Should Teens Feel Entitled to Designer Bags?
I’m a self-proclaimed lover of fashion blogs, whether to guide my actual shopping or just for some wishful thinking (mostly the latter). Some of them also provide some interesting food for thought, as well, such as this post from The Budget Fashionista: http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/teen-designer-handbag/ Originally posted in 2007, the article discusses whether teenagers deserve or should feel entitled to luxury goods like designer handbags.
An excerpt from the article:
“I mean, why does your 13 year old (or a 20, or 30, or 40) HAVE to have a $700 handbag or a BMW before they even learn what a responsibility it is to drive? Plus, always rewarding good behavior with an extravagant gift probably doesn’t teach a very good lesson to your teen- there’s times in life that you do good things and you receive no reward other than the fact you did good- which apparently just doesn’t compare to a new Dooney Burke Bag. What ever happen to going out for a big dinner with your entire family when you got a good grade? We’re creating a whole generation of spoiled consumers with very unrealistic expectations about life.”
The blogger reposted the article recently to highlight some of the comments left by readers, including teens, some of whom defend their ownership of a Louis Vuitton bag by emphasizing their hard work in academic settings and the social importance of brand names.
One of the comments:
“Im a 15 year old girl and i believe that teenagers SHOULD have these things. I know back then things was different for you guys but its a newer generation and you have to understand that THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. nowadays if you dont have that stuff your lame. point blank. so if the parents buy top designer clothes and have no problem oh well. some of you are right, no one neeedsss a good brand name but thats how fashion is today. trust me, this is coming from a person who goes to highschool herself and see everything.”
As someone who earned perfect grades throughout high school and was raised in a family that taught that the greatest reward was the personal satisfaction of reaping the benefits of my hard work, I am personally in strong agreement with the blogger that my generation is a bit too entitled for its own good. Then again, if someone handed me a designer bag for free, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to accept it.
Read the article and comments and please post your thoughts. Should teenagers, or even young people in general who are not supporting themselves, feel entitled to luxury goods? Are young people today the most brand-conscious generation yet?
Alyssa
September 6, 2011Heck no teens should not feel that they are entitled to a $500 purse!
While I understand the desire to be rewarded for good grades, or good behavior, a teen shouldn’t expect to be rewarded for doing their best and working hard. That may sound harsh but in the real world a lot of times hard work goes unnoticed, but that shouldn’t deter you from doing your best!
I think a teen that believes that they deserve a designer bag should get a job if they don’t already have one and earn the $500 themselves, that way they realized just how much it costs, and can appreciate it more.
It’s been a quite a few years since I was in high school, so maybe things have change in the last 5 years but I don’t recall seeing students wearing designer clothing and you most definitely weren’t uncool if you didn’t wear designers!