Why is it that society today pays more for a shirt with the word Hollister sprawled across the front? Why is it that we spend money on Prada, Coach, and Louis Vuiton, when a simple knockoff would suffice? Why do we pay more money for less fabric when we buy ripped jeans? The answer is simple. People today are too concerned about how they look, and what they have. In the long run, do you think it's gonna matter to the people who interview you for a job if you had the most True Religion jeans or if you had more Hollister tops than your best friend? How's a shirt, a bag, or a pair of pants going to benefit you in the long run? Will it increase your chances of getting a job? Will it make you a better person? Will it make you do better in school? No. It's fine to have these things...but you shouldn't be overly concerned...for two reasons. One, you can get so wrapped up in earthly posessions that you can't think of anything else. And two, your wallet will suffer if you buy the newest Miu Miu cork wedges. :) Another thing is the media, which has a narrow-minded definition of beautiful. The cliche blondes and the pretty brunettes. Don't they realize that there are other types of beauty? Death is caused by the media expressing too much worry on outward appearance. It's true. The image they portray is that you have to be skinny and pretty to be beautiful. Girls worry over what they look like and sometimes this turns into eating disorders. Girls die because they are too concerned about their weight. Why should it matter if you look different, if you are a nice person? Define 'different' or 'normal.' Everyone is different, so you can't honestly single out someone for looking a certain way. And NO ONE is normal. Everyone is different and special so if someone doesn't look like you, so what? Racism is so annoying because people judge on the color of skin instead of what the person is really like Why should it matter if you're dark, light, albino? It shouldn't. The main point is, earthly posessions aren't wrong, it's not wrong to want to be pretty, and it's not uncommon for people to judge each other on the way they look. You can have Hollister and the newest Miu Miu cork wedges, or a Coach handbag without being overly obsessive over the things in this world. You can want to be pretty and look nice as long as it doesn't turn into an obsession or something as drastic as an eating disorder. And don't beat yourself over the head if you've ever seen someone and judged them a certain way because of how the look. That's the first thing we notice, and we all do it. But don't be racist. Everyone is special in their own way, and don't laugh and point at someone without knowing their background, their personality, or them, first. The media is putting so much stress on outward appearance, sometimes we don't bother to look past the girl in the Gucci capris with the pretty blonde hair to what she's actually experiencing deep down inside, or what she's actually like.