Pampered Pooches

I love my dog just as much if not more than any other pet owner. So over the weekend when I went to store, I saw lots of great dog toys that I knew my dog would enjoy. It was not that the toys were over-priced, but she had already gotten a great ball and baseball mitt toy the day before. I then realized that not only am I a big consumer for clothes for myself, but I also spend way too much money on my dog as well. Usually when I go to the store looking for one toy for her, I end up buying two or three. It's extremely excessive and unnecessary. So I decided that for the Compact Challenge, I would try and not buy things unless they were a necessity. Even though you can buy gifts during the challenge, I think it would be good if I tried to cut down on my consumption of goods all together. So I looked up online how much do people actually spend on their pets per year. I found out that "Americans lavish $36 billion a year on [their] pampered pets," (Markman). It just shows how much money people waste on things that their pets don't really need.


That same weekend I saw this picture of Paris Hilton online carrying a dog bed that looked like a Louis Vuitton bag. The caption even said that the dog bed was $125. Hilton was carrying the dog bed that was embroidered with symbols very similar to those that Louis Vuitton features on its infamous handbags. The similarities between the dog bed and the actual bags reminded me of the discussion we had about the Trickle Down Process in class. By this I mean that Louis Vuitton create designer handbags that could only be bought by those who have a lot of money. So the company "Chewy Vuitton" used the popularity of the handbag symbols and designs to make their products stand out. The company also creates dog toys that look like the handbags. Even the name of the company shows the similarities and how the aspects and styles associated with Louis Vuitton bags have trickled down to a "lesser" company. Also, because Paris is seen holding the bag, she can/would influence others to buy products from the company. She is indirectly or possibly directly endorsing it. She only encourages more unnecessary spending and this is something that I will try and resist for the rest of the Compact Challenge.

-Jasmine Lim (Blog #2)

Sources:
Image of Paris Hilton: http://omg.yahoo.com/photos/paris-hiltons-shopping-spree/2859/5
In-class discussion of the Trickle-Down Process
"Investors, make the most of a dog's world" by Jon Markman http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/InvestorsMakeTheMostOfaDogsWorld.aspx