It seemed to start with what appeared to be an ordinary selfie video by a local celebrity. Then, hearing the content of the video, it turned out to be an “outfit of the day” (or OOTD) video. However, by the end—putting the whole thing together—it was a random video by a celebrity, discussing their outfit, then revealing plans to go to the grocery store to buy canned goods; a truly insignificant few seconds until it became apparent it was not a one-off.
Afterwards, videos from other wealthy celebrities appeared online showing off “bag collections,” which became “closet tours,” and, most recently, anecdotes about buying an exorbitant amount of high-end merchandise.
Of course, somewhere in those timelines, amid the multitudes of photos depicting name-brand logos and “posed candids,” there are “inspirational quotes” and references to God and their faith. Clearly, there will never be a mention of “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit” (Philippians 2:3-4), “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6), or “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:10-12).
This is not a condemnation of shopping and materialism but on what is turning out to be an entire culture of egotism and boastfulness.
In most of the high-profile cases, the individuals in question are famous—the public is fully aware of their wealth—why brag about it? In a country like the Philippines, which continues to suffer from widespread poverty, is flaunting a new extravagant handbag supposed to be inspirational?
Morty Lefkoe, creator of the Lefkoe Method, a psychological process that focuses on personal and organizational change, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post a few years back about bragging and how he stopped the habit.
He talked about the origins of bragging as a means of children trying to live up to their parents’ expectations, which he notes, “Children are developmentally incapable of living up to most parents’ expectations.”
Lefkoe goes on to explain, once these dreams go unfulfilled, “We form negative beliefs about ourselves.”
“When we accidentally do something and get a positive response from parents or some other person who is important to us—that positive response makes us feel good about ourselves,” he explained. “After a few repetitions, we conclude, ‘What makes me good enough and important is… being successful or doing things for people or my accomplishments or having people think well of me.”
He points out, the prevailing mentality among his clientele is: “What makes me good enough and important is having people think well of me.”
James Dunn wrote a piece for the Daily Mail, where he spoke to economics and psychology professor George Loewenstein, who said, “Bragging is probably just the tip of the iceberg of the self-destructive things we do in the service of self-promotion.”
Additionally, he quoted Irene Scopelliti, a lecturer at the City, University of London, who said, “Opportunities for self-promotion have proliferated via social networking.”
While these traits may be apparent in the run-of-the-mill individual on social media, it still does not explain why celebrities—who already have riches and are recognized—are so eager to be boastful.
In an opinion piece for UAE publication, The National, Ayesha Almazroui cited research published in the Review of General Psychology that stated, “Those sharing their possessions seek to self-identify as part of a group.”
“Sharing pictures of these possessions would help people to express their desired identity and inclination to be part of a certain group,” the research noted. “In the process, individuals come to find pleasure and comfort whenever they post images of their things online, which simultaneously helps them to reinforce continuity in their identity.”
Despite wealth and fame, there’s still a desire to put up some front for the public? In other countries, celebrities, despite showing up to big events in flashy gear, often try to remain low-key in private. In the Philippines, they want the public to know more than just the headlines that discuss the money they make or the taxes they pay because of their high incomes, they want to flaunt their wares; in an effort to, perhaps, as the Review of General Psychology research suggests, present themselves in some other faction of “society”—one they feel puts them in an even more “superior” position.
A post on Singapore Women’s Weekly, pulled from an article originally published in Malaysian newspaper, The Straits Times, noted: “People who feel secure in their relationships are generally content to enjoy them, rather than publicize them. People who are comfortable with their religion rarely make a show of their spirituality; and people of good character seldom crow about their virtues… People’s boasts tend to reveal more about their hang-ups and about their weaknesses than about their strengths.”
The article also points out, “Bragging about one’s qualities and achievements, far from being a sign of confidence and self-belief, is a sign of insecurity and self-doubt.”
Is it really about self-doubt? If that’s the case, what does it say about the general population when those who belong among the top echelons in terms of wealth are that insecure? Although, with surveys consistently identifying Filipinos among the “happiest” people in the world, maybe the old saying “money can’t buy happiness” really does ring true./WDJ