"study until dior is like shein to you"

babe, havent you heard? those dreams never were!

I was on Pinterest during the girl-blog buzz words such as deer, doe eyes, girlhood, sad girl, pink bows, feminine etc era, which seemed to eventually pivot towards a merge with dark academia, or rather just the mysterious-girl-plaid-skirt-intelligence part of dark academia¹. This birthed the many Whispers² that include the saying “Study until Dior is like Shein to you” or something very similar.

The text is almost always over a beautiful woman looking stressed, probably from a film. Or sometimes it is a picture of Lily-Rose-Depp with a washed out colour grade, a cigarette in her mouth and a big pink bow in her hair, which has nothing to do with studying or working hard at all. Lily-Rose-Depp is a nepo baby³, any store is as easily affordable as Shein to her.

I honestly probably have some of these Pinterest posts saved and buried deep in my unorganized Pinterest board that I refuse to sort into sections. You could say that this is just motivation to help teenagers or young adults through education, it’s not meant to be taken seriously. But, it’s selling a total lie. It was invented off of fiction, of an imaginative reality. Dior will never be like Shein to you. No matter how hard you study and how successful you become, if you aren’t born into large amounts of money or born with a head start into an industry you are going to have financial issues that carry on perpetually. You will be regretting buying that $72 lip oil and $103 blush palette. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but we live in a capitalistic ridden society. You will have student loans, a mortgage, medical bills, you will always have things to pay for for the rest of your life.

Your goal should never be the object of wealth. Maybe I am taking this almost died-out Pinterest meme too seriously but getting through university purely just to get a high-paying job and buy the most expensive red wine at the grocery store without thinking twice⁴, will crumble in front of your eyes. It doesn’t work like that. Not for you, not for the average person, which almost all of us are.

If you are only looking forward to wealth, you might miss out on so many opportunities that could further your interests and enrich your life. Such as strong bonds with other people and knowing yourself and taking care of your mental health.

I also think it’s a toxic way to look at studying and productivity. It’s almost saying as if the people who don’t study as hard as they possibly can, emulate Spencer Hastings, and burn themselves out every week are going to be at fault when they aren’t hugely wealthy. YOU won’t be completely financially stable, either! We are not fictional characters that are teenage girls or women in their 20’s. I know it seems illustrious, it always looks lovely, but it’s not realistic. We’re in a different context, which is capitalism.

I’m only really speaking to a niche group of people who were affected by these posts so I may sound crazy but this has sat on my mind ever since I saw one of these posts on Pinterest that cursed day, and didn’t say anything because I assumed I was wrong and everyone else who entertained the post was right.

But while we are run by greedy, consumerism loving capitalists, don’t fall into their trap - the idealized version of wealth they want you to dream of. Commodities aren’t going to make you happy or make you fulfilled for all the time you spent studying or working, just because they were expensive. Looking and seeming wealthy does not mean you have used your time any more worthwhile than anyone who can’t afford those things. Not in this day and age.

You can have dreams of being wealthy and supporting your family, or even just supporting yourself, but don’t let that become your only motivation to get through school or a job you don’t always love. Don’t miss out on the things that make you truly wealthy. Look around and pay attention to the things, hobbies, or people that make you whole.

this might have been stupid. sorry.

1. An aesthetic focused on literature, dark moody colours, the arts, sweaters, plaid clothing, gothic looking architecture

2. You’ve definitely seen it, it’s an app that allows you to put a sentence over a random image, usually a celebrity

3. this is NOT a dig at Lily, just stating an obvious contradiction

4. but if you do this, that’s awesome