Why I dislike the fashionistas, but tolerate them

[peacetraveler22]

When we begin to compare ourselves to others, almost nothing good can come from it. There will always be someone we perceive as more beautiful, more intelligent, or more charismatic and accomplished. It took years for me to just accept who I am, which I think is a good, intelligent and compassionate human being. I don't read blogs about fashion because I really have no positive emotions toward this industry. Despite the mind tricks they play, I think one of the core foundations of this business is to make women feel inferior, not fantastic or worthy.

Almost all magazines or billboards depict glossy images of females with the most perfect genetics on the planet, sculpted bone structure, and often very unrealistic body frames. It's a fantasy world, and while I'm a dreamer, I prefer to live in reality in some cases, and appearance is one of them. I think people are most beautiful in their natural state, without all kinds of artificial painting and accessories. It somehow distorts the core essence of a being, and for me presents an added layer to peel back. I'm most attracted to humans in a more raw state, both physically and emotionally. Not those who hide behind fabricated illusions.

You can look at many scandals online and see that these visions of "beauty" generated by the fashion industry are also mere fabrications, created with the click of a mouse through Photoshop - cellulite wiped clean, a fleshy stomach smoothed and sculpted, the list of physical alterations is really endless, and they seriously warp the confidence of too many young girls, leading them to all types of eating disorders and neuroses about appearance. I find the behavior of these fashion industry beasts to be disgusting, and for this reason, I've never been a fashionista or given a damn about expensive brand clothing, handbags and similar things. Not in my 20's, and not now in my 40's. I understand some people get some type of satisfaction or euphoria from such things, and it is their right, but to say I have some relation to this mentality would be a complete lie.

I was reminded of this recently when one of my lawyer friends posted the image of a model wearing a pair of high-priced red sunglasses. I think they cost around $350, and I wrote to her that from a distance, it would be difficult to tell them apart from the free glasses I wore in San Antonio, when I viewed a 3D movie. These glasses were likely covered in all kinds of germs, snot from children and other unhygienic nightmares, but the movie was awesome and memorable. :) Of course, eyes and sight are precious gifts and worth protecting with quality eye wear, but $350!?! Is it really necessary?

People work very hard for their money, and if they're lucky enough to have some left over after bills are paid, they should spend it as they wish. My money goes mostly for basic necessities, and spare funds are directed to only two things - travel and music/concerts. Each time I hear a male lawyer in my office complaining about the price he paid for a new handbag his diva craved, my head spins and I think about how many trips I could have taken for $2,000. How many new places and people I could've encountered, and whether a $2,000 purse is really that much better in quality than the $40 one I carry?

That's it. :) There's no real point to the post, except to show this funny picture collage and express my views about a topic that's important to many women, but not all. In the world, there's room for both types of females, and male suitors all over the globe are actively pursing each. With a lot of passion and vigor. :)

Btw, I also wear make-up on occasion, put on dresses and heels, and like artistic photo shoots. But if a man should demand that I look this way everyday, he's definitely not the man for me. Because I'm really just a jeans and t-shirts kind of gal, ready to pick up and go on a grand journey to some exotic, remote corner of the world at a moment's notice...and heels hinder mobility in such places. :)

Have a great weekend!

Comments

[10-4.livejournal.com]

> People work very hard for their money

People are spending too much money, that they don't have to buy stuff they don't need so they can impress people they don't like.

Will Smith

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Exactly. :)

[procurator0.livejournal.com]

so u were a black afro-am woman all along? i knew it!

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Well, my curly hair texture is definitely similar to a black girl's. Numerous hairstylists have said it to me. I can easily rock an afro at any time, and sometimes do. :)

[mybathroom.livejournal.com]

Shannon, how often do you go to concerts?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

In my 20's, every week. Now, only when a band I really like comes to town, because I can't be out until 1 or 2 a.m. in small concert halls, and get up at 5 a.m. for work. :) Concerts in small clubs here usually don't start until really late at night - around 10 p.m. and end in the wee hours of the morning.

[kremlin-curant.livejournal.com]

As I can guess young women are very materialistic. This is the main reason they love sugar daddies.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

There are plenty of older women who are superficial also. But not all women. I think it's important to remember we are not all money hungry, shallow and brain dead females. Just as all men aren't assholes. :)

[kichiro-sora.livejournal.com]

You know how to raise topics!

> Despite the mind tricks they play, I think one of the core foundations of this business is to make women feel inferior, not fantastic or worthy.

I think this is foundation of all advertisement industry. There is a strong theory that people spend best when they feel depressed and vulnerable, and therefore we have abundance of the bad news in every media -> people feel depressed -> ads work best. I don't have TV and never watch the news, just in case :)

>Each time I hear a male lawyer in my office complaining about the price he paid for a new handbag his diva craved, my head spins and I think about how many trips I could have taken for $2,000.

We all know it's not about quality or creative design, it's about label and status. Which leads to funny situations when girls sniff each other, looking at stitches and other microscopic tell-tales to figure out if other girl's D&G bag is fake or not. Because there is no easy way to tell $2000 from $20 - boy, they were handed really wrong status symbol... But they still believe in it.

Which lead to another aspect of all those status things... - I think people who care about them are stupid. I like intelligent women. So when I see a woman who cares about fashion industry and all those handbags&things - that's immediate -100 points. I myself care only about quality, and ready to pay for a quality things. If you take watches - $2000 Swiss watch is really a good investment. The one I wear now is 15 years old, looking nice and stylish, and it'll stay that way till the day I day, which will make it's price/year ridiculously low. But for the most things - you can buy amazing hand-crafted things on Etsy that far surpass those brandname things. My wife buys hand-made handbags on etsy for 1/10-20 of those stupid brand bags. Same for closes like leather jackets - you can order one, to your specs, out of magnificient leather for fractions of what they sell in those stores...

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

There are too many words in this post for most people to read, and only one picture, so it will not generate much interest or discussion. :) This blog is a means of expression for me, creating snapshots of various phases and journeys in life. I document things here not only for readers, but myself.

About price/vs. quality, of course there's a correlation. However, in this post, I'm speaking about luxury brands, where I can find no justification for the exorbitant costs, except to create an impression of status. And as a trademark lawyer, I understand branding quite well. :) I don't buy extremely cheap clothing because it does not typically last, and easily stretches out of shape after one washing. But come on - thousands of dollars for a dress or bag? It's really ludicrous. People always cling to superficial things, searching for happiness in them, because it's easier than facing your inner demons and trying to become a better, or more stable person. This takes effort, introspection and time...the average person is too lazy for it. Finally, intelligence - it is the most attractive quality in a partner. I can't be with men who aren't curious or smart - this leads to immediate boredom after one week of dating, no matter how attractive they are.

[anna-sollanna.livejournal.com]

> Almost all magazines or billboards depict glossy images of females with the most perfect genetics on the planet, sculpted bone structure, and often very unrealistic body frames.
I think that there should be a law prohibiting to all these glossy Photoshop images appear without the corresponding title that "it is not a natural image" like it is done for stunts in different advertisements when it is printed that all the stunts are made by professionals and you should not repeat them. "This make-up is made in a professional studio with Photoshop, don't try to repeat it at home because you'll never succeed". Of course, it IMHO was a joke but the earlier girls learn that all these glossy images are fakes the more chances of not ruining their lives in the rush of unreachable "beauty" they will have.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a very clever idea, that's for sure.:) I get really sick, and quite sad, when I see the Hollywood symbols young girls idolize now. I would put the Kardashian sisters at the top of the list - not sure if they're well known overseas? Almost all of them are fake, pumped up lips, ass hanging out of their shorts all the time...it's a horrible example for young girls to emulate. We need more healthy role models, there are way too few. In general, the world is fuc*ed, but I try to remain optimistic, and be a good role model for the young females in my social circle.

[saccovanzetti.livejournal.com]

Would you say that ideally, you would prefer to see people around you, in the streets and at work, naked or wearing underwear, weather permitting?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

What is the purpose of wearing only underwear? By that point, you might as well just be fully naked. :) People should wear what they want. If you're comfortable in thousand dollar shoes, wear them. :) I don't care, or even pay attention to such things most of the time, unless someone is dressed very colorful (which I like), or looking like a complete slob. Btw, if you wish to work in a nude office, they exist. :)) http://www.officechai.com/stories/this-office-went-naked-for-a-month-as-a-social-experiment-nsfw/

[mb-b.livejournal.com]

"The main idea one tries to convey to others is that he has access to far more prestigious mode of consumption than they might think of him. At the same time, he tries to explain to those around him that their mode of consumption is far less prestigious than they had the naïveté to think. All societal maneuvering is subordinated to this. Moreover, only these issues cause lasting emotions in people."

--Victor Pelevin

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I do not agree with the last sentence in the quote.

[onkel-hans.livejournal.com]

When I come to VA, I usually buy a pair of sunglasses and a pair of reading +1.0. Each for $1. They last forever.
When I bought the readings for $150, they broke after 3 months.

BTW, these red frames look great on you (or is it otherwise?) and I do not like that black girl.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Which city in Virginia do you visit? Of course, beauty is subjective. :) But thanks. My frames have probably now been warn by dozens of other people by now, as you simply throw them in the bin after the short film ends.

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

It's one of female traits to try to look attractive.
It always happened even when people lived in caves :)
Captalism and abundance of goods just put it to extreme.
This is why men should decide - yes, dear you can get it or no, you can not :)

I also applaud when people buy cheap replicas.
This way they save money and undermine greedy fashion Western business.
This is a personal action against the system which everybody can take safely :)

I personally stopped compare myself with others.
As you know, most of the time I don't think and when you don't think you cannot compare :))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

It's not only females who try to look attractive, many men are extremely vain and superficial also. :) Men should decide nothing for a woman - we have our own brains and desires, thank you. :) You claim that you "do not think," but clearly you do, otherwise you would have no job, or relationship with your wife or children. I refuse to believe you are some type of robot, void of warm emotions toward other humans. :)

[k-netalie.livejournal.com]

i have a friend, she's a housewife, her husband has a pretty wages. she never spent tons of money for clothes or habiliments although she dresses well and her clothes isn't cheapas well as sunglasses. she buyes everything on sales only. kind of a example to follow, isn't it?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, she sounds like a sensible woman. Because it's quite easy to not spend a lot of money, and still look nice and fashionable, especially here in the States where clothing is relatively cheap.

Да, печально

[andrey-kaminsky.livejournal.com]

I think that the situation when people adorn themselves with different colored cloths is more acceptable, more pleasing to God than when the same people are working in the tobacco industry or manufacturing chemical confections that turns children into fatties.
If people were more decorating and fucking themselves and each other, then they would have less time to perform all sorts of stupidities and cruelties.
Are there any plans about placing a portrait of Prince on the banknotes?

Re: Да, печально

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

All forms of gluttony are bad, including consumer over consumption. :) People who are fucking all the time can still be cruel, in fact they are often the most heartless emotionally. Prince on a banknote? Not yet, maybe someday. :) I'm pleased we will finally have a woman on our notes. :)) Are any females depicted on Russian currency? Can't remember.

[(Anonymous)]

Even worse is buying fake Gucci bags (or even the real ones) just so everybody can see the huge luxury logo on it. For me this is the peak of stupidity and superficiality.
Although quality has also its price in many cases. Certain types of goods I would not buy too cheap by experience.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I don't even find most of those bags aesthetically pleasing. They are often over-adorned and too tacky for my personal taste. I was speaking only about top luxury brands in this post that charge thousands of dollars for something basic. Of course, there is a strong correlation between cost/quality in many cases, and I rarely buy the cheapest model of anything.

[zhang-fei.livejournal.com]

Those shitty glasses on a black girl cost 350$? For this much money you could probably buy a kid in Africa who would be carrying a sun umbrella for you.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I doubt this woman is thinking about Africa, or employing impoverished kids for any purpose. :)

[yacc11.livejournal.com]

You know, I would rather say that "fashionistas do not disturb me" than "I tolearate with that" :)
I don't like word "tolerate" because basically it is a medical term :)
I don't understand peoples who rush for brands and new collections. But I like stylish peoples and that is true :)
For being stylish it's not take to spend a lot of money but you have to spend some time to find out a clothes that are most sutable for you to make your style being unique. :) It's funny but sometimes you can find those clothes in ... second hand stores and they are cheap ! :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Exactly! That's the whole point...it does not take thousands of dollars to look fashionable. :) These luxury brands are simply a symbol of status, for which people are willing to pay insane amounts of money for various reasons. Perhaps it makes them feel more important or superior to others? Not sure, because I don't have this mindset. Hope all is well! Happy holiday! :)