Primark: Should We Really Judge?

WARNING! RANT AHEAD!

Something came up the other day that really bothered me. I searched Primark on tumblr, like you do, and I found this long post a girl had written about the place and the people who wear its clothes. She basically said that people who buy and wear Primark look and are cheap. This offended me a bit, obviously because I love the shop haha. So I posted a thread on LB to see what other people thought, because not everything in Primark is crap! The reaction was very mixed; some were pretty strong on their opinion that the shop was horrible as were the clothes and you couldn't be original if you bought from there. Others said how they love the shop and their friends are always surprised when they tell them their clothes are from Primark.

This whole debate is purely about the clothes though, not about the child labour issue.

But it got me thinking, when you see someone wearing Primark, do you instantly label them as cheap? Say if you really love an item of clothing but find out it's from Primark, would that make you dislike it? Do people not consider that sometimes people can't afford the pricier high street brands? I mean, yes, Primark has some crap in there, the quality isn't amazing in all their clothes, but it is possible to find gems in there. I know, because I have and continue to do so. 

It makes me wonder if when people see me wearing my things from Primark, if they think I'm cheap. Like my cardigans or the denim shirt, or my jeans. Personally I think they look nice...

It also made me realise that there's a huge pressure on people to buy from places like Topshop, because it's just considered to be better. But, when you don't have a job, it's bloody difficult to buy from there! I would never shop there before I got a job, because all I could see was the horrible prices, the prices I couldn't afford. I'm not saying Topshop is bad though, but it's just sometimes I think it's overpriced....

But I feel like people are ridiculing others based on where they buy their clothes from. If that’s the case then people who buy their clothes from charity shops are dirty and scummy. They’re buying clothes that other people have already worn. That’s gross, ew. That’s worse than buying new clothes from Primark.

Now, how would that make the people feel who DO buy their clothes from charity shops and second hand shops and boot fairs and so on? I’ve instantly insulted the clothes they wear, and their image in general. They would probably argue that not all the clothes from charity shops are like that, and that you can find gems in them...

Really, it’s the same argument. Because I found a lot of the people saying Primark was cheap, shopped in charity shops and ‘thrifted’. Sure, you can find M&S, Topshop and others in charity shops, but that doesn’t change the fact that the item has been worn by someone that you don’t know anything about, or for how long. The item could be almost ruined because it’s been warn and washed so many times, the person could have had a nasty contagious skin disease and now you’re wearing their clothes, so does that make it better? Not really.

Now I’m not saying that Primark is amazing, and that other shops aren’t. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t label someone just because they shop in certain places. If they look good, they look good! Who cares if they spent their money on something that in some people’s opinion will only last one wear (which is bullshit, might I add). Is it really your place to judge them because they bought it from Primark? No, it’s not. If they look good in what they’re wearing, and if they feel confident then that’s all that matters, and NO ONE has the right to make them feel any different because of its label.