Brand names

Hamilton College: a school swarming with preppy young adults, flaunting their brand-name apparel. Before coming here, I was generally accustomed to buying things because I liked them, not because they were the cultural norm. Apparently here however, it was deemed incredibly odd that I did not own a piece of Patagonia merchandise.

            The society that we live in throws fancy labels on a generic piece of clothing and then all of a sudden, it becomes the next best thing since slice bread. But how much better are these pieces of clothing in comparison to their cheaper competition? Yes, some apparel may last a little longer, or look a little nicer, but the general function of the item, regardless of the label, remains the same. A coat keeps you warm regardless of whether or not you purchase it from The North Face or from Target. Again, I realize that some outdoors gear may in fact be of a higher quality, but for shirts and sweaters among other things, a 241-dollar sweater from Free People is absolutely no different than a sweater from Marshalls. As we saw from the beautiful “pendant” in the Free People magazine, items are absurdly priced at these stores and yet people still feel the need to buy these items and give into societal pressures in order to fit in. The woman I babysit for bought her three-year old son a pair of Ugg slipper. I repeat, this child is three. Not only is he running around, destroying those expensive slippers on the playground at school, he is also going to outgrow them within the next year. I was appalled at how ridiculous this gesture was just because the slippers have a small label at the back of the heel. And yet here I am, sitting in my Ugg boots and my new gray Patagonia pullover, embracing my inner hypocrite.