Girls spend 800 pounds a year on clothes
Psychologists Feel Singles Shop To Overcome Insecurity
Single women
each spend almost 800 pounds a year on clothes ,according to a survey /.Many keep the cost down by taking advantage of the retail price war, which has been High Street stores selling jeans for 4.pounds.
Despite the annual bill, the average singleton still thinks their wardrobe is worth less than 1000 pounds.
Two thousand unmarried young adults—both men and women—were questioned in the survey commissioned by Barclays Insurance Services
Men trail far behind, spending only 456 pounds on clothes .Retailers ,however, believe this partly because fewer now wear suits for work and often rely on Christmas and birthday presents to stock up on items such as socks and jumpers.
The disparity between the sexes backs up research from earlier this year which showed that single women spent 1 billion pounds using debit and credit cards in 2004, while single men paid out only 515 million pounds.
Psychologists Dr Aric Sigman believes singletons urge to shop reflects deep insecurities –usually felt by women—0which lead to a desire to create their identities through possessions .He argues that women are far less connected to people than they used to be, working longer hours, marrying and having children later and getting divorced more often. These factors create an emotional hole, he said.
They attempt to fill this hole by shopping added Dr Sigman .It is something they believe allows them to define themselves in a way they hope will bring happiness.
But any happiness will be short lived and the only real legacy they’ll be left with will be on their bank statement .Shopping to fill an emotional void and the financial consequences , is something Caroline Grady is familiar with .The 36-year-old director of a marketing firm in London ,who has a 40,000 pound credit and store card debt said, I accept I have unfulfilled emotional needs, quite possibly because I do not have a husband or children .I have to fight then urge to go shopping .I tell myself , No. I don’t need anything else. Then I am out of the door with my credit cards in my hand.
According to the statistics ,Britons total personal debt has hit 1 trillion pounds – the equivalent of 18,454 pounds per person. It is blamed on reckless spending and easy access to personal loans.
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