Conspicuous Consumption

I grew up a Johnson County girl.

At the time I lived there, Johnson County was the richest county in Kansas. The richest county in the Kansas City area. I realize the lack of force those places hold - certainly more money lives in the richest county in Connecticut, or the richest county in the Los Angeles area. Still, in a community where the cost of living is naturally low, the Johnson County girls and their parents had plenty of available income and enjoyed their conspicuous consumption.

I remember my 6th grade year. I wanted a Guess t-shirt more than anything else, because I was the only girl in my class without one.

I remember my 8th grade year. A girl who shared my table in art class simply could not believe I had no clothes from Banana Republic. What, not even The Gap?

My family shopped at K-Mart, and my mother outright refused to pay good money to advertise for a company by purchasing clothing with their name splashed across the front.

I have bucked against the conspicuous consumption so rampant in my high school, as have both of my brothers. We have all bucked this trend in different ways, and mine may be the least admirable. As our income has risen, so has my willingness to invest in quality items. I still avoid the standard shops and refuse to wear clothes with logos - I am my mother's daughter. But rather than inheriting her thrift, my choice has sent me to the boutique shops and smaller labels. I enjoy owning things where the price is not immediate.

So China sometimes grates against me.

In China, the concept of face is impervious. It is important to give a strong first impression, which commonly manifests itself as an outer display of wealth. Conspicuous consumption at its worst. On our drive to Hangzhou yesterday, we passed rural homes made of concrete block and with no architectural significance. Simple and suitable square buildings. But some were adorned with turrets on top. Others had widows walks on their roofs - many miles away from any body of water. Some had both turrets and widows walks, and even coated their entire roof with shining brass for good measure. These concrete buildings standing in the midst of vegetable plots and rice fields with the sun glaring off of their shiny brass roofs looked nothing short of ridiculous to me.

With this lack of interest in face, I suppose I stand little chance of ever becoming truly Chinese.