[Brian's stuff]Struggling to breathe in a sea of luxury

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[Brian's stuff]Struggling to breathe in a sea of luxury

Help. I am drowning in myeongpum, or luxury goods.
I don’t mean that I wear so many expensive items that I can barely lift my head above water. I don’t.
I am just fed up with the way this pretentious word is now so overused in Korea it has infiltrated every corner of our society and minds.
The other day I saw myeongpum used for an ad for private tutoring classes. How can a lesson be a luxury item? Have we lost our senses?
Before we know it, some bright advertising executive will attach the word to fishing bait.
Myeongpum fishing bait: Fish die a luxurious death, guaranteed!
Virtually all ads for luxury goods these days enjoy partnership with this magic word, a sure sign of how far we have come from as a nation.
Until relatively recently, Koreans sweated to make a living and saved all they could for the future. This is common in societies that have suffered great hardship.
But in these days, people love to spend, especially young people, and for the past 15 years this nation has indulged in a frenzy of overpriced shopping.
Since everyone wants myeongpum, a strong market for fakes and second-hand luxury goods has emerged, an industry that didn’t exist before.
What’s more remarkable is that the luxury market here has not only grown fast in just a few years, it is also recession-proof, at least until now.
New brands like Kiton suits that command a 10 million won ($ 10,000) price tag continue to pop up.
Buying such goods is not just about self satisfaction; it’s also about making other people jealous. Both these factors fuel greater consumption.
People usually buy luxury goods for two reasons: high quality and status. The quality issue is understandable, but buying status is foolish since not everyone looks good in a Jil Sander suit.
Whatever the product, it has to match your personality above anything else.
We should remember that the word myeongpum was hardly used 15 years ago. Back then, it wasn’t necessarily associated with expensive items.
Clearly, manufacturers today have stumbled upon a brilliant means to market their goods, and the whole country is lapping it up.
At the end of the day, a true myeongpum is not something that a company entices you into buying through clever advertising.
It should be something that you fully appreciate and want. Otherwise, it is a waste.
Forget the word myeongpum.


By Brian Lee Staff Reporter[africanu@joongang.co.kr]
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