I’m one of those strange men who likes fashion and shopping. It’s not something I talk about a lot, especially with other men. And, to make it even more difficult, the place where I like to shop is a long way from the small country town I live in. It takes 30+ hours to travel from rural NSW to Paris, France.
I often wonder why it’s difficult to talk about this kind of thing. I’m sure it’s a complicated story about the society I live in and my own personality and history. To mention this enjoyment of mine smacks of privilege, it suggests a wealthy upbringing, it seems unmanly, and, perhaps above all, it sounds pretentious.
Behind all of those “reasons” I think there might be just one issue. The society that I live in has a problem with pleasure. There’s something about admitting to indulging in these seemingly superficial pleasures that creates a sense of shame and a need to justify yourself.
So what is it about pleasure that has become such a problem?
…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Provocations to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.