Youth talk

I’m not the greatest shopping enthusiast in the world, contrary to gender stereotyping. My relationship with shopping is temperamental, and I will not go until my existing wardrobe of clothes are deemed as ‘hideous’.

The verdict was passed this summer, and I was sentenced to shopping for new clothes during my holiday in London.

Our first stop was Bicester Square, which is a ‘factory outlet’ style plaza with designer shops dotted around the village. I entered shops such as Guess, Burberry, Gucci and Chanel with impeccably-dressed sales associates instantly seizing up the serious buyers. Of which I am not.

Dressed in jeans and a faded Game of Thrones T-shirt, the associates offered fake smiles with stony eyes clearly saying: ‘you shall not pass’.

I’ve noticed this trend with designer outlets: there’s an overwhelming amount of judgement that takes place on the shop floor.

While discrimination is not the most ethical option, I do appreciate the efficiency of the mental process: separate the wheat from the chaff.

Yet, this does incite a certain amount of elitism within these shops – which could potentially deter customers. And that does nothing for the main goal: profit.