The sickest I have ever felt in a lecture theatre has either been because I was hungover or because someone else was loudly vomiting out their insobriety, after sprinting out the door, or because the subject being covered was something I found morally outrageous. For example, a Psychology lecture on children who grew up in dungeons and a Marketing lecture in which the lecturer blindly preached about how wonderful and amazing Advertising. Both were very difficult to sit through. Both were equally revolting to me.

There are leading marketing academics who argue that the whole discipline of Marketing is for the consumer's own good. Harvard professor, Theodore Levitt, claims that it fulfils our basic human need for art and embellishment of an otherwise dreary existence. Advertising is "the poetry of capitalism" in the eyes of many. Naturally, to be a Marketer, you've got to believe in the field, or why would you be doing it at all? But there is a core sickness as the centre of the subject that needs to be evicted, for the sake of everyone.

To an extent, I agree with the idea that Marketing is essential and Advertising is an artform that benefits the consumer. I'm not even remotely against the whole field of Marketing (of which Advertising is merely a single element in a much larger subject), because it's what I want to do when I grow up and it's just as much my passion as Classical Studies is to an Arts student majoring in it. There is undoubtedly value, and art, in Advertising and you only really truly understand the world we live in if you have a grasp on the sheer power of Marketing.

However, I'm not studying Marketing because I think it's amazing and consumer-centric. I'm studying it because I think modern Marketing is a dreadful influence on our society, and that's obvious through the immense amount of study modern Business/Commerce students have to do on How To Not Become Corrupt & Amoral Tycoons, as a reaction to the corrupt state of Capitalism.

Cigarette advertising is the ultimate immoral practice.

B.O. was invented by Marketers. Before a company decided people should smell nice, there was no need for a product that would eliminate our natural scent. Why do most of us girls shave our legs obsessively? Because someone wanted to sell us something, so that someone created a Need and fulfilled it. It's just ridiculous, really. Clever, brilliant and ingenius, yes, but I don't think it can be argued that Advertising is "for the consumer's own good" when it spends so much time telling us we're terrible, oh, and buy this product that will make you less terrible.

BO smells better than BO mixed with Deo, to be honest.

So much of our daily ritual can be traced back to those very businesses who took our hard-earned cash and used it to pollute our planet, bribe politicians and otherwise make our world a little bit shittier a place. Why do you do what you do? Because Marketing. Marketing is just what happens when someone profits from an idea, a social attitude, a formation of cultural practices. It's pervasive and the all-powerful force behind our civilization.

Of course, there is some great Advertising and it does do good things a lot of the time. Free-to-air television is backboned by Advertising, communities are created around brands and products, and real art and healthy messages are displayed on large-scale platforms. As a Marketing student, I love what it can do. As a consumer and a member of society, I'm not going to stand for the negative aspect being ignored.

Dove is a tricky subject. One on hand, they have amazingly positive advertising, but is that really for OUR benefit?

We like to chat about larger issues in the field of Consumerism here on Absolootely, so expect more of these heftier posts and please tell us your thoughts on the matters at hand!

Personally, I think that Brands add value to our lives by turning commodities into experiences, which is one of the key ethical beliefs Absolootely holds, and by bringing people together. But I also find the sheer power of the Brand a little abhorant and unnerving, especially when Advertisers target kids and people with low self-esteem, and when my nation demands that I vote in an election based solely on how well marketed a Politician is ("Yes We Can" is Marketing, not Politics). I think it's super important to discuss the morality of Marketing, because it has the capacity to do real damage to people and our world in general. With that in mind, the next person who accuses me of 'studying the art of manipulation' will get punched...... in the mind, by a furious rant (I'm a pacifist)!

 Overall, do you think your life would be improved if there was an absence of Advertising? What is your general, nonspecific stance on the subject?

We had a bit of a break, due to University starting and Bloggers' Fatigue (four posts a week for two months is hard!). Posts will probably slow down a bit from now on, because it's a busy time of year, but the quality will not diminish with the quantity, I will promise you that!




Without further ado, here is an assortment of some fantastic shoes I found, for under $20 (as of the time I clipped 'em). Buying shoes online is a tricky issue, but you just have to be SUPER careful about sizing. It is doable, if you're smart about it.

...I think I just improved 'Single Ladies'.

Recently, I received a box of jewellery. I'd picked out each piece and it all came to about $15, which is about how much each would cost individually in any chain store. It was The Best parcel to receive and unpack, as you can probably imagine.

Mail Order Treasure Chest!

The trick, I find, to buying jewellery online is to pick a single seller, on eBay or Aliexpress, and select from their products. Most stores have a "minimum order" for small, cheap items like jewellery, so this gets around that, so long as you buy enough items to reach the minimum order price. It's cheaper if you buy in bulk anyway, due to the shipping costs.

If you are buying something cheap off of Aliexpress, it is worthwhile to have a look through the store and add something else to your cart from the same seller. Aliexpress and eBay both have really good systems for purchasing multiple items from a single store, allowing you to pay for them all at once. It's also great to have one package for multiple objects!

Browsing through stores also gets rid of pesky duplicates and gives you a random array of items to chose from, which is fun!

Also, if you've had a really good experience with a seller, do favourite their store and try to buy from them in future. There are some dodgy stores online and sticking with the ones you trust is a great way to ensure you continue having good experiences with online shopping.

I'm going to give a shout out to DX Jewellery, who I bought my bulk lot from. Each of their items are amongst the cheapest options for identical products on Aliexpress and they are good with shipping/packaging. Their minimum order is $9, which is really easy to hit with a mixed order.

Other Aliexpress stores I recommend are:
Red Blooded Woman
Tomato Clothing Store
Hangzhou Weido Apparel Co.
Elizabeth's Wonder Store
Jewelleries4U
Hottest Girls' Choices

Over the next few months, I'll be reviewing some pieces of jewellery I've bought (Absolootely has a one-month-use-before-review guideline, so I can't review them straight away). Keep an eye out for that!

When writing for Absolootely, a common issue I find myself facing, and ignoring, is whether or not it's ethical to purchase a product that has ripped off another. Is it unfair to the original designer/brand?

I don't think it is, to be honest. Most of what is in chain stores has trickled down from major brands, so it's actually hard to avoid buying clothes ripped off, or just 'inspired' by, other designers. It's a part of the fashion industry that is generally accepted. Chanel are doing just fine, don't worry.

A bigger grey area, I find, is whether buying fake merch is okay. I have a collection of band tees that each cost me over $30 each. I love supporting my favourite artists by buying their products, and I also have a dream that someday I will make a new BFF when some random notices the Devendra Banhart logo on my shirt. It hasn't happened yet, but I remain hopeful.

I do have three band t-shirts that aren't official merchandise, but I feel as if I can justify owning them because I've already given money to the bands. I own an official The Vaccines baseball shirt, three of their cds and four vinyl singles, so it's okay for me to also own this tee. I have all three of Vampire Weekend's cds, so I'm justified in owning this top. If I haven't given money to an artist, I don't buy fake merch. I'm not sure what logic that is, but it works for me. Spent $100 on an Arctic Monkeys ticket. Spent $6 on this t-shirt...




Dupes are unavoidable, because upholding copyright is difficult. If a brand is confident in itself, it should be fine with dupes. However, there is a problem where people might hold the brand culpable if the fake item isn't high quality, so it should always be clear whether an item is the real thing or not. If you want to check for yourself, running an image through Google's Image Search is a fast way of checking.

I guess what it comes down to is whether or not you want to support the brand (or band, etc), both financially and through using your body as a billboard. As a consumer, you have the right to decide. I know companies make a big fuss out of buying legally, especially with the rise of piracy and all, but ultimately it's THEIR fault for not providing a superior product and by having an inefficient business model. They are responsible for their own failings. For most of us, the opportunity cost (second best alternative) to buying a dupe isn't buying the original, and is actually just not buying anything, so it's not like they're losing sales.

Someday, we'll all be wealthy beyond measure, and then we can just buy originals and fund the people who deserve it the most, but until then, we're just regular people trying to make the most out of our short lifespans. It's not our responsibility to maximise the profits of others.

Unless those 'others' are The Vaccines. They can just take my money.

"Get outta the frame, Dupe Scum!"

Have a think about this issue and let us know your thoughts. Hopefully, I've at least given you an excuse to buy dupes without feeling guilty!

This year I have been totally enamoured with a type of earring called the 'jacket' earring. Jacket earrings are comprised of a stud earring with an extra attachment that sits between the ear lobe and the butterfly or stud component. They are a brilliant way of adding a little bit of edge and interest to an outfit, without being too overstated.


My favourite pair are these silver diamante ones, which I bought off eBay a few months ago. They are super cheap, at under $4 (USD+Shipping) for two!

From Product Page

They have a stud with a long wire that is slightly crooked, so they sit better. There are two holes on the attachment, for different sized earlobes. It's great design and I haven't had problems with it yet. Aside from the classic earring problem of getting caught on clothes and coming off.




The photos on the Product Page, as seen above, suggest that the earrings are decorated with little stars, but they are actually more like flowers. I don't mind this, as it's a minor difference, but it's still a thing to note. I haven't found a version of this product for sale that has pictures of these flower ones. Are all the advertised star ones these flower ones? Who knows...


Overall, I'm really happy with these. For their price, I've gotten a lot of use out of them and I'm sure I will continue to. They're only slightly starting to go that bronze colour cheap silver jewellery inevitably goes, and I think I'll just buy another couple if they break or go too brown.

If you are considering buying earrings like these off eBay or Aliexpress, double-check how many the page is selling. For a pair of these, I ordered 2 and received a pair, but for another, similar, item I ordered 2 and received 2 pairs.

Ratings
Product Quality: 4/5
Accuracy of Description: 3/5
Similarity to Original: N/A (I think!)

I have another two pairs of jacket earrings, so keep an eye out for reviews of them, coming up in the next couple of months. If you're a fan of a jacket earring, let us know in the comments below and/or come squeal in excitement with me on Twitter!

I hear backpacks are in at the moment? Apparently the tiny, dainty ones are, at least. I'm into that, it seems pretty practical, and there are some really cool designs out there.

Whatever the current trend is, from huge to novelty to pintsized, Absolootely has you covered for all types of backpacks. And these are all under $20, including shipping, which is pretty damn sweet! Here's a collection of my top finds:

So far in Absolootely's 101 series, which focuses on basics of certain types of shopping, we've covered Aliexpress, eBay and Opshopping. If you haven't checked those out yet, you totally should, there is some really good advice in there! I often find myself rereading rules I myself have written, just to remind myself how to be a smarter shopper.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a Fool's Gold comparing a very expensive Pizza Necklace to a cheaper alternative. In that post, the necklaces were quite different, though similar in pizza-ness.

Browsing an Etsy store, I stumbled across the exact same necklace as the Aliexpress one, but for twice the price and far fewer the quantity!



Here's the one sold via ShopSpaceTrash:


Not only is it supremely cheeky that they sell 5 for around $40 (USD, inc shipping costs), they also sell ONE necklace for around $15ea! It's likely that they bought these necklaces from a wholesale site like Aliexpress, so the sheer amount of profit they make per purchase is ridiculous.

Here's the one sold via Aliexpress:


See, it's exactly the same!

Over Aliexpress, 20 pieces will cost you $22 (USD, inc shipping).
Over ShopSpaceTrash, 20 pieces will cost you $156.

That's a difference of $134! And on ShopSpaceTrash, you can't even buy 20 so easily, as they have a maximum order of 3 sets of 5. ShopSpaceTrash is a very popular store, and just the 5 piece Pizza Necklace set has over 100 favourites on Etsy. But they are really having a laugh with the price tag.

I love Etsy, but a lot of the stuff for sale can be found for much cheaper elsewhere. They buy in bulk, take nicer photos and sell amongst their handmade guff. All is fair in love, war and e-stores, and it's not illegal, just good marketing. However, we're on the consumer's side, so screw it, it makes us angry.

ShopSpaceTrash, consider yourself absolootely called out.

Trying to find a good-sized backpack is a mission and a half. It's especially hard finding one online, because you have to rely on accurate measurements and descriptions! My friend, Rose, managed to find a really cool one that fits all of her stuff (she is the type of person who is apocalypse-ready whenever she's away from home, she needs a big bag!), which she said I could review for her.

I got some photos while we took the train together today, and quizzed her about how her bag's been going over the 3 months she's had it. I have an investment in this backpack, as I was there when she scaled Aliexpress for her perfect bag. It was a real test of our friendship, because it took about an hour and it was very tedious! She landed on this one after an extensive search.