Whether we like it or not capitalism is embroidered in our cultural background. The monetary value of living expenses have increasingly escalated over the past few years and have explicitly shaped the lifestyle one lives, especially living in an agile city such as Toronto. The lifestyle i'm referring to can either pan out in one of 2 ways:
Scenario 1:
"Go big or get out of the city" is the motto for most habitants who lead luxurious lifestyles. They tend to wear badges or have tattooed across their forehead "I come with a side order of richness, class and prestige".
-The food
A vie de duck fat fries served in snooty closet size restaurants with only few tables and chairs for the 20 people or so who patiently wait outside in the cold while the restaurant owner proclaims one should have requested for a reservation weeks ahead of time.
-The shopping
Fine dining follows other elemental perks of "living the life" such as shopping at secret boutique sales through invitation and invitation only. One might shop at boutiques in and around the city and purchase multiple pairs of vegan leather jogger pants at $100 a pop (even for faux) to have a variety of colour staples in the closet just because. Others like to roll with the big guns (or larger limit credit cards) to pick out the latest graphic sweater by Kenzo at TNT or Holts. Destinations are unbounded for the shoppers of leisure.
-The entertainment
Another necessary lifestyle perk includes fine entertainment; musical acts, operas, plays, comedy shows that costs no less than $45, an entire week's grocery bill for some.
Scenario 2:
2) "Fundamental living in one of the most expensive cities in North America" is the essential guideline for the poor living in the city, especially targeting the student population.
-The Food
(i) It starts with a grocery shopping run with full intention to eat healthy for the entire week. Walking halfway across the city to your prime destination, Food Basics, because you'd rather treat yourself to a box of Hagen Daaz than pay $3 streetcar fair, to collect the essentials; Arugula, tofu, avocados, bread, eggs and canned goods. Naturally, these protein resources exhaust within the first few days and you're left with arugula salad (with no other ingredients apart from the leaf alone) for dinner 7 days in a row. (ii) Following another run to the grocery store, only this time to purchase the worst food imaginable (however many packages of hotdogs, microwave dinners and frozen meat pies you can fit in your basket). Then the cycle restarts all over again as your sulky self becomes overcrowded with guilt from your last grocery outing. Amidst your daily home cooked prison meals, you're tempted to eat out for dinner one night with your friends or brunch on the weekend. You'll suggest the cheapest restaurant you know and solely browse the appetizers without even considering the entrees.
-The Shopping
If you ever have the time or money to buy new clothes, you'll ONLY allow yourself to browse the sale sections of any retail store. Or in reference to the boutique secret sale by invitation and invitation only many people from scenario 1 attend, you may pretend to be someone else in order to get the 50% off sale, like your sister who happens to be on the list. Yeah, you do what you have to do. Ultimately your goal is to advise others to purchase exceptional pieces you have hoped to obtain but couldn't afford so that one day they'll essentially make their way to your closet FOR GOOD. But then again this rarely ever goes according to plan, exclusively leaving value village/garage sale shopping/friends&family hand me downs all for you. Once these free or remarkably cheap items are in your possessions, you can lie or bend the truth or whatever you want to tell strangers the whereabouts of your purchase that closely resembled an bulky felt Celine Jacket. "Of course it's Celine, I just decided to tear off the tag immediately after purchasing it at the cash register". Or better still it's best to choose an oversea's destination where you know people will never visit, like Hong Kong, a common I like to use.
-The entertainment
Your idea of entertainment rests only on illegally downloading a dozen or so sitcoms and tv dramas on wifi you illegally steal from your neighbouring Starbucks. You realize the amount of gigabytes given is not nearly enough, but this is something you must learn on your own.
So what do these pictures below have to do with the context above, you ask? Believe it or not, you don't need money to look like a million bucks, or in your eyes what looks like an even 10. Every piece of clothing on my back is either borrowed, gifted, inherited or thrifted. It's for you to determine which is what.
Photos by: Anil
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