INTERPRETING MR. CRAPPY

Last week or so, I was poking around Violet Voltaire's shop and I found Mr. Crappy and the matching earrings tucked quietly into an upstairs corner. The earrings were labeled as an April Fools' Joke but I'm not so sure. ... Now I'm already an admirer of Ms. Voltaire's slightly subversive humor as seen at times in her products. Seeing Mr. Crappy, I thought I caught a whiff of her dark humor that I think I'd like to discuss.

First let me mention that Mr. Crappy Necklace is priced at L$50, and the earrings at $L10. The other um, "more conventional" Kawaii Cameos are priced at L$200, with the earrings at L$135.

Now for the fun part! Can I interpret this as a suggestion that many of us in SL would rather buy a cheap piece of crap than pay more for something good? (LOL Ms. Voltaire please feel free to set me straight if you find this interpretation outrageous or offensive.)

Can it be true? Do most of us live on cheapies and freebies rather than pony up a US dollar or so for things of greater beauty? ... I've always wondered how so many stores survive. You know the stores I mean! Yes the stores that sell nothing but pastel ballgowns, trashy escort gear, sparkly bling jewelry that would look at home on a pimp, heels that click when you walk, and micro mini dresses made of tacky polyester fabric with no shading and flat texture. The freebie and dollarbie hunters flock to these "bargains", but I would rather wear the same three tee shirts and jeans than have a hundred of these marginally wearable goods in my closet. Do these stores all rely on newbies and the uninformed, or is this what we are choosing?

A note for those who are new to SL: don't waste too much time hunting down these low quality goods. You can go to any Freebie Shop and find lots of this stuff completely for free. When you see really good quality gifts on the fashion feeds, by all means go get them. Eventually you will become accustomed to quality. When you are ready to spend a dollar or two, come back and we'll talk.

Oh I forgot to mention. Yes, I bought Mr. Crappy! :O