Reflections on Shopping (in honor of Black Friday)

To my surprise, Bridget is not that much of a shopper.  I wonder if the same can be said for her fan followers.  Ahem.

She doesn't have to have the coolest clothes, and in fact, she often borrows dresses for events.  Clothes are more often than not forced onto her by her mother.  She thinks Bridget "will never get a boyfriend if [she] look[s] like [she's] wandered out of Auschwitz."  In addition to teaching Bridget about what colors she should wear, her mother also instructs her about business attire in the book.  This all leads me to believe that Bridget's lack of clothes shopping has something to do with her relationship with her mother.

Much like Bridget's mom, my mom pushed "fashion" upon me.  When I loosely use the term "fashion," I mean that she wanted very much to dress me as Caroline Kennedy.  "Oh, this red pant suit with a black velvet collar is adorable." She bought that for me when I was 24.  I wish I were kidding.

My mom and her Aunt Betty Jean (yes, I'm southern) would go into Atlanta each Black Friday when my mom was a teenager.  For my mom, it was special to have store-bought clothes instead of outfits she or her mother had sewn.  My mom carried on the tradition by taking me into Atlanta every Black Friday.  The day still give me the shakes.  Crowds swirling, clothes hangers catching on things, knocking things over, hiding under the clothes racks (as a little girl), getting up early to beat the rush, the coupons - ooooh, the coupons, and sitting in traffic on the way home.  

As a result, I'm a die-hard online shopper.  I'm guessing Bridget would be as well.