I don't understand....Are you saying that you don't shop in thrift stores because you're educated? Or is it you're entitled to shop in better places because you managed to get through high school? Or are you saying you've got a good job thanks in large part to suffering through a decade and a half of school and therefore can afford to buy the more expensive stuff and that justifies the end?
I'm just not making the connection....
Why is everyone up in arms about A&F?
I mean, it has nothing to do with clothes; it's image. They sell an image. Nothing more, nothing less. Their models are fantastically good looking types that seem to ooze sexuality out of every single attractive pore on their air-brushed little bodies and if they can convince you that that image and their clothes are related then more power to them.
Should they be ashamed? To an extent. There preying on the insecurities of a demographic that, as much as they cry out for individuality, are, in reality, just looking to fit in. Are they ashamed? Absolutely not. In fact, to add insult to injury they don't just cultivate this image and let it be done. They slap their label somewhere prominent so, presumably sometime in the future they can take inventory of who's wearing their clothes and judge the effectiveness of their advertising and adjust the "shame level" of their marketing focus. To be fair, they're just doing what any good business would do, make money. It's just their methods that seem a little out of whack.
As for shopping in thrift stores....well, I seem to remember it wasn't so long ago that retro was "in" and thrift stores were hot. However, that didn't make any money for the GapStageClosetAbercrombie & Fitch folks. Now that all the stores are selling their version of "past fashion."
It's the new retro, baby.
The question to ask is do you want in?