The Depth of Superficiality

 

The depth of superficiality is vast. From purchasing those peach loafers you really can’t afford (only because the LV monogram is perfectly placed for all see) to whipping out your Blackberry Playbook in a circle of businessmen (who you thought thought you were just a young man trying to get a deal), superficiality is real. And it’s all around.

Excessive bragging is in our faces. Bam! Rappers rap about, singers sing about it, social media is based on it and the media is its biggest fan. I mean, can you blame them, advertising space is not cheap – it pays the bills.

And no, I’m not innocent. I suffer from a mean case of the Look At Me syndrome. This fashionsista is not shy to Tweet about my Jeffery Campbell obsession or drop a designer name, whether vintage or new, to someone who shows the slightest interest in the Pierre Cardin moonbag or Diesel cut-off shorts I’m rocking. 

In fact, I’m not the only open braggadocio in town...

...Kanye West stated it boldly when he rapped: “We all self-conscious, I’m just the first to admit it.” 

Maybe he’s right, maybe Mr West was the first to publicly say it, but was he the first to walk around flaunting ice that’s on loan or ride cars that could put a nation through secondary schooling if traded in for cash? No! Superficiality can be traced way back to ancient Egyptians with their ostentatious jewels or even Nguni tribes who felt worthier thanks to their cow-filled kraals. 

But does this mean my little brother, who proudly proclaimed that his rugby jersey cost R700, without forgetting to mention that it’s genuine (just in case I thought it was a fong kong), is wrong for showing off? Are Khanyi Mbau and the Sushi King, Kenny Kunene, at fault for being that unashamedly showy? 

Of course not! 

They’re innocent until proven guilty. And to prove their gaudy guilt, we’d have to do a series of tests on them: analyse their background, test their IQs and ask their parents how come their children are such label whores, amongst other things, and finally, reach a verdict. We’d most likely come to the conclusion that, because of the lack of love from his parents, her flat chest in high school, his secret eating disorder or how, as nouveau riche, dealing with large sums of money in a flash led to their undeserving bragging rights. 

Even the University of Minnesota research found that, “Self-esteem was a key factor in a child’s level of materialism. Children with lower self-esteem valued possessions significantly more than children with higher self-esteem.” While Essence magazine states that according to a Yale University study: “People in happier relationships tend to have less attachment to material objects, while those who aren’t may cling to them.”

So the next time you blog about SJP’s chic Louboutins, that cost a cool R15 000, or Tweet about driving the latest white-on-white Range Rover, don’t feel bad for being that pretentious, material things do make you feel temporarily better… hence the term Retail Therapy. However, if you’re using labels and gadgets as defining tools, just remember that you’re value is priceless and you’re worth a lot more than that cute Gucci dress that is guaranteed to make you the envy of your so-called “friends”.