I think there can be an even mix...I mean I go to the nicest private school in the city and I mean my boyfriend doesnt go to the same school and he thinks its funny and its cute he makes jokes about my "high class" friends ..im 17 by the way...and my parents just gave me a range rover for my 17th birthday and fund my gas and school and give me money for christmas, etc. but not enough to buy an LV bag..I dont work during school because my dad wont let me but every summer I work for 3 months everyday (I was a really high ranked tennis player in the country and I give lessons now) and know the value of a dollar...i mean when i get new designer bags or new SFAM or R&R jeans or Tiffany's jewelry I appreciate and I love it...it depends alot on the kids' characters..but I have to admit 8-12 is a little young...
Youngsters crave luxury labels
- Thread starter sonya
- Start date
VERY WELL SAID HauteMama!! 
quote=HauteMama;1409193]I grew up in a town with a lot of very old money (sadly, my parents didn't have it!). The vast majority of the families with old, inherited money made their kids have part-time jobs, buy their own cars (usually second-hand older models) and pay a good portion of their way through school.
But there was a lot of nouveaux riche, as well, who flaunted their money. They dressed themselves and their kids in labels so everyone could see. The kids developed a taste for designer labels, but mostly because that was what their parents taught them was important. The labels on young children were for the sake of the parents' egos and not the child.
Not surprisingly, most of the old money kids I knew grew up with a work ethic and knew the value of a dollar. Those who were taught that labels matter and flaunting wealth is what is important haven't fared so well when it came time for them to make their own way (at least one has already squandered his parents' fortune).
This is obviously a generalization from what I saw, but I think we do a disservice to our kids when we make them aware of status and image too early. Society will shove it on them fast enough that I don't feel there's any need to make it happen any sooner.
And on a side note, by 6 year old son has outgrown two and then skipped sizes in pants in 4 months. Even for someone with money, it would have made no sense for him to have outgrown a full wardrobe of that many sizes of designer pants in so short a time. That is throwing money away for the sake of being wasteful.[/quote]
quote=HauteMama;1409193]I grew up in a town with a lot of very old money (sadly, my parents didn't have it!). The vast majority of the families with old, inherited money made their kids have part-time jobs, buy their own cars (usually second-hand older models) and pay a good portion of their way through school.
But there was a lot of nouveaux riche, as well, who flaunted their money. They dressed themselves and their kids in labels so everyone could see. The kids developed a taste for designer labels, but mostly because that was what their parents taught them was important. The labels on young children were for the sake of the parents' egos and not the child.
Not surprisingly, most of the old money kids I knew grew up with a work ethic and knew the value of a dollar. Those who were taught that labels matter and flaunting wealth is what is important haven't fared so well when it came time for them to make their own way (at least one has already squandered his parents' fortune).
This is obviously a generalization from what I saw, but I think we do a disservice to our kids when we make them aware of status and image too early. Society will shove it on them fast enough that I don't feel there's any need to make it happen any sooner.
And on a side note, by 6 year old son has outgrown two and then skipped sizes in pants in 4 months. Even for someone with money, it would have made no sense for him to have outgrown a full wardrobe of that many sizes of designer pants in so short a time. That is throwing money away for the sake of being wasteful.[/quote]
I remember lusting after LV when I was seven, so I can kind of relate. I would read Vogue and was obsessed with making myself into a stylish "lady". It wasn't a celebrity thing so much as a desire to be chic (90s fashion and the supermodels made a huge impression on me). I think children are very impressionable and are more prone to wanting everything they can to get an identity.
I think that handbags are great for birthdays and christmas, but not as something kids feel they can demand whenever they want. It should be about developing an appreciation for beautiful things, not wanting to copy Lindsay or compete with their friends.
People who dress up their kids in Dior Baby and Burberry are doing it for their own entertainment, and it is entertaining! My mother put a lot of effort into making sure my sister and I always wore matching outfits, while not "designer", it is essentially the same thing.
Children, like most adults, need to be reminded that consumerism is not the answer to finding your identity. I think they just need a little more protecting than adults.
As usual, it's not what you do but how you do it.
Kids are so fixated on fitting in and having more than their friends. Everyone wants to be the best. It is always the case when you have a peer group that is competitive, as it is at school. Consumerism is fueled by people "keeping up with the Jones". It is important to teach kids to think for themselves.
God, thinking of school makes me cringe!
I think that handbags are great for birthdays and christmas, but not as something kids feel they can demand whenever they want. It should be about developing an appreciation for beautiful things, not wanting to copy Lindsay or compete with their friends.
People who dress up their kids in Dior Baby and Burberry are doing it for their own entertainment, and it is entertaining! My mother put a lot of effort into making sure my sister and I always wore matching outfits, while not "designer", it is essentially the same thing.
Children, like most adults, need to be reminded that consumerism is not the answer to finding your identity. I think they just need a little more protecting than adults.
As usual, it's not what you do but how you do it.
Kids are so fixated on fitting in and having more than their friends. Everyone wants to be the best. It is always the case when you have a peer group that is competitive, as it is at school. Consumerism is fueled by people "keeping up with the Jones". It is important to teach kids to think for themselves.
God, thinking of school makes me cringe!
man, these kids don't even make their own money. geez, and the parents are worse for letting these kids getting what they want. if you spoil your kids, they're gonna be spoiled forever!
try to imagine when they're 20s, when they're supposed to starting to have a job, earning their own money. who knows they still stuck in their parents bank account!
i feel ashamed of these kids nowadays. i saw these kindergarten kids back in my high school, and a lot of them have cellphones! damn. i seriously can't imagine what would these kids gonna be when they're adults.
i mean, i know identity and image is important. but lusting your kids to spend THAT much money? come on.. how would you suppose they would work hard if these parents are spoiling their kids??
man, this is a wrong world nowdays.
Nothing special anymore about "my first designer bag". i mean, come on, parents are buying for the kids! unlike some of us who actually had to work hard to get one.
man, i never beg my dad to get me a marc jacobs bag, no matter how bad i want it. but hey, now i work my ass off and now i could afford one! that feels a lot better than having your parents swiped their credit cards just to show your friends how cool you are. ew.
that's just wrong.
if you MAKE the money, then yeah go ahead you have a right to spend it. But if you still hiding in your parents closet, re-think about these behaviours.
these kids need to KNOW about how hard and cruel the world is. try to imagine if your parents went bankrupt and you have nothing left. you have to work to help them don't you? and now, since you never work your a** before, do you think you could cope with the situation?
a lot of people can't. believe me. i do KNOW how does it feel to be in this situation. luckily my dad never spoiled me too much.
anyway, these are just my thoughts. phew.
try to imagine when they're 20s, when they're supposed to starting to have a job, earning their own money. who knows they still stuck in their parents bank account!
i feel ashamed of these kids nowadays. i saw these kindergarten kids back in my high school, and a lot of them have cellphones! damn. i seriously can't imagine what would these kids gonna be when they're adults.
i mean, i know identity and image is important. but lusting your kids to spend THAT much money? come on.. how would you suppose they would work hard if these parents are spoiling their kids??
man, this is a wrong world nowdays.
Nothing special anymore about "my first designer bag". i mean, come on, parents are buying for the kids! unlike some of us who actually had to work hard to get one.
man, i never beg my dad to get me a marc jacobs bag, no matter how bad i want it. but hey, now i work my ass off and now i could afford one! that feels a lot better than having your parents swiped their credit cards just to show your friends how cool you are. ew.
that's just wrong.
if you MAKE the money, then yeah go ahead you have a right to spend it. But if you still hiding in your parents closet, re-think about these behaviours.
these kids need to KNOW about how hard and cruel the world is. try to imagine if your parents went bankrupt and you have nothing left. you have to work to help them don't you? and now, since you never work your a** before, do you think you could cope with the situation?
a lot of people can't. believe me. i do KNOW how does it feel to be in this situation. luckily my dad never spoiled me too much.
anyway, these are just my thoughts. phew.
i remember falling in love with a Cole Haan bag i saw at Marshall's when I was 9 yrs old. it was $350 dollars and i had a total of $120 saved from my first communion. i nearly fainted when i picked it up. i loved it so much but it never occured to me that my parents would get it for me. when my mother, seeing the look in my eyes, offered to pay whatever was left over after i payed my $120 and then give it to me for christmas, i cried right there in the store. this was the first time i had so much money of my own, though, and i was sick about spending it. i told my mom id think about it. we brought it home and it sat in a bag in the hall for 2 weeks until i, sobbing, decided to return it and keep my money. i've been sorry so often because it was beautiful. the thing was, though, i didn't know what Cole Haan was!! i didn't want it because it was designer, just because of how pretty the leather was and how soft it felt in my hands. AND my family was very well-off and i lived in a upper class suburban town! i guess my parents just raised me well...
I think it's ridiculous that 12 year olds are wearing the kind of things that older people like me and my friends wear. First off all, it was odd to see 10 year olds wearing overly sexy outfits to SCHOOL..things like short denim mini skirts and low-cut halters..the kind of outfits that we would wear to school dances when we were 16 or 17! Little kids are growing up more and more and younger ages..it's all thanks to the media. Over exposure to Paris, Lindsay, MK&A, hell, even Barbie.
I took a women's history class once..and they credit a lot of this back to Barbie, because Barbie was one of the first toys just for girls and it pretty much screams MATERIALISM!!! because Barbie came with so many accessories. Hot pink jeep. Horse. Play house. Extra shoes/dresses. Corvette convertible..kids are being exposed to this type of thing when they are like 5 years old..I'm not surprised that when they are 12 or 13 they begin to demand these types of things for themselves.
It's appalling the things I see at malls...Once saw a girl in Juicy Couture. Jcrew shorts, Lacoste polo, Burberry belt, Burberry loafers, Burberry headband (all novacheck), standing there and ordering the Juicy SA, very rudely, around while she tried on terry bowler bags. Within 15 minutes, she had discarded every bag she tried on the floor, and made a pile half her size. Who did this little 10 year old think she was, bossing around a 20-something SA? And her mother just sat there, on the sofa, encouraging this: "Oh you should get pink...it would match your things better", or "Try on the bigger bag, you can fit schoolbooks in it!".
Sorry for such a long post, but it's just SO appalling. Kids are getting sluttier and brattier by the day. I still firmly maintain that young kids do NOT need luxury items..it's just a waste because kids grow out of their clothes within 3-4 months anyways!! Dropping $150+ on a Juicy tracksuit for a kid that's going to wear it 3 or 4 times isn't worth it.
I took a women's history class once..and they credit a lot of this back to Barbie, because Barbie was one of the first toys just for girls and it pretty much screams MATERIALISM!!! because Barbie came with so many accessories. Hot pink jeep. Horse. Play house. Extra shoes/dresses. Corvette convertible..kids are being exposed to this type of thing when they are like 5 years old..I'm not surprised that when they are 12 or 13 they begin to demand these types of things for themselves.
It's appalling the things I see at malls...Once saw a girl in Juicy Couture. Jcrew shorts, Lacoste polo, Burberry belt, Burberry loafers, Burberry headband (all novacheck), standing there and ordering the Juicy SA, very rudely, around while she tried on terry bowler bags. Within 15 minutes, she had discarded every bag she tried on the floor, and made a pile half her size. Who did this little 10 year old think she was, bossing around a 20-something SA? And her mother just sat there, on the sofa, encouraging this: "Oh you should get pink...it would match your things better", or "Try on the bigger bag, you can fit schoolbooks in it!".
Sorry for such a long post, but it's just SO appalling. Kids are getting sluttier and brattier by the day. I still firmly maintain that young kids do NOT need luxury items..it's just a waste because kids grow out of their clothes within 3-4 months anyways!! Dropping $150+ on a Juicy tracksuit for a kid that's going to wear it 3 or 4 times isn't worth it.
man, when i was in HS - Dooney was the purse to have. How time has changed!!!! Not the updated dooney that they have out now, but like back in 93-95 era... Good thing i only have a son ... lolz
^I feel so bad for the SAs... IT always ticks me off to high heaven when I encounter a rude SA, mostly over the phone, because how can they 'judge' my buying power by my voice? Most of the time, I forget to remind myself they deal with so many rude people- not that I am ever rude to an SA, I always try to be cheery, but it can get quite difficult with some SAs!- and sometimes they actually do have an excuse to be asses. 
but anyhow, back on topic. I think, why judge what other people buy? I guess just being so used to this I became cynical or something, but I don't feel the need to right every wrong a parent is enabling a child to do... as long as the children don't do anything illegal such as stealing a luxury item (now THAT would be bad!), let the wealthy or not very wealthy families and kids buy what they please... and hope that they realize that there are more important priorities in life! IF they can do that, kudos to them... if they can't, well, I always donate to various charities
but anyhow, back on topic. I think, why judge what other people buy? I guess just being so used to this I became cynical or something, but I don't feel the need to right every wrong a parent is enabling a child to do... as long as the children don't do anything illegal such as stealing a luxury item (now THAT would be bad!), let the wealthy or not very wealthy families and kids buy what they please... and hope that they realize that there are more important priorities in life! IF they can do that, kudos to them... if they can't, well, I always donate to various charities
^ Agreed
There was a thread in the Coach forum not too long ago about all these kids running around with designer bags. The general consensus there was the same as here: some thought why not, but a lot of people (myself included) were pretty disgusted...
One of the comments made (by a young teenager) was that Coach is everywhere because it's cheap and that girls at her school carry much nicer bags than that.
I guess what disturbs me the most is that these kids have NO concept of money, combined with a "gimme gimme gimme, I DESERVE it" attitude. No child deserves expensive designer purses and clothes IMO... I don't care if they get good grades or stay out of trouble-- as a kid that's their responsibility. If their parent chooses to spoil them, fine. But it bothers me that these kids feel like they DESERVE expensive things
You know, my thing is-- I buy designer pieces that I'll have for decades. What happens when your 10 year old grows out of those $200 Citizens? 
Just seems like a waste of money to me! My first handbag was in 3rd grade, a friend gave me a Dooney and Bourke Dr's Speedy type bag with a note that said "every woman needs a good handbag." The brand meant NOTHING to me and it ended up destroyed fairly quickly.
Just seems like a waste of money to me! My first handbag was in 3rd grade, a friend gave me a Dooney and Bourke Dr's Speedy type bag with a note that said "every woman needs a good handbag." The brand meant NOTHING to me and it ended up destroyed fairly quickly.I can't judge and point fingers at any of these girls because I was definitely like them..I still am I guess. I have become obsessed with luxury goods only because this is what my parents exposed me too. If your mother wears Gucci, Prada, and Yves Saint Laurent it's hard to not opt for these types of brand too. Honestly, I think it's good that some people spend the money they make for their kids and themselves..but it's ridiculous to spend this kind of money if you DON'T have it. My parents definitely have the money so I see nothing wrong with spending it..
its stupid for kids to spend so much on let say jeans! they out grown them so quickly!!! i yell at my sister when she buys her 2 year and 1 year old daughters burberry!!!!!!!!! 
People grow up in different circumstances and at that, whether you have things handed to you or not, you can learn the value of a dollar. I grew up as an only child and my parents were considered to be well off. I did get a lot of things and yes, I got a car when I was 16 and my entire college education was paid for without loans, etc... I've since gone on to have a very successful career and I have done extremely well for myself. Just because I didn't have to struggle doesn't mean that I was not thankful for everything my parents gave me. I didn't behave like the kids featured on Super Sweet 16 and really, only the super extremes are going to be featured on TV and the like. If you have normal rich kids who have money but aren't snobby, they aren't going to be the ones that America wants to watch. America enjoys the train wreck value of shoes like SS16.
Yes, kids are more aware of designers, I don't deny that, but being a complete brat and acting so terribly is not the "norm" if you ask me. Like anything else in the media, people generally want to watch extremes.
If people have the money and this is how they choose to spend it, more power to them. You have to give your kids limits and teach them respect. If parents don't care about getting respect, they aren't going to recieve it from their kids. Just about everyone who visits these forums on tPF are always telling people it's their money, spend it how they wish, no one else matters... yet here many of you are, saying the exact opposte. When people judge you for what you spend on bags, you hate it. I've also seen members encourage 17 and 18 year olds who post on the boards as to what bags would be great for them. That seems very hypocritical to me to be supportive in one sense but then rip people to shreds who essentially buy many of the same things this forum was built on.
Yes, kids are more aware of designers, I don't deny that, but being a complete brat and acting so terribly is not the "norm" if you ask me. Like anything else in the media, people generally want to watch extremes.
If people have the money and this is how they choose to spend it, more power to them. You have to give your kids limits and teach them respect. If parents don't care about getting respect, they aren't going to recieve it from their kids. Just about everyone who visits these forums on tPF are always telling people it's their money, spend it how they wish, no one else matters... yet here many of you are, saying the exact opposte. When people judge you for what you spend on bags, you hate it. I've also seen members encourage 17 and 18 year olds who post on the boards as to what bags would be great for them. That seems very hypocritical to me to be supportive in one sense but then rip people to shreds who essentially buy many of the same things this forum was built on.
I agree.
I also think that materialism is an attitude that develops because of emphasize on material goods/labels. It is not solely because of the brands you wear/own, but of the importance placed on the fact you own these things. That emphasis is what causes a materialistic attitude.