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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.
Discuss this and other topics on the Fashion Gab Forum
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.
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Comments
I think if kids work and save for the money that’s fine. I got my first Coach purse saving up. My parents didn’t have to pay at all. And theres a bit of a difference between louis vuitton and dooney and burke. A lot of kids also get fakes. Pretty much every Louis Vuitton you see in high school is guaranteed to be a fake. Especially since they are so hard to find. And the fact that they’re 2000-3000. That’s very pricy for even super rich kids. The rich kids are more likely to buy excessive amounts of Coach. And designer jeans.
As I said before, kids should have to work for designer goods, not just have it handed to them. I think rewards for good grades should be given, but not that much. And it should be more for improvement than anything.
What’s the name of this article? I’ve been trying to find it but to no avail, definitely looks very interesting
I think part of the difference is that when we were younger, designers didn’t make collections at all, never mind nice, for kids. For example - I really haven’t seen one single thing in say Phat Farm, that I would wear or carry, but Kimora’s clothes for little girls are really adorable. And while I never, ever pay full price for her stuff, because I know how and where to shop, I can certainly see how a child growing up wearing these things would feel entitled to make the next step to designer bags etc… not saying its right, but I can see how it happens. My daughter has 7 for all Mankind jeans, etc… and they are cute to death, but again I wouldn’t pay $100+ for them - I got them for less than 25% of the price… but that doesn’t mean she is getting a LV for her 13th birthday unless its a hand me down. I got a Coach bag for my 16th birthday - this was in the 80’s - but I also got a very detailed lesson about buying quality etc..... and yes I still have and use that bag 22years later. So getting the expensive item itself isn’t the problem, its the failure to teach the kids the value of money IMO....
As the parent of three kids, now young adults. I would say that part of the problem with the “entitlement” attitude of millenials is that the parents have not taught them to be intelligent consumers.
As much fun as fashion is, let’s face it, the point of the ads is to get you to buy something. And impulsively buy it at that.
But solving the problem is easy. You say to the kids, from a very young age, that you will NOT buy them anything (including cereal) if they ask for it immediately after seeing an ad for the item.
They ask because the ad compells them to ask, and parents give in. Since we are bombarded by ads, there’s plenty to ask for, and it’s easy to give in.
When my kids were little we just told them, they couldn’t ask and didn’t explain why. As they got older we explained the reasons behind this.
My daughters (18 & 23) love fashion. but they are smart. Not only about advertising but about quality in clothing, price, value, and fashion. They developed their own styles and read fashion magazines all the time.
But because my husband and I took the time to teach them how to be intelligent readers and viewers, and how to look for value, no matter what the cost, they buy intellignetly and thriftily.
Janet Perry
I couldn’t agree more with you! It’s disgusting the way that young people (and I’m 20 so I see this all the time) feel entitled to luxuries that their parents worked for decades to be able to enjoy! Your point about it all going downhill after you’ve already been given everything you’d want is a great one- I know of other college kids who go out to 4 star NYC restaurants on weekends with friends or get bottle service at the top clubs, go on vacation whenever they want and buy any designer name without a second thought. You wonder what they have to look forward to in life when they’ve already experienced the most lavish luxuries before they graduate college.
I’m in my 20s and my parents, when I was little, gave me an allowance each week. And to buy anything at all I had to save up for it. Its taught me to budget for the things I want. For good grades or deeds all I got was just “good job” from my parents. But I grew up with friends from affluent families where designer was a way of life. One of my childhood friends wasn’t allowed to wear anything unless there was a designer name attached. When her things got dirty from messing around her mom would just shrug. Admittedly I was jealous of her things but looking back now, I’m glad I wasn’t just another overindulgent brat.
The article’s name was “Bubble Gum at Bergdorf’s”. Excellent read.. especially for parents
Designer and expensive isn’t new to teens and preteens but the relative cost is.
“Would you like fries with that” wages haven’t gone up to match the difference between a Le Sportsac handbag and a Prada.
Then again, I think what you’re saying, K, is pretty much what our parents said-- “Kids these days! In my day, it was harder!”
You can get free online access to the Wall Street Journal and those other subscription sites with a netpass from: http://news.congoo.com
I saw this on CNBC and thought it was a great tip!
Teen Vogue is probably the most harmful publication to girls with it’s boney models and the Channel bags and other majorly expensive stuff in there.
BTW, when I was young my mom told me she’d pay for clothes I needed not things just to be fashionable.
It’s up to the parents whether or not they choose to purchase high-end goods for THEIR children. I have a soon-to-be 15 year old daughter. She has a LV and she’s getting a Coach pochette for her 15th b’day. Did you catch the key word there: Birthday! I have good kids and they DESERVE special items on their special days. As a parent, as long as “business” is handled, nothing wrong with spoiling your children. Why should they only have the bare minimum?!
It’s up to the parents whether or not they choose to purchase high-end goods for THEIR children. I have a soon-to-be 15 year old daughter. She has a LV and she’s getting a Coach pochette for her 15th b’day. Did you catch the key word there: Birthday! I have good kids and they DESERVE special items on their special days. As a parent, as long as “business” is handled, nothing wrong with spoiling your children. Why should they only have the bare minimum?!
“Does Your Thirteen Year Old Need a Louis Vuitton Purse?”
Hell no way.
BF, I couldn’t agree with you more!
I totally feel that kids should save up their own money to get these expensive things. When I was a teen, my parents made sure that I knew the value of money. They wanted me to know that good things cost money, but that you can’t always have the best things. I still grew up wanting the most expensive things, but now that I’m an adult, making my own money, I don’t go blowing it on the finer things in life (well, all the time...). Kids need to learn responsibility and they shouldn’t just be handed everything they want. Life doesn’t work like that.
RIGHT ON!!! As a high school teacher I have seen this trend rapidly escalate over the past ten years. It’s a treat for me (a thirtysomething) to spend $75 on something just for me so when I see a fifteen year old with that same new item every season I wish I could talk some sense to their parents. Are we teaching our kids to find intrisic value in anything or that you must be rewarded to feel worthy?
When I was little (like 6 years old), my mom, my older cousin, and my grandma all had Coach bags and I wanted one like crazy. I used to read my mom’s catalogs and check off all the bags I wanted. Needless to say, what the hell does a six-year-old need with a Coach bag? Anyway, my mom told me she only gave one to my 20-something cousin because she had a job, and she promised me when I got my first job, I could get a Coach bag, which at the time seemed fair, though it also seemed like forever away. Of course, I had to contend with the rich ####### in my schools who perpetually got Coachs bestowed unto them.
Eventually I get get my beloved Coach, though my mom, she kinda fudged it, since she gave me a Coach gift certificate for the Christmas before I graduated college. But I feel good that I came into my Coach by earning it and getting my B.A. Now I bring it out for special occasions, like parties and job interviews.
This writer is right. Our culture is saying pushes designer labels and fancy cars so much that teens think it’s the norm. Companies are marketing to younger teens, like Lindsey Lohan modeling crayon inspired Dooney and Burke bags. And super sweet sixteen shows how much parents won’t say no, buying Hummers and BMWs to teens that can’t even drive yet. A 15 year old does not deserve or need a LV purse.
Erica- having a bag from Hype or a another “less” popular brand isn’t the bare minimum. The bare minimum is not being able to afford ANY bag so that you’re family can eat.
I’m in no way saying that kids shouldn’t have special items.. as a aunt I totally spoil my niece and nephew.. what I’m saying is that if you have everything at age 15, what do you have to look forward to? Hermes bag? I’ve seen many parents get caught in this trap of trying to top themselves each year with gifts..
I think what a lot of teens want is to be accepted and having an LV purse (which I think is ugly) will make them feel better. It’s not really individual when everyone carries the same bag. I think that eventually we will just be this very homogenous society where we all know what is good and have to buy it. Even with adults it seems like people feel entitled to a luxury vehicle. Not that they just want it but they deserve it and this is the only way they can cure that need for feeling good. But am I the only one who realizes this is just stuff? I really don’t think children in the Sudan care what they wear because they just want to be kids. I am also sure that most kids in America and elsewhere don’t know that mass genocides still exist. But you know what they know the difference between Prada and LV and that is so much more important. It’s actually just kind of sick.
If I had a child that wanted a Louis Vuitton purse they could go out there and get a job and work for it. Oh please what 13 year old needs designer merchandise?
By buying into labels you are not only buying into the branding ideology but are basically teaching kids to conform to marketing and advertising. Parents should focus more in promoting individualism and independent thought rather then these minions who need to shop in order to feel good about themselves. There is more too life than a Louis Vuitton bag or the latest brand in jeans. Parents should reward their children without the help of their credit card.
I think that the idea of giving a thirteen-year-old a Louis Vuitton purse is ludicrous… giving a kid some reasonably priced designer stuff is okay, but not a freakin’ brand-new Louis! Example: my mother bought me designer stuff when it looked good on me, didn’t cost an arm and a leg, and would last a long time - not because it was THE designer label to have. (Bear in mind that we shop at outlets - which are ridiculously cheaper than department or main stores - and “discount” stores like Ross.)
It’s not a crime for a teenager to have a designer bag, but it IS a crime for a teenager to get a brand-new one just because the teen (or her parents) feel like they owe it to her somehow. In the interest of full disclosure, I had a Louis bag in high school (real, thank you very much, and only worn to places like church and field trips to the opera) but the only reason why I did is because my mother had moved on to a new bag a long time ago and she’d been using the LV since I was born… it’s like an heirloom of sorts. She taught me that there IS more to life than luxury goods, but they’re nice to have if you can get them. Plus, if you take care of the goods properly and you become poor (or tired of them) you can always sell them for some cash. hehe.
im 24 and a high school teacher and i have seen a great difference between the way parents interact with children now than the way they did when i was in school.
Parents are giving in to childrens desires out of a guilty feeling they have because they work all day and have very little time or energy to deal with their kids. its just easier to give them what they want, and have them be happy, than to tell them no, and have them be upset the few moments you ARE able to spend with them.
the marketing of these products does not take advantage of kids, kids will always want things they see, it takes advantage of parents who cant say no.
parents need to be parents so kids can be kids.
by the way, im not saying that you shouldnt give your kid what they want, you should consider it when it is appropriate.
remember, in everything you do, you are teaching by example.
You are so right!!! There is absolutely no reason that parents should be overindulging their children with expensive bags and clothes. The problem I find most disturbing is that children grow up without realizing that designer handbags cost hard earned money, and these things will not always be handed to them. I’m 25, and I see friends of mine who received these kind of expensive items when they were younger and are still trying to buy them for themselves, despite they fact that they don’t have the budget for them. They struggle to pay the bills, but are buying $300 jeans? This makes no sense.
Of course, I find it to be a totally different situation entirely when you work hard, save your money, and buy something you want for yourself. In this case, whether you are a teenager or a working woman, more power to you.
