I WAS hardly surprised to read about the debt problem among some youth in Singapore. In my early 30s, I know quite well how some in my age group are easy with their spending. For instance, they think little of spending on handbags that cost thousands of dollars, sometimes even a five-figure sum.

The lavish spending habits of my peers started long ago. I remember as a teen, girls were decked out in bright red lipstick, all-black ensembles with a distinctive Ferragamo belt around their tiny waist, while boys had to have Versace or Armani jeans. This group has since moved on to buying Louis Vuitton bags, Rolex watches, flashy BMWs and condominiums as their first home. The bottom line is: We are a materialistic society that places emphasis on status and image. We've got to have all the right brands, the ones that tell everyone we're rich and successful.

My car is a Mitsubishi Colt and I have almost never bought a branded handbag. The only time I did was a second-hand one in a charity auction on eBay. I admit there are days when I feel everyone is rolling in cash but me, especially when, on two occasions, someone called my brand of car 'a joke' and another told me that, when you carry a particular brand of expensive handbag, you will never want to carry anything else.

Curious to find out if this is an international phenomenon, I asked some friends for their opinions. Seeing they come from the country of luxury brands, I wanted their take. Their replies? Insanity. They feel it is insane to spend thousands on a handbag when one that costs much, much less will do. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel are reserved for the ultra rich. One French girl even told me it hardly crosses her mind to own a branded handbag. It surprised her when I said that, in Singapore, Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags are a common sight.

So why do we covet branded goods? Perhaps it's what I once heard a wise pastor say about living beyond one's means. 'We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, just to impress people we don't know'. How sadly true this seems in Singapore.

Julianna Neo (Ms)