A Talk on Trendy Cattle (and being an original consumer)

I wanted to follow up Friday’s introduction (in levity) of planned obsolescence with a little more chatter on the subject.

As “the Detective” mentioned, planned obsolescence is when manufacturers produce items that are intentionally designed to fall apart or break down within a relatively short window of time. This intention is orchestrated for one purpose: to get us to consume.

Now, there is A Lot we could say about consumerism these days. Depending on who you talk to, it is either the bane of our civilization or the salvation of it. And although both of those ideas are very intriguing to a closet nerd like myself, what I want to focus on...naturally...is originality.

In my opinion, planned obsolescence works best when we fit the mold. In other words, when we predictably make purchases based on price (aka the lowest price always wins), and on trend. For instance, Old Navy can afford to make shoddy shirts (and let’s face it--they are shoddy) because a) they know we love a bargain, and b) they know that the trend will expire about the same time as the shirt will.

So am I saying that being original means you have spend more money and eschew trends? No, of course not. I’m just as eager to find the cheapest ruffled apparel I can get my hands on this season as the next lady. But according to an article I recently read in Time magazine, women today make 75% of the buying decisions in American homes. In other words, collectively we are The Consumer. And as a group, I’m remiss to say that we tend to behave like cattle. Trendy, fashionable cattle...but cattle nonetheless.

Being original, then, means that we need to exercise our “consumer identities” with some foresight and intention. This includes budgeting wisely, investing in quality, and wasting less. And if that sounds about as fun as a wet blanket, don’t worry--there are lots of clever ideas and conversations ahead that will spice up the concept, I promise!

But before all of that...what do you think? Are we more cattle or ranchers? Talk amongst yourselves...

Other Be An Original Posts:
Original Sweater
A Story...
Be An Original

The Case of the Faulty Hair Dryer

The following scene is loosely based on true events from my morning....

It was a sunny Friday morning when she walked into my office.

“Detective,” she said, “I have a problem.”

I put down my pen and looked up. The woman in front of me looked normal, wearing a fashionable brown dress (of the likes I’ve never seen before) and suede boots. But something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it until she started talking.

“It happened this morning,” she continued. “I was getting ready for the day like I always do. You know--brushing my teeth, applying my make up, getting dressed. But then when I went to dry my hair, something went wrong. I started the hair dryer and instead of firing up like it usually does, it made a low, strange noise, and then just shut down completely.”


“How long have you had the dryer?” I asked politely, finally understanding what was off about her appearance. It was her hair--sadly flat and dull, she resembled a wet cat. Not flattering. Not at all.

“Oh, for less than a year I think.”

“Well, these things happen, ma’am. Perhaps you’ve just worn it out. New hair dryers aren’t that expensive, you know.”

“Well, yes, I see your point. It’s just that this is the second time in a month that this has happened.”

“Really.”

“Uh huh. The first time was more dramatic. I was using a different hair dryer--one I use for travel--and suddenly it started making strange noises. Then I heard a Pop! and a shower of sparks burst out from the outlet, turning into flame. I could have been harmed.”

“I see. And how long had you had this dryer?”

“Oh, for longer I suppose, but I didn’t use it more than a handful of times a year.”

“Well, ma’am, I think what we have here is a case of planned obsolescence.”

“Planned what?”

“Obsolescence. It’s when manufacturers create products that are designed to break down within a short period of time.”

“But why would they do that?”

“Well, to make money, of course. And to save money. They can make a product with cheaper parts, keeping the item at a lower cost, and also design them to fall apart quickly so that you keep coming back to purchase another one.”


“So you’re saying that my hair dryers are basically designed to be disposable?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“That doesn’t seem right.”

“I don’t make the rules, ma’am. I just solve cases.”

“Well, thank you for your time, Detective. I guess I have to go buy a new hair dryer.”

"Good day, ma'am. And good luck with your hair."


Though this story is obviously dramatized, planned obsolescence is real indeed. And we'll talk more about it as our pursuit for originality continues.

And for the record...I am having a terrible hair day.

Have a good weekend!

In the Land of Small

Among the land of us ladies, big is rarely better. Take, for instance, big hair. Very bad idea in this time in history. Or how about big muscles. No, we much prefer “defined” and “lean.” And certainly God knows we don’t want bigger waistlines! No, no. For belts and buckles, small is better. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that in the land of women, small--not big--is often better.

A Big Hangover
In the case of community and economic leadership, however, Big often trumps the Small. Big corporations with big-time CEO’s are friendly with Big politicians and their Big constituencies. We know, of course, that all this...largesse...can lead to Big problems (aka the recession), which then lead to Big solutions (aka the stimulus), which might lead to even Bigger problems.

Perhaps what we need to recover from this Big hangover is a little bit of...small. Of course, as discussed above, we women understand the value of small. Being the smaller of the species, we know that sometimes smaller can be better. For instance:

Small Solutions:
* small is nimble. I think of it this way: it takes a fly a lot less time to turn around than a horse, meaning that in the business world, small companies or cottage industries can respond to changing trends and forecasts easier than large ones.

* small is sustainable. Growth and expansion is a natural process that should be celebrated. As we’re learning with our bodies, though, obesity should not. Likewise, communities with nothing but “overweight” business (aka big-box retailers) and governments (corruption/cronyism/despotism) would benefit from a serious diet of ma-an-pop shops and grassroots governance.

* small is family. Yes, our interconnectedness throughout the globe has been a boon. Truth be told, though, our recent obsession with globalism could stand to be tempered with a little bit of family. Because family reminds us that genuine relationships matter, and that closeness is an asset. It also reminds us that profit and policy are not always (not often, in fact) the most important thing.

Tipping the Scales
There are other attributes of smallness, but I’ll stop here. For the critical, I’d like to point out that “smallness” isn’t an adequate solution all by itself. It is, however, a good counterbalance to a culture obsessed with BIG. And because women live their lives among small things (families, friendships, neighborhoods, home businesses), I think we are particularly adept at bringing this much needed counterbalance. We can tip the scales back to center.

Just as long as we don’t tip our own scales, of course. We already mentioned how big is bad when it comes to scales...

Previous Recessionista Posts:
Now is Our Time
It's So Trendy!
The Two-Step Shuffle

Nuts and Bolts

Hopefully you had an opportunity yesterday to read some stories about men and women who have successfully started their own micro-businesses.  If not, scroll down to read Wednesday's post.

I thought that now would be a good time to put some nuts and bolts to some of those personal stories by answering the questions, "what is micro-business" and "why is it necessary?"  Tomorrow we'll dig into why it could be a great fit for women in today's economic times.

So, what exactly is micro-business?  Well, it's smaller than small business.  Micro-businesses are tiny--usually employing 1-5 people.  They commonly operate out of the home, and they often provide goods and services for the local community (although they don't have to).  Because they are so small, they tend to be flexible, require little start-up capital, and generally fly under the radar.

If they fly under the radar, you might ask, why are micro-businesses important?  Well, I'm sure you are all familiar with the growing "big-box-ification" trend in our local towns.  You know--where goods and services are increasing provided to us by giant chain stores and franchises.  This trend has provided us with great one-stop-shops, low prices, and convenience.  But it has also created some negative consequences in our local economies, like loss of competition, lower quality goods, and impersonal service.  

Not to oversimplify, but it kind of reminds me of high school.  The big-box businesses are glamorous, like the prom king and queen.  They can throw their weight around, influencing the entire culture.  And they are so popular--city governments throw money at them to woe them into town (aka development incentives).  In contrast, smaller businesses (most of them locally owned) are left in the wake of the popular kids.  Though they may have great creativity, ingenuity, and high quality, they just aren't as cool.  And eventually they get crowded out.

What happens?  Well, many of the things we are witnessing today.  Our jobs are not as stable because global economic forces can put the squeeze on large corporations, sometimes squeezing us out of work (think outsourcing).  Small-time entrepreneurs have a challenging time competing, and often go out of business trying.  And the popular "kids" call all the shots--No money for local healthcare?  Too bad.  Don't want to commute an hour there and back?  Oh well--they'll find someone else who will.  All the decisions are made in far-away, fancy boardrooms, and we have little say in them.

This is not to say that big-box businesses are all bad.  They aren't.  In fact, in a lot of cases, they provide an inspiring example of the American Dream.  But, they need some competition, and we need an alternative.  You know the old adage, "don't put your eggs all in one basket"?  Well, we shouldn't put all of our dollars into big-box businesses.  As it is in the stock market, a little diversity can go a long way.

So, what does this have to do with stay-at-home moms, housewives, and young working women?  Well, we'll get more into that tomorrow, but let's just say that we might be the exact population to balance the scales a bit.  Tune in Friday for more!