Appropriation gone Bad…

I discovered another example of appropriation that is quite often seen today on the shoulders of girls all over North America.

FAKE DESIGNER BAGS!

Not just purses but wallets, jewelry, key chains and clothing. A few years ago I traveled to New York City with some friends. We decided to spend one of our afternoons in China Town. We had heard stories of knock off Louis Vutton and Channel accessories being sold for more than affordable prices. We all left China Town that evening each sporting a Louis Vutton purse in every colour of the rainbow along with matching wallets. At first I was quite pleased with my purchase but as the days past I realized that I was wearing something that was stolen. It was stolen in a sense that it was not really a Louis Vutton purse but a cheaply made handbag made to look like it was worthy of the hundreds of dollars the real ones are sold for. Who was I trying to kid? No one would believe that I could afford real designer bag especially because half the girls I went to school with had the exact same one.

I didn’t know what was worse… selling these fake designer bags for money or someone like me who was buying them. These people are appropriating the image of the expensive designer look in a way, which is not legal or acceptable. At the same time middle class women are buying these designer items only to appropriate the upper class life style. I didn’t purchase my Louis Vutton purse because I liked the way it looked but because I liked what it represented. By carrying around this little handbag I was telling the world I had money to spare, which was not the case at all. By the time I returned home I had decided to give away my appropriated aristocracy and spend my money on things that were a little bit more important.