The thing about America is it is, by definition, filled with ad after ad that sell the story that this particular good or item will make someone’s life to be appreciably better. In addition to the perceived fact that they will also be admired for having obtained it. This is seconded by today’s social media influencers who, because they are often perceived to be somebody that we can identify with, sell the very same sort of story, of which the good that they are pitching and praising will bring status upon the recipient if only they would purchase such.
Logically, we know that status symbols, especially when bought to achieve that status, really don’t change who and what we are at our core. Yet, that siren song seems to appeal to many a person and in particular appeals to those that feel that they aren’t where they want to be or ought to be, and therefore need surface like things and labels to sell their story that they are successful, and that they are to be a person to be admired, so signified by the fact that they have the right prestigious accouterments that typically they make quite visible to friends and associates, as well as to the population, at large.
Not too surprisingly, companies that sell goods are quite cognizant that some of their buyers, if not the majority, so of, are people that are eager to purchase those goods that will make them to believe that their status will be embellished, and they play upon that urge by focusing on that consumer base, by basically telling their customers, that indeed they will after they have purchased that item, be now respected, be now recognized, and be now envied. Whether such is literally true or not, doesn’t matter so much as long as the person making that purchase believes it, themselves.
So too, those items that have taken on the aura of being something that enhances one’s image are the very same that stores are able to charge consumers for at a higher price, by virtue of providing the access and therefore the privilege of helping the consumer upgrade their image, which ends up being quite good for the seller’s bottom line. So then, those that are in that business are only too happy to have customers that perceive the need to purchase what they are selling, so as to make themselves feel better about who and what they are – though beneath the surface it would be fair to assert, that these purchases are often being done as a perceived needed compensation to make up for the fact that many of these clients are either not of the favored race, or have not come from the most favorable circumstances, in which these visible items represent proof positive that they should now be accepted as being successful and of visible merit, which seems to say that they are in their own way now on the same level as those that were fortunate enough to be born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths.