Edward Bernays suggested that we all have unconscious desires, and advertisers use techniques (including those mentioned in my post about why advertising techniques are so effective) as well as other persuasion techniques that make sense to us.

  Our fears are our weaknesses and if we want to rid ourselves of the fears we have we have to find a solution. The advertisers take those fears and make their products appear as though they are the solution to our problems even if they aren't. They manipulate us into believing that they will and provide a solution to problems even if we are unaware that they are a problem to us. Bernays also suggested that advertisements should operate entirely on feelings and emotions. This means that the advertisers want to make you feel inferior to other people (including the actors in the advert) to make you feel as though you need their product as it is the ideal solution, leading you to buy it.

  Some people I asked believed that conspicuous consumption no longer existed. But I have witnessed it personally. Some teenagers whose parents are in extremely high paid jobs, or have inherited wealth often put makeup on in inappropriate situations. They do this so that everyone can see the makeup they own and the brands that they use, to show that they have more than enough money to live on and the things that they have aren't necessary, or even useful. This occurred more at a younger age than now, but it does still occur. Conspicuous consumption in the beauty industry also occurs on a much larger scale too. There are thousands of videos on YouTube filled with 'beauty gurus' showing their makeup collections, this isn't necessary and is encouraging teenage girls to purchase excessive amounts of makeup that they don't need. Although Veblen was discussing this topic a while ago it doesn't necessarily make it out of date. We buy things that we don't need in order to make ourselves appear as though we have spare money. I have definitely done this, all I have to do is refer to the drawer full of foundations that I don't use, over half of which I bought when I was with someone. Although at the time it didn't seem like I was doing it to appear as though I could afford it, looking back on this now it is probably the only reason I did buy them.

  I asked some friends to show me some makeup they bought because they was with someone, but they didn't actually need (or use!), and all of them said that they had done this.

  Not everyone has done this, but if you have then total the price of the products that you bought but didn't need, and leave it in a comment, or tell me the thing that you regret buying just because you had the money to.

  Veblen also questioned whether our sense of taste and beauty was just a reflection of the costliness, or because we do actually think that the item is beautiful and worth our money. Sometimes we buy things that are expensive that we are never going to use. I once bought a bright blue eyeshadow from Estee Lauder just because of the brand name even though I was well aware that its something that I would never use. It's safe to say that's long gone now though.