THE DESIGNER CLOTHES SCENARIO
Fashion weeks in New York, Paris, and Milan featuring haughty supermodels strutting up and down the ramp generate a lot of attention for designers, especially if the collection is unique or unorthodox. But who buys these clothes? Apparently, only a small group of customers, as the celebrities seen so often flaunting designer clothing get these outfits for free in return for the publicity they generate for designers. This small group of customers comprise of women like Anna, Cindy, and Christine. Anna purchased a Balmain mini dress worth $24,000 and several other outfits because, as she stated, "I buy what I love." On the other hand, Cindy, an art enthusiast, purchased an Alexander McQueen jacket priced over $11,000. To her an apparel, besides being a work of art, also helps her form perceptions about herself. Christine, who attends high society events almost every night, wears any dress only once and in case she is attending more than one social event, changes several times in the course of a single evening. For these women, their clothing is an expression of themselves and how they want people to see them.
-Refer to The Designer Clothes Scenario.Christine wears a different designer outfit in each social event that she attends.For her,such occasions are not only an opportunity to flaunt her endless collection of designer wears,but also to display her social class in the process.This is an example of _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Christine's behavior of wearing a different designer outfit to each social event she attends is an example of conspicuous consumption. Conspicuous consumption refers to the act of purchasing and displaying luxury goods in order to display one's wealth and social status to others. Christine is using her designer outfits as a way to signal to others that she belongs to a higher social class.