Contrary to popular belief, money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness. However, it could buy a lot of other things that can make you happy—like marshmallows, which is kind of the same thing. As I was walking back from class, I took a second to analyze all of the online shopping that I’ve been doing lately. I’ve received over three packages in the past week! The last parcel that came in the mail had a pair of cashmere lounge pants inside. Buying the pants was a big decision, because after going to school in New York City, I never wore sweatpants to school. Pondering my decision, I realized that the pants were not just any ordinary leg wear, but rather they represented a transition into college life. I’m eighteen years old and I can’t eat a whole burrito, let alone text multiple people back at once without lag time. I’ve evolved over time from the boot cut, to the straight leg, and then the polite jeggings (jean leggings). Despite these phases, I always felt like it would be a liability to wear sweatpants. It’s something that has bothered me since middle school and my unease spread to my high school years, as well.
My ideals were confirmed when I read an interview with Karl Lagerfield. He said, “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought a pair of sweatpants.” Now imagine this being stated at Milan Fashion Week in a brisk tone and accompanied with a Victoria Beckham-expressionless face. How harsh, am I right? Thinking back, there were many moments in which I could have purchased a lovely pair of sweatpants. I’ve overspent countless dollars on silk shirts, bowties, books I’ll never read, and meals I could have made for myself, all of which could have paid for dozens of sweatpants. Despite my animosity, I think that buying the sweatpants at this stage in my life is a good investment. All purchases have a specific purpose in life. They aren’t just receipts piled up next to your shredder during tax season! By making the effort to put value into something, we get some kind of reciprocation from the purchase in return. I’m not making an e-trade reference, but money can contribute to buying you a quality life. What you buy matters.
Money provides experiences and memories that create the ability to build conditions for progress. Hopefully those conditions are ones that drive us to succeed. The aptness to gauge sweatpants as a sign of weakness is like saying that shopping at Macy’s shows our inconsistency in staying atop designer wear. This is false. With money, we are given the freedom of choice. It’s a difficult realization to stumble upon, but given time, the battle between you and your silhouette will make you realize that things should occur on a big scale and with a feeling of contentment.
For online shopping, I recommend: