Narcissism Watch: Spend Money to Look Like the "Working Man"

I have worked at a junk yard and detasseled corn.  I know something of the "working man."  I made many sacrifices and worked very hard so that I would not end up like the working man.  Indeed, my father and I got into a huge argument when I was young: He made me quit my job at the junk yard, since he got the impression I enjoyed it too much.  (Thanks, Dad.)  It's a tough life.

Compare a 50-year-old lawyer to a 50-year-old factory worker.  Law is a grind is just metaphor.  Lawyers like to whine.  Waah, law is so tough.  Yes, it is.  So what?  Go work in a factory for one week if you've forgotten (or never knew) what a real grind is.  Consider it "Scared Straight!" for lawyers. 

In any event, people who have never worked a day in their lives nonetheless want to be perceived as rugged working men.  That is narcissism.  

Narcissism is mistakenly understood as egoism.  There's more to narcissism than mere egoism.  A narcissist does not have a true ego - because an ego presupposes the existence of an internal identity.  An ego looks within.  

Instead, the narcissist has a persona - a brand.  The brand is always looking out, and is always obsessed with how others perceive it.  Always managing the brand.  An egoist (not naming names) simply doesn't give a fuck.  Identity > persona. 

Look at these idiots.  Then read their professions:   

• Kris Payne, 26, Landscape Photographer. 
• Kyle Hackett, 28, Menswear Designer.
• Jason Andrews, 36, Artist, D.J.
• Simon Howell, 37, Photographer. 

Back in the day, I wore thick denim jeans to work...Because thin denim would tear.  Steel would cut through thin jeans right into your skin.  The same thing with flannels.  When you're outside working, you need durable clothing to protect you from thick branches and errant scrap metal.  You also need warmth.

Look at the cost of their clothing:

• Stock: Pima-cotton flannels, tartan ties, and raw selvage denim jeans ($130).
• Stock: Woodsy-dandy pieces, lambswool-lined leather vests, khaki chino pants ($135).
• Super-durable blended-cotton fabrics, wool-flannel check coats ($289)

What working stiff could afford to spend $130 on jeans?  None.  Even if they could afford it, they wouldn't be so stupid.  The clothing will eventually rip.  A good pair of work jeans might last a few months.

Denim and flannel wasn't about a look.  It was about reality.  In a society of narcissists, the look becomes reality.

Comments

[kris payne]

My jeans are $25 Levi's from a Carhart store in Manhattan. Shirts are pearl snaps for easy on and off when working on 4 hours of sleep. Boots are for when I accidentally step into a mudhole on a glacier.

I don't claim to be someone who works in a factory, and have actually gone into steel and wood shops to work when jobs were scarce. I value the people who do that everyday.

The thing about articles like this and the people who get upset by them is intriguing to me. The article is all about the fashion of the look. Granted, the demographic the article is aiming at is people just like you described who are trying to attain a look that screams authenticity. But the people hurt by the article so much are more fascinating to me because, why are you reading NY Magazine? (not you personally, just an in general approach.)

I found your site on a google blog search that I keep to see what kind of press my photography is getting and now it seems that all the press is from the article. Sorry I hurt your image.