you, something that will make you happy, without having to take anyone or anything else into consideration.
I even get the feeling with my first sip of morning latt, purchased every morning at the coffee bar down the road from my office, despite the fact that we have capuccino makers in house. It’s just so fabulous, and I start anticipating that first sip even before my train pulls into the station, the anticipation building as I swerve through the throngs of commuters, heading out of the station and down the road, straight for the coffee. Pathetic, perhaps, but it brings me so much joy (and is a lot cheaper than new clothes!) that I indulge. :-)
December 20th, 2005 at 1:33 pm
When I clothes shop and nothing fits, I get depressed… so my safety is… SHOES!! They always fit, there are so many different kinds! If I need a pick me up, I do shoes!!
December 20th, 2005 at 9:29 pm
Lulu, I like that CafeLulu research facility, I relate to the research results you cited. Beautiful scientific work!
Promises, mmmm….I remember a time when shopping was a nightmare to me. I think that happens when you really want to shop till you drop and you don’t find anything that you like, that’s frustrating.
I like knowing what’s in people’s purses, it could tell quite a lot about the person I think. Your bag’s contents give me the hint that you are a pro, thumbs up!
She; I love your comment! Amazon has the same effect on me too.
Nrg, welcome to Tololy’s Box, glad you could join us. Shoes are awesome, for obvious reasons that you so wisely noted.