I’m sorry. I cannot buy into all this “fashion is better” talk. As Postrel quotes and comments in her Forbes Magazine article, “ ‘In a world in which most consumers have their basic needs satisfied, value is easily provided by satisfying customers' aesthetic needs,’ write marketing professors Bernd Schmitt and Alex Simonson in the book Marketing Aesthetics. Those needs aren't limited to such niches as fashion, cosmetics or entertainment.” She says it all in that little paragraph. America has its daily bread; we just want more of it. We are a gluttonous society that is not happy with what we have; rather we want it all. We want so much of it in storage that our pantries, closets, garages and storage units overflows. When does enough become enough?
Does this mean there is not room for improvement? No! But who is to say what needs changed? An example of this can be found in Postrel’s story of Motorola changing the color of its beeper from black to “squirt gun green.” This little upgrade cost consumers an extra $15 per unit (pg 67). How idiotic? If a meaningless swap in colored plastic cost the company nothing, why would they charge the customer more for the same piece? Isn’t this price gouging the willing? To me, change means upgrading something. I do not mean swapping colors, adding whitening or using different packaging. “If you make a better mouse trap, the world will come knocking on your door.”
I am not against capitalism; it makes America tick. But, when it comes to companies making major profits without offering viable goods, I have a problem with it. Postrel also mentions this on page 74 when she says, “It’s all about status. The intrinsic pleasures of look and feel are irrelevant. We’re simply attracted to anything that helps us compete for recognition and dominance.” It all boils down to the almighty dollar. Money is power and power begets money. It takes willpower to not give either away frivolously.
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