Clothing’s Significance Molly Young’s essay “Sweatpants in Paradise” brings to light the many ways consumerism is affected based on the marketing strategies of specific stores, and how these strategies affect an individual’s overall shopping experience. As Young documents her journey through Hollister, she observes and reflects on the manner in which each store has represented itself and how each specific kind of marketing allows shoppers to feel unified to anybody who appears similar to themselves. Due to the fact that society has bestowed certain styles of clothing and brands with the power to determine a person’s validity or worth, going on a trip to the mall is no longer simple but instead consists of an endless amount of questions asking
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After walking through the sliding glass doors of the Galleria Mall I was immediately greeted with “the sound of music, the smell of Cinnabon, the knowledge of a shared experience, [and] the social excitement of seeing and being seen.” The effects of this sensation that I had experienced many times before prompted me to make a beeline for a popular show store that I had previously never had the interest of visiting: Vans. On the way, I recalled people that I witnessed daily who wore Vans apparel and perfectly represented the laid-back skateboarder style it promoted. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would be able to fit into that category and if the clothes would look the same on my body as they did on everyone else. As the store came into sight I noticed mannequins strategically poised in the window, and even though they wore the same clothes I saw on numerous people multiple times a day, they somehow looked different under the fluorescent lights and within the energy of the store. It was then that I realized that “immersion retail presents clothes in the environment in which they are putatively designed to be worn, telling customers exactly what a product is supposed to …show more content…
However, only a couple of stores down I saw the words American Eagle Outfitters in navy blue letters staged above the store front and decided that it was worth a try. The moment I crossed its threshold it was a breath of fresh air compared to the Vans store. I was immediately put at ease and my spirits started to lift as I let myself be engulfed by the creamy colored walls and airy atmosphere. This store possessed the simplicity that I was looking for and although it is popular among my demographic, it does not over sexualize with posters plastered on the walls or with half-naked mannequins strategically placed throughout the store. Unlike Pacsun, a store that also “literalizes sexual promise in actual naked flesh” just as Hollister does, AEO is more subdued and comfortable. I didn’t feel the pressure to try to fit into clothes that may have not have been comfortable for me but would have made me look like everyone else. I was confident enough to buy things that fit my individuality and not force myself to wriggle into society’s impossible standards, especially considering that stores like Pacsun tend to carry clothes that run small and only present straight sizes with no plus size versions available while AEO is more inclusive to all body
After walking through the sliding glass doors of the Galleria Mall I was immediately greeted with “the sound of music, the smell of Cinnabon, the knowledge of a shared experience, [and] the social excitement of seeing and being seen.” The effects of this sensation that I had experienced many times before prompted me to make a beeline for a popular show store that I had previously never had the interest of visiting: Vans. On the way, I recalled people that I witnessed daily who wore Vans apparel and perfectly represented the laid-back skateboarder style it promoted. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would be able to fit into that category and if the clothes would look the same on my body as they did on everyone else. As the store came into sight I noticed mannequins strategically poised in the window, and even though they wore the same clothes I saw on numerous people multiple times a day, they somehow looked different under the fluorescent lights and within the energy of the store. It was then that I realized that “immersion retail presents clothes in the environment in which they are putatively designed to be worn, telling customers exactly what a product is supposed to …show more content…
However, only a couple of stores down I saw the words American Eagle Outfitters in navy blue letters staged above the store front and decided that it was worth a try. The moment I crossed its threshold it was a breath of fresh air compared to the Vans store. I was immediately put at ease and my spirits started to lift as I let myself be engulfed by the creamy colored walls and airy atmosphere. This store possessed the simplicity that I was looking for and although it is popular among my demographic, it does not over sexualize with posters plastered on the walls or with half-naked mannequins strategically placed throughout the store. Unlike Pacsun, a store that also “literalizes sexual promise in actual naked flesh” just as Hollister does, AEO is more subdued and comfortable. I didn’t feel the pressure to try to fit into clothes that may have not have been comfortable for me but would have made me look like everyone else. I was confident enough to buy things that fit my individuality and not force myself to wriggle into society’s impossible standards, especially considering that stores like Pacsun tend to carry clothes that run small and only present straight sizes with no plus size versions available while AEO is more inclusive to all body