Cars

When we think of celebrities, we think of lavish lives of luxury and material items. Celebrities are well known to sport designer clothes and buy million dollar homes. One long standing celebrity obsession is with cars. MTV has produced TV shows around this obsession, like Pimp My Ride and Cribs. Shows like these are created to show consumers at home the world of commodities. These shows exaggerate many things, but manage to drive the audience crazy with attraction. After watching a Pimp My Ride episode where the highlight was making a fish tank out of the back seat, I did find myself craving with desire to be a part of the commercial intertext. We would forever live in bliss if we were not constantly made aware of what these individuals purchase on the daily, and what new, expensive material goods they flaunt. These shows drive our self worth down, and make us believe that in order to be happy and successful, we must all buy $200,000 cars and $5,000 purses. Credit card debt has become a major problem in the U.S.; people are spending thousands of dollars they don't have just to tell themselves that because they own the latest trends, they are worthy and they are happy. Shopping becomes an obsession to the Golden Arrow of Consumption as people need to feel a part of that world and it becomes a vicious cycle. As the marketing trends have transitioned to focus not on the product itself, but on the consumer, it has intensified the desire to belong to the world of commodities. Many brands use a "pull strategy" to increase demand for their products, and the advertising they do makes consumers froth at the mouth for a new fetish, whether it be shoes, toys or cars. This video is a clip from mTV's Cribs Cars Edition, where we have 3 famous rappers showcasing and bragging about their ridiculously made up vehicles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPC2MMba9Xk