Vanity

Walk around west Los Angeles, Hollywood, and perhaps the downtown Art district and you will be able to pick out those who are from the area and those who are visiting. I have no intention of being harsh or negative in any manner, however since I have grown up in Los Angeles I have come to be able to pick up on these things. One of the abilities that I have acquired is, the ability to pick out those who are from the mentioned parts of L.A. and those who stick out like the fanny pack wearing tourist, I apologize if I am a little too direct. I mention the attire of tourist to bring myself to a point. Tourists are oblivious to the customs and culture of a new city, therefore they are content in what they wear just as those who are from this city and don’t necessarily care about the latest trends in fashion and so forth.
During a recent visit to the campus of USC, of which the student body is very diversified, I found myself seeking out those who are the international students, those who are from out of state, and those who are residents of L.A , but don’t necessarily concern themselves with trying to fit in or “look the part” so to speak. As I passed the main courtyard during the early afternoon I happened to notice a youthful blond haired girl who was wearing black slightly sparkled spandex pants, probably from American Apparel paired with the newest trend in footwear on her feet, which are the buckled leather half boot hills and a plain white tank top covered by a black summer jacket, and may I not forget the Ray ban shades and her either Chanel, Gucci, or Prada hand bag, I will never be able to tell the difference.
Fashion is somewhat a statement in its self. There is that old familiar phrase “you are what you eat” well for some, portraying who they are can be found by what they wear. It is very typical to see this in the city of L.A. There are, the very fashion conscious individual’s who pride themselves on being up to date with latest trends and perhaps even setting trends themselves, but I often wonder what is to gain out of concerning so much time and money on matters such as this? I would like to readily admit that I have found myself in this predicament at times as well. I like many other individuals in this city, follow the current trends, some of which I would not willingly jump on, but for the most part I do like to look my best and strive to create a look that may best suit my unique style. I can recount a time when I purchased my first pair of designer jeans. Rock and Republic, two cursive R’s stitched on the back pockets as a statement to the world that I am above the trends and belong to an exclusive society, or at least that is what the company tries to convey in their marketing campaign. I recently found the receipt for my purchase and to my amazement; I paid a little over $250 for that pair of jeans. Going back to the fashion clad girl from USC dressed in designer from head to toe, I could probably estimate how much her outfit costs, including her handbag.
To some individual’s fashion is a necessity no matter the cost, having the latest handbag, designer jeans, and shoes solidifies their hearts content. Today not only did I get a chance to see the very point that I am concerned with, but I also saw the other side of this glamorous lifestyle that many try to portray. Not too far from the glitz of the city’s most adorned hangouts where coming across girls and men for that matter as the one described from USC is frequent, there are individuals who will never get a chance to spend ridiculous amounts of money on such nominal items. Let it be known, this is not an attack on those who are fortunate enough to spend incredulous amounts of money on items such as clothing, but rather an enlightening on the brevity of the situation that so many face in our society today. Homelessness has gravely increased across the nation given our current economic state, and to freely spend on meaningless items just seems to be irresponsible. I am not saying that we should rebel against the designers for charging such large amounts for clothing and commence buying only from second hand stores, but if at all we could be mindful of our spending is the message that I’m trying to portray. Therefore, I shall pose the question once again, what is to gain out of concerning so much time and money on matters as this?
GOD bless.