Are you a clean girl or an office siren? Do you like cottagecore or dark academia? Do you have blueberry milk nails or tomato girl makeup? Are you alternative or coquette? When society urges people to conform to neat, clear-cut identities like "clean girl" or "office siren,” a sense of identity and uniqueness is lost. As the intensity of aesthetic crosses over from only fashion to things like interests, music and personality, people start to define themselves not by who they are, but what they consume.

With the back-to-school season in full swing, I got to thinking about why I love this part of the year so much. Maybe it is the new notebooks and pens, or the excitement of new classes and seeing friends...

Do you recall the first time you were identified as a “consumer?” I was labeled a consumer in fifth grade by my social studies textbook.

Here, the luxury items act as the medium through which human value is assessed.