Article by Eleana Guron Graphics by Khloe Pinpin
February 16, 2022
On January 2023, a Pinay teenager named Zoe Gabriel, showed off a CHARLES & KEITH Tote Bag gifted by her father, describing it as her first luxury handbag, drawing flak on TikTok as the said handbag costs around 80 SGD (equivalent to 3,314 PHP). The said video had elitist comments like “Who’s gonna tell her?” in which Zoe had made a response video, detailing how much her family has gone through upon moving to Singapore from the Philippines; and how grateful she is to her father for his hard work as branded items like Charles & Keith are “luxury” to her. Upon posting the said video, she was invited by the company’s founder, Kieth Wong, to show her family around to the brand’s headquarters in Singapore and gifted her other items from the said brand. There was also a huge spike in sales as people flocked to buy Charles & Keith items to show support and solidarity with Gabriel.
This issue sparked discussions not just in the Philippines but among the entire Southeast Asian community regarding the relativity of luxury among individuals. Most countries in the SEA region are classified as third-world countries. DSWD reports that in the Philippines alone, 27% of the total population identified themselves as poor in the “Listahanan 3” survey released in November 2022.
The Philippines has the most active users on social media, and most PH Netizens tend to be judgemental of one’s interests such as clothing, music tastes, and even where they studied. Most of the time, they tend to be extra harsh on users who aren’t conventionally attractive and from a low-income family. Common insults include, “squammy”, “maasim”, “jeje”, “try-hard”, and so much more. Elitism is a universal problem experienced by many. Earlier that month, Donnalyn Bartolome made headlines regarding her tone-deaf statement on being grateful to go back to work after the holidays while disregarding the burn-out and exhaustion that the general workforce face on a day-to-day basis. You can’t dismiss others’ struggles just because you haven’t experienced them firsthand and only done it once just for internet clout.
Luxury can differ from person to person, especially among social classes. Designer items from brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga are considered luxury by the general masses. However, basic items that we consider essential such as food, Home, education, and the like, are luxuries for those in poverty. We tend to look down on these people because we have been programmed to think that they don’t work hard enough to elevate their status when, in reality, most of them aren’t privileged enough to get the right education and connections that will help them, or rather the 1% barred them from this.
There are a lot of perspectives we can look into regarding this incident, However, the message is clear: Luxury is relative, not just to material items but also to education, hobbies, and even relationships. Luxury can differ from person to person, and we have no right to criticize others for their personal interests. Being kind is a luxury in our world, but it is also something you can do at no cost.
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