{"id":475,"date":"2007-09-06T20:45:59","date_gmt":"2007-09-07T04:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/godammit.com\/2007\/09\/06\/the-handbag-problem\/"},"modified":"2007-09-06T20:45:59","modified_gmt":"2007-09-07T04:45:59","slug":"the-handbag-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/godammit.com\/the-handbag-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Handbag Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new book called \u2018 Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster\u2019<\/a> cites some statistics about designer handbags that I find deeply upsetting. Apparently, 40 per cent of Japanese people own a product made by Louis Vuitton. Girls in Japan \u00a0will resort to prostitution in order to buy a Louis Vuitton or Hermes handbag.<\/p>\n

In 2004, luxury brands collectively sold $11.7 billion worth of handbags and other leather accessories. Shit! I think about $10 billion of that was my fault, but I\u2019m not taking the blame for the rest of it.<\/p>\n

This horrible scourge of \u00a0 \u201cIt Bags\u201d and what it represents is a depressing subject for me, since I consider myself somewhat enlightened and devoutly anti-authority, but I still want a nice handbag. By \u2018nice,\u2019 I mean expensive. By \u2018expensive,\u2019 I mean that anything under $500 is unacceptable. By \u2018unacceptable,\u2019 I mean brands like Coach or Cole Haan or any other mid-priced brand. I don\u2019t mind using a vinyl Hello Kitty bag if I get the urge, but otherwise it has to be an eye-popping luxury piece that says \u2018Look! I\u2019m Not Afraid To Waste Money!\u2019<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read The Theory of the Leisure Class<\/a>, and I know about conspicuous consumption. I snicker at people who care what kind of car others drive. I like thrift shops and second hand clothes. I hate Republicans. But I am hopelessly caught up in the handbag thing.<\/p>\n

Is it insecurity? Vanity? Status-Seeking? Advertising? Brainwashing? I\u2019m not sure, but I\u2019m hoping that ‘Deluxe’ will enlighten me. The appeal of Louis Vuitton has always seemed unfathomable, since those logo handbags are so drab looking. And I had no idea that the Japanese has switched their affection from Prada to Louis!<\/p>\n

My enormous yellow handbag has stopped giving me a thrill, sort of like when you hit a wall with Zoloft and have to try Lexapro or Effexor. I am presently involved in a transaction with Vivienne Westwood, which may solve the problem. God knows I have prostituted myself to pay for it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"