New Youtube trend: "Hauls", young women displaying their recent purchases

[Liberal_in_LA]

Somewhere in America's suburbs, 16-year-old Blair sits in her pink-walled bedroom and shows off a slew of recent purchases from the fast-fashion chain Forever 21. She bought a black blouse, a slouchy cardigan, and $6.99 jeans. "OK, so normally it would bother me if my jeans didn't have any detail on the rear end," Blair says. "But I was actually reading and they say that if there is not any design on the back pocket on your jeans … somehow it makes your butt look smaller. So way to go for these jeans!" I know this because Blair (aka Juicystar07) taped it via webcam and posted it to YouTube. She's not just posting it for her clique at school—her video has nearly 600,000 views to date.

Online videos like Blair's are known as "hauls." They involve mostly young women showing off the fruits of shopping trips. Call them a girly version of the online video phenomenon in which mostly young men feverishly dismantle the newest electronics.* But while the makers of those videos are boasting of their superior technological prowess or ability to be early adopters by tearing apart the newest gadget, the creators of the haul videos showcase their purchases as a way to relate to their viewers. That's why hauls are dominated by mass-market retailers: French Connection, Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Sephora are frequent destinations. And the haulers go to great lengths to prove to their audience that they are not bragging. "It's more like, I'm 16, I work two jobs, and this is what I've saved my money up for, and I'm excited to share it with you guys," Blair says earnestly.

http://www.slate.com/id/2248295?nav=wp

[Skittles]

1. sad

[arcadian]

2. consumerism's last dying gasp

I hope

[Gman]

3. Actually it sounds very alive and well

and growing ever more morbidly obese.

[arcadian]

5. I can dream can't I?

:rofl:

[underpants]

7. We have a hotel at our local mall

so people can rest between shoppings

http://www.shortpumpmall.com/info/tourism.cfm

[arcadian]

21. Short Pump is sickening.

[tblue]

4. Girls go to the mall to buy clothes to wear to the mall.

WTF?

[Stardust]

6. She's a little vapid but her sister's kinda cool.

[pepperbear]

8. this is life in the "post-reality show" world......

America's next top model anyone? the cosmetic and clothing companies must be LOVING this.

[anigbrowl]

9. Isn't this what people who like shopping do anyway in person?

I suppose you could call it rampant consumerism but almost everyone I've ever known likes to show off and talk about their new clothes. Women do it more than men but even my guy friends will talk about why they picked their new pair of glasses or boots or a suit. Everyone likes new clothes, except nudists I suppose.

[DRoseDARs]

10. They are NOT the "girly version of young men feverishly dismantle the newest electronics"

Unless these girls are dismantling their designer shoes and purses to discover what sewing methods were used and what exact materials they were fashioned from, Marisa should probably avoid writing about things she clearly knows squat about. Recording a show-and-tell video of shit you just bought is not the same as trying to identify how that shit was created or built. How absolutely asinine and vapid of Marisa to equate the two. These girls are gloating over their ability to buy stuff, the boys and a few mechanically/electronically-inclined girls (good for them for breaking the mold) are gloating over their greater, more educated ability to take something apart and identify how it was made.

[BlueIris]

16. This is a pretty nasty post.

"Few mechanically/electronically-inclined girls"?

Women are just as adept at consuming and understanding technology as men are, you know.

[DRoseDARs]

19. Selective reading is a nasty habit. U should practice reading more & take things out of context less

eom

[Blue_Tires]

11. i don't get the story

youtube has had thousands of teen girls posting videos showing off or reviewing some fashion or makeup or hairstyle...none of it is new

[democrat2thecore]

12. Between this crap and FlashMobs, it makes you fear for the future. Idiots. -nt

[Fleshdancer]

13. Breaking News: teenage girls like to shop for clothes

:eyes:

Seriously, is this suddenly an issue? Really?

[TorchTheWitch]

14. they're paid actresses

It's pretty hilarious that so many people on YouTube that follow these girls and found out they get paid to market products this way on YouTube feel so personally betrayed.

What's even more hilarious is that apparently Slate didn't realize these girls get paid to market products on YouTube by making these videos. What, they REALLY thought "Blair" went shopping and is just dying to promote to the world on YouTube the crap she bought?

[BlueIris]

15. Weird.

I do not understand the popularity of YouTube.

[NuttyFluffers]

17. the world is comprised mostly of filler moments. no surprise there, but not a tragedy either.

we all have our little breaks where we delve headlong into our small, vapid worlds populated by our latest obsessions. some dig our interests, some don't -- and the world keeps on turning.

in other news, fiber is non-nutritious but essential for maintaining routine bodily functions...

:evilgrin:

[Kitty Herder]

18. This reminds me of my sister-in-law.

She's always talking about the great deals she finds and about the things that she has bought or is planning on buying.

I try hard to pay attention and to not let my eyes glaze over, but it is trying. I never know how to respond. I just can't work up the expected level of enthusiasm.

My mom has the same difficulty trying to feign interest in her shopping habits. But then sil's eyes glaze over when Mom and I talk politics, so I guess it's fair. But I just don't understand how shopping could be so all engrossing. To me, shopping is an unfortunate necessity, not a good time.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

20. Who cares?

It's YouTube. Have you seen some of the stupid shit on YouTube? This is nothing.