Preppy or pretentious? Recently, a new brand of overpriced shoes called ‘Golden Goose’ has gained popularity among teens and young adults, but the unappealing look of the shoes doesn’t match up with the price at all. This is one of the many examples of how lately, the price of something seems to be the only thing attracting people to the product, as opposed to the actual looks of the clothing or accessory. The problem with this is that younger people, who these brands are targeting, are saving or working hard to pay for their college tuition, a car, etc., and then see these items become a trend. Some follow the trend, spend way too much money on the item, and then all of a sudden the item isn’t a trend anymore. The realization then comes that they probably shouldn’t have spent that amount of money on a pair of shoes that they only got because of the trend, or to be recognized for their money. I’m not saying that occasional splurges shouldn’t be accepted, besides it’s up to people on how they want to spend their money, but I do think that these splurges are being influenced by social media, and that it’s essentially brainwashing people into thinking that the item is stylish.

I just don’t understand the hype around shoes that come dirty and look like they’re straight out of Justice, a younger girls store. The trend of these shoes made me realize how money is taking over the fashion industry. I think that if Golden Goose shoes weren’t advertised as a 500 dollar pair of shoes and they were just sitting on a Walmart shelf for twenty bucks no one would buy them.

Another brand taking advantage of the fact that price drives interest, is a clothing company called Aviator Nation. The brand is mainly known for its sweatpants and, although they’re not as unattractive as Golden Goose shoes, they list sweatpants with a simple stripe down the side for 150-200 dollars. My question is why? Is it the fact that people really think they’re cute, or that young teenage girls see these items trending on social media platforms such as TikTok and realize they just have to have it to make themselves appear richer or more “preppy”? 

It’s not the fact that they’re overpriced that’s bothering me, it’s the fact that they look the way they do. I personally love

the look of the Nike Jordan 1 shoes and I can agree that they’re expensive. However, the looks of these shoes are much more appealing than the Golden Goose and they just look like they would fit the style of a teenager much better. I love the looks of designer bags, belts, and other accessories but the fact that people are trying to say the shoes are designer and even compete with these brands appalls me. Just because brands come out of nowhere and overprice their products, doesn’t mean it’s a designer brand. A lot of people that buy these shoes might just have the opinion that they’re cute and that’s why they want them, but I strongly disagree and can’t change their mind on that.

There are many businesses who use this trend ploy to draw in young buyers. Lululemon is one of these with their leggings, which are very popular right now and have been a trend for quite a while. Many people argue that these are overpriced, but you could actually buy five pairs with the amount of money that the shoe cost. I personally love these leggings, because the quality and customer service of the brand is amazing. If my leggings have any problems all I have to do is shoot them an email and they will send me a gift card of how much the leggings cost, no matter if I’ve had them for a year or not. Teenagers are also attracted to drinks like coffees, smoothies, boba, etc. Let’s say each drink averages five dollars, that’s 100-120 drinks you could get with that money. I’m not trying to tell people how to spend their money, but I do think that these shoes are a waste of money for their looks. I’m also want to make sure teenagers are aware of what these trends are turning into, and to not waste their money on something non beneficial that they’ll regret. We as teenagers have to make sure someone else isn’t spending our money for us with all of the continuous influence from social media and influencers.