Does Your Thirteen Year Old Need a Louis Vuitton Purse?
Does thirteen years need a Louis Vuitton Purse?
The Wall Street Journal recently posted an interesting article on the targeting of teens for luxury items like designer bags, cars, etc. WSJ states:
Driving the shift is a generation of young people often called the teenage “millennials”—the adolescents and young adults born in the late 1980s to mid-90s. Of course there have always been teens who were focused on the “right” designer names, and marketers striving to sway them. (Remember Brooke Shields in her Calvins?) But apparel makers and retailers say the affluent millennials are particularly notable for their brand consciousness. Surrounded by brand references from Web sites, rap music, movies, magazines and MTV—and showered with the best of everything by their baby boomer parents—these young consumers have grown up knowing the difference between Prada and Ralph Lauren from an early age.
I agree that teens wanting designer labels isn’t anything new- I remember begging for a pair of Gibraud jeans and working my butt off for a Ralph Lauren Polo button down shirt. But… I’m concerned about the apparent entitlement that many teens feel to have these items and the apparent lack of a back bone by parents to say no. It’s the job of teenagers to push and it’s the job of parents to set boundaries. However, when it comes to designer goods, it seems like parents just can’t say no anymore. For example, one guy in the article even stated ““If they keep their grades up, it is hard to say no,”. I was a straight A student, got a full academic scholarship to a great school, and my parents had absolutely no problem saying no. In fact, I think they secretly plotted new and creative ways to say “no” to my irrational, teenage requests.
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I mean, why does your 13 year old (or a 20, or 30, or 40) HAVE to have a $300 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 of life that you do good things and you receive no instant reward other than the fact you did good- which apparently just doesn’t compare to a new Dooney Burke Bag. Or going out for a big dinner with your entire family when you got a good grade?
Anyone who’s ever watched MTV’s sweet sixteen knows exactly what I’m talking about- $50,000 party and new jaguar for a spoiled 16 year old? Pleeaseeee… What do they have to look forward to when they graduate from college? A small town and a Rolls Royce? I mean everything else in their lives will be down hill in comparison.
Designer items ARE NOT A HUMAN RIGHT.. They are nice and I love a good bag as much as the next person… but I also have a job.
| Posted by The Budget Fashionista
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Member Comments
No,i think a 13 year old doesnt need a fake or Original whatever LV bag first of all.and even if she does itz better to earn her own one at that age or rather not argue for it anymore.Parents should not spoil their kid with one.
Nusrat.
Dom:
I am a thirteen year old and I don’t know what i believe. it is special for kids to recieve gifts from their parents (especially when they are expensive gifts) but it is a treat. there comes a time when a parent has to draw the line, especially if their kid is always spoilt.
Ally:
that was my friend dom, don’t listen to her XD hahaha jk. (I am 14 by the way) I think that kids don’t need louis vuitton products. If they really want these accesories i think it is acceptable to let them save up for it with there pocket money, or at least go halve with them. They need to learn that they can’t get everything they want, and sometimes they have to work for the things they want.
Dom:
(but it is still exciting to get gifts) XD
Ally: but they don’t have to be as expensive as louis vuitton
Dom: EXACTLY (but gifts are still nice) bahaha
Ally:So we are in agreement then =D
Dom: YEP XD
this is dom and earlier on i was talking with ally. I get designer stuff from my parents and i have a LV purse but i only recieved it for good things i do…and the only reason i have the purse is because my aunt got it from her boy friend but they broke up so she gave it to me. even then i had to get an a+ in one of my projects to get my hands on it. So designer stuff is good, but it isn’t a necessity, so reward kids for stuff and if they want it make them save up. DONT DEPRIVE YOUR KIDS! lol
Seriously, this is totally rediculous.
First off, those “designer” bags nowadays are so incredibly HIDEOUS!!! Unfortunately, we live in a culture where any ugly thing touched by “celebrities” (usualy talentless ones who found their way to the top by sleeping with directors or etc) becomes idolized. Encouraging kids to get those dumb bags not only promote the desire for horrible fashion but also promote glorifying the prostitutes who lack talent (since those are the ones endorsing things like those ugly bags).
Second thing, teenagers need to learn the value of money and working. It’s just so sad to see that the biggest thing that a teenager desires is an ugly bag while the whole family can barely get by paying its mortgage and such. As soon as the fashion season changes, that $1000 bag the teen mangaged to hustle up will nolonger be any good. Probably, by then, the family’s out on the street or really really broke at least.
Seriously, where does this end? The kid never grows up to go to college to become anything? Who never sees a world beyond some ugly bag? By the time the child becomes of age and leaves the home, how’s that bag going to help when the child has little to no money? I guess help the child survive as a bag lady?
I’d never buy my kids those ugly bags not only because they’re ugly and endorsed by glorified prostitutes but also because there’s way more in live than ugly bags; there’s the value of money and hard work.