Collegiate Times

She said:

I hate that cliche -- you know, the one that generalizes women as just pampered, money-hungry lap cats who voraciously eat up several dozen credit cards like catnip (and leave their man to pay back their accumulating debt), only to treat themselves to shoes, clothes, cosmetics, eating at fancy restaurants with the girlfriends and, oh, more shoes.

But what I hate about that cliche the most is that it's considerably true.

Cue gasping from the feminist chorus. I know, my Vera Bradley-esque wallet aches to admit it.

We're like material prostitutes -- women will do a lot of things for money and the lavish gifts which stem from it.

Want a life of luxury with all that you could possibly desire at your perfectly French-manicured fingertips? Then marry someone the age of your grandfather and deal with his wrinkly-smelly-creepy-old-people-skin-that-feels-like-death (or what you hope is death so that he'll finally just kick the bucket and leave you the entirety of his estate) caressing you awkwardly in the middle of the night as you pretend to be asleep under your cashmere comforter. In return, you'll boast the highly coveted bff status with friends such as Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karen.

And it's not like this doesn't happen all the time -- I mean, aren't cliches just an annoyingly repetitive form of a generalized truth? Young women shack up with geezers all the time just for the sake of a more-than-comfortable lifestyle and access to his credit card numbers and Swiss bank accounts. It's totally -- and quite unfortunately -- nothing new.

But when it comes to our own budgets outside of the glamorous world of celebrity privilege and scandal, we young collegiate ladies tend to be more judicious of our money, but no less subject to our flights of financial fancy.

There are certain pitfalls that threaten to throw us into our ever growing, student-loan induced debt.

One of the worst things to happen to any humble working girl's bank account is to stumble upon the makeup mecca of the aesthetic religious practice: Sephora. As we followed the bright lights welcoming us into the heaven that is this plastic, colorful cosmetic cosmos, we were greeted by what I believed to be an overly effeminate Saint Peter sporting black cat-eye liquid eyeliner and a touch of gloss on his lips. (Gay men are the metaphorical pastors or preachers of this religion who often redeem your makeup mistakes and bring you to redemption with the right shade of foundation.) As blissful as the store is, $14 for a single tube of Sephora mascara will definitely set you back in your budget -- trust me, I know.

The desire to buy even more makeup than what you might have in your bag may be one difficult hurdle to jump, but many of us who live off campus have to endure another sort of temptation: We have to resist the urge to buy even more decorations for our cozy Blacksburg abode.

Do we really need to spend our hard-earned money on that tropical fish soap dispenser just to add to the theme of the bathroom? Or what about that set of waxed fruit from Pier 1 that complements the decor of your kitchen but doesn't leave you with any money in reserve? Totally unnecessary items take away from our wallets and find themselves sprinkled with dust a few months after purchase.

Thinking about it, I believe that we ladies have an unhealthy obsession with the word "cute." We want to look cute, so we keep Sephora in business even in this economic climate. We want our homes to look cute, so we buy dozens of knick-knacks in an effort to nurture a welcoming environment in our places of residence.

Maybe we should take the money that we waste so superficially and spend it on more important things, like tuition, books, gifts for friends or maybe even -- dare I say it -- save our money.

Who knows, when you're old and gray but rolling in the dough that you've managed to tuck away for years, maybe some young handsome thing will make you his sugar momma.

Cashmere comforters, in that case, won't be the only things to keep you warm at night.

Continue Reading:  « Previous123