Blog post #8
Well I have been scratching my head trying to figure out what I can write in this blog that is interesting for you all to read. I really wanted to steer away from the usual crap that people write in these things which generally revolves around helpful tips and tricks and cleverly ties back into the underlying product or service they are trying to sell. I tried to give that a go and it didn't seem natural for me so I thought I would to the exact opposite and write about some of the things that are important to me and hopefully you all find entertainment from my rants!
The other day I was thinking about how much society has changed even in my 24 years of life. I have seen fads come and go all the way through school and when I was a teenager we would all strive to become whatever our own interpretation of 'cool' was by having the freshest shoes or wearing the latest Fubu tracksuit or rocking up to the local skate park on a brand new Mongoose BMX. It seems modern day society learns from an early age that our status from the surface is judged purely on our belongings and appearance and even as children we strive to have that one thing before anyone else and not only owning it, but showing it off fills us with a sense of pride.
What really got me thinking was wondering if the opinion of others around us, even strangers who we may never interact with, really affects the decisions we make everyday or is it our own subconscious mind trying to cater to our own ego. Personally I think that most of the decisions we make around our appearance and the 'bells and whistles' we own are based on our self esteem or lack there of in 21st century society. Media is such a power tool and the way that people are portrayed creates an unreachable expectation of who we are supposed to be as people which forces us to try and better ourselves by purchasing expensive and illogical items to feel a sense of worth and acceptance.
Personally I found myself falling into this trap and it was one of the main reasons I started Siete Clothing Co because I was fed up with feeling like I had to buy all of these designer labels to be an individual and gain acceptance. Here's a story for you, I had a close friend who was always going out of his way to try and appear successful which was primarily due to his own insecurities. He would go and buy designer items like Louis Vuitton wallets, Hermes belts, Gucci shoes on a regular basis and was constantly upgrading his car (currently a high end BMW) all of which were ridiculously over priced and he was living beyond his means. He would constantly post photos bragging about what he had and tried constantly to create the image of what he saw as success.
I originally thought it was a waste of money as I have never been wealthy in any sense of the word but I found myself being secretly jealous so I decided I would try and outdo him so I started to save like crazy. I would troll the internet for hours looking for designer items that I needed to have and I finally found this pair of limited edition Louis Vuitton bright green high top sneakers in the US which were $1200 bucks! Yes, you heard right and yes, I bought them, I waited weeks for them to arrive and I bragged about them to everyone and I felt content.
They finally arrived and they were half a size too small! I was fucking gutted and I knew that they were sold out everywhere and I was lucky to even have a pair so I went and cut my nails real short, wore thin socks and wore them out. It was the single most uncomfortable night of my life and these bright green sneakers barely got noticed by anyone. I was furious and I had some of the worst buyers remorse humanly possible. I finally realised that the only reason I bought them in the first place was to cater to my own ego and it was one of the best lessons I could have learnt not only as a consumer but as an individual who just wanted to fit in.
To this day I have worn the shoes 3 times and they sit in my wardrobe collecting dust. I keep them because it taught me a valuable lesson that in life, not everything is about what is on the surface. It reminds me each day that people deserve to feel good about themselves without having to take another job to buy a temporary patch for the hole in their self esteem. It also taught me that there is more to life than the things we own and we shouldn't judge those around us who choose not to indulge in unnecessary items just to try and fit in.
Remember most of all, be yourself not what other people want you to be.
Signing out,
Jackson
Siete Clothing Co
