>By the way, lots of the Wal-Mart workers that Liza talked to are
>embarrassed by the stuff their employer sells. But they don't select the merch.
By what exactly? Walmart's clothes are rip offs of whatever was on display in a boutique 2 years ago. Years ago, my high school friend took me to Bloomies where they frequently shopped. Her family was from Long Island. I bought a sweater there. It cost a fortune, to me. It was $40.00. A few months later, I was shopping at a department store where I found the exact same sweater, only it was $!5.00.
You've frequently commented on ugly Long Island sweaters and that sort of thing. This is the first time you've bothered to provide some sort of analysis that moves beyond the "poor taste" of individuals. I would think that it'd be obvious as to why someone would erect a corrugated tin shack, also not the first time you've made the comment. It's what they could afford most likely.
I live in a Greek fishing village. 25% Greek. These folks have some pretty bad taste, if you ask me. Their yards are filled with all manner of ugly ass shit. The stuff they make at the craft fairs --supposed to reflect their cultural heritage -- rivals my step-mother's sequined-and-colored-craft-paint sweatshirts (which she sells as fundraisers for the Elks' clubs). And Chinese restaurants. Is there some reason why every Chinese restaurant is decorated with the most ugly-ass murals of the Great Wall. And the cheap plastic flowers? I don't think the ugly ass cheap plastic flowers at the sit-down Chinese place up the road has to do with lack of funds since they have a huge television screen --it must be 12 ft wide at least--broadcasting a Chinese TV programming. And certainly there are plenty of nice looking silk flowers to be found, even at Walmart. But, no, the restaurants are invariably lined with the most ugly ass cheap plastic flowers. I think they believe it looks nice.
I don't know why Greeks in my neighborhood think their yards look nice, or the Chinese restaurant owners like cheap plastic flowers, or my step-mother and her customers like the sequined sweatshirts. There certainly are alternatives for my step mother. Martha may be despised as a bitch, but she offers alternatives to crafty-types like my stepmother that are far more beautiful than what they sell at the Elks Club fundraiser. And yet, they continue to go for the Woman's Day sequin sweatshirt stuff.
But of course, it's a mstter of taste, isn't it. I'm sure not a few people here think the stuff Martha Stewart puts out is ugly.
Speaking of Martha, something I've been meaning to say. I'll always have a soft spot for her. I made wedding cakes for friends and families years ago and I blessed Martha the day I stumbled upon her Wedding Cake books. The Martha Wedding Cake Way wins in the beauty department, hands down, over the Wilton Way. They were also much simpler to make and tastier, since you didn't have to rely on ridiculous confections of crisco and sugar or sugar and egg whites to achieve that frilly Wilton Way look -- the Victorian Painted ladies of cake baking. Bleh. Instead, you used simple, fresh flowers and simple lines -- and you can use butter and 10x sugar and nice, homemade cake instead of blah boxed mixes. Why anyone would want boxed cake mix for their wedding cake -- beyond me.
k