Shop for luxury
Some men criticise Hong Kong women for being too materialistic. Although there might be women who are addicted to buying luxury products to show off, many women buy them for other reasons.
For example, many women spend money on luxuries to give others a good impression, especially in the workplace. For others, the reason is high-end clothes are made of higher-quality fabric, are cut better and fit better. Clothes are one of the key things people base their impressions on.
This is important because impressions are the key to things like getting jobs. In other words, buying luxury goods is not just materialistic. In fact, you could argue people who buy fake branded products are more materialistic, because that's just showing off.
Buying good products is not simply materialistic. It gives a good impression.
Kristy Wong Tan-huen, Leung Shek Chee College
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Kristy. The whole idea of buying luxury goods is really about one thing only - insecurity. People feel if they do not have the cachet that comes with a brand name, they are not as 'good' as someone who does. They want to show they have the money to buy those goods - or appear to have the money. This is quite sad, as really, we should not judge a person by their clothes.
Of course a suit from Prada is always going to look better than one from Mong Kok. People in Hong Kong are judged by how they look. Beauty is a religion. This makes people vain and shallow. Have you noticed how many 'luxury' goods there are in Hong Kong? Look around and take note of the advertising billboards you see and I think you'll be surprised.
Susan, Editor
