The confessions of a shopaholic!!

Many would say that clothing was important growing up. As our teenage years hit, we were looking to fit in with trends and styles, or even trying to look similar to our friends. There was a difference of what was cool and what wasn’t, what looked affordable and what looked expensive. The need to be cool was a desire for many in our high school/middle school years. Being left out was a fear we never wanted to experience.

At a young age walking through malls gave me the satisfaction of thinking about who I could be in all the different clothes. I loved walking into stores and seeing all the accessories and vibrant colors. Whether I bought something or tried a few things on, I think it created some insecurities in me and probably in all of us (if anyone can relate). As I grew older, I would still aspire to look like mannequins or even just the girls who looked like they had good sense of style. A part of me still felt like I didn’t really fit in even with all the clothes.  Perhaps many can relate? Shopping can become an addiction or an issue in our daily lives if we just want to receive validation from others. I would say many out there can agree!

How many times do you change a day? How much time does it take you to choose an outfit every morning? How many hours do you take shopping at a mall? What’s the maximum you would spend on clothing? These are only a few questions to reflect upon and decide whether shopping is an addiction/issue to satisfy our needs.

I saw an interesting movie – the title of this blog is in honor to this movie – The Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). This movie not only is it a good romantic comedy, but it is also a movie that shows a sincere perspective of an actual shopaholic. The protagonist Becky Bloomwood said she knew there was a difference between “mom prices” and “real prices”. As a young girl her mom got her a pair of shoes that were not in style and would last for a very long time. Her friends from school (or other young girls) would make fun of her because she wasn’t fitting in with those shoes. This made her shopping addiction spark up throughout her adulthood. The shoes made her an outcast and her addiction allowed her to avoid that feeling of embarrassment. It was hard for her to stop spending and buying, until she found love. Love made her change her priorities. While love can conquer all, changing what really matters to us is much more efficient to living life. 

In the end we can see that external influences can affect our reactions and impulses if we let them get to us. The point is life, little by little, teaches us that the only opinion we need is our own to avoid becoming a shopaholic or reliant on anyone else’s validation.

P.S. Thank you for listening to the Jukebox where we talk about the truth and nothing but the truth!