[SHOP!] Kick Your Heels Up and [SHOP!] Throw Your Hands Back and [SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!]

“A new study has determined that women think about shopping as much as men think about sex” (once every minute)


Adrenaline rushes. Sweaty palms. Twitching fingers. Googley eyes—I get them all…and I don’t even have to physically step inside a mall or a single department store; I can easily be in front of a computer screen on a website and still get that exhilarating rush of excitement. I have a sick problem. Some smoke, some drink, some party…but my vice—my vice is SHOPPING.

When you’re in class, or in bed, or having an engaging conversation and you can’t concentrate because you’re daydreaming about what shoes go best with this dress and what accessories accent that top—then you’re a shopaholic. If you can’t walk past a store without double or even triple-taking an outfit on a mannequin, then you’re a shopaholic. When you’re on a budget and you see something that catches your eye and you know you shouldn’t get it but you rationalize the situation so much that you convince yourself you should buy it—then you are a shopaholic!

“Forget sex, shopping is women’s big obsession” reveals a survey in Cosmopolitan Magazine, which delved into the minds of 770 women nationwide. Women think about shopping every 60 seconds, which is about 960 times a day, and more astonishing 6,720 times a week. On average, 2 of every 5 females are self-confessed shoe and purse addicts, 15% can’t stop thinking about accessories, and 13% obsess about makeup. 23% said that they would cancel a date with a well-known celebrity for the ultimate shopping purchase. What was even more surprising was to find out that almost half of the women surveyed said they would much rather be shopping than spending time with their partners.

I definitely differ from the average “shopaholic.” I actually have my priorities straight, and I am still sane, which is more than I can say for Ali, who appeared on MTV’s True Life: I’m a Compulsive Shopper. For Ali, shopping has become so addicting that she is no longer able to lead a healthy lifestyle. Ali has allowed her bills to accumulate and is in debt almost fifteen thousand dollars. This does not phase her—even when Rent-A-Center comes and removes all her furniture which she’s never paid for. You’d think that would be a wake-up call when you realize your bed and dresser are replaced with a sea of clothes with tags still attached. Will she ever realize that that card of plastic is her enemy???

Now I’m not bad at all. I definitely plan on slowing down sometime in the near future. But in the meantime…does that dress come in my size?


Jennifer Vassel
Photo Credit: Bengaluru International Airport