What are you willing to give up?
In Japan, schoolgirls sleep with men three times their age for money to buy designer bags, which they may not even like, but need to fit in. In Singapore, women live on bread and water just to get designer goods. If this article is to be believed, some taitais in HK get up to USD 1 million a year for shopping money, and turn a blind eye on their husband’s “extra-curricular” activities. (Sharon Cuneta once mentioned that everytime her mom catches her dad with a woman, she gets new jewerly at Christine’s, haha.)
I found it surprising that singaporeans spends an average of USD100 a month on designer goods (lang?!) and their HK counterparts twice that. I thought it would be more than that. A fake Balenciaga leather handbag costs a little less than USD100 already and a fake Birkin is close to USD300.
Apparently, Asia is a bigger market than the US for designer labels, even though some salespeople in Paris would look down on us and go as far as allowing them to buy only one piece in the store. (Mga tanga! Mga bobo!) And Asians would still queue up in the rain (mas tanga! Mas bobo!) They say the rising real estate prices may be a factor. Whereas before people would flaunt their homes, now they flaunt their bags. Women delaying marriage could be another factor. They live with their parents and have their salaries all to themselves. And while our mothers were married at our age, we remain single and have more disposable income.
I am guilty of shopping more than I’d want to. But I am not particular on designer brands. I buy it if it suits me, and if the quality is good. Designer label is just a plus pogi points. This month I told myself I’ll start saving more. Every month I tell myself that. It is easy to forget when you are in Shopaholic Central, Shanghai. I should act more like old rich Europeans and invest in real estate instead.
The magazine article never mentioned Filipinos. What we do to buy things we covet. Let’s make our own stats. Ikaw, what do you do to get what you really really want?
April 14th, 2007 at 3:57 am
akala ko po mas mahal ang orig., mas mahal pa po pla ang ja-fake.. hehe
like what you’ve said before..
to get what we want.. we should spend money below our means..
at dapat tlgang may matira..dahil pag sobra.. we will never be able to save up money..
(parang ako po) hehe but i’m still saving up money just in case na kalanganin po..
thank you po sa pangaral ate carol!! DAIsUki..:p
April 30th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I pray, I will it to happen (mind over matter, ‘ika nga)…sometimes they work, sometimes nada. But I always make it a point to offer my thanks and be truly, sincerely grateful. Guess I have just been lucky enough so far.