The Signs Of Shopping

I never realized that “the mall has been the subject of innumerable debates” before until I read the essay “The Signs Of Shopping” by Anne Norton. I love to shop, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I didn’t realize that malls supposedly help create our very sense of identity in the world. I just thought of the mall as a place to get away from the outside world and indulge in things that I love: shoes and clothes. But malls are more than just places to shop though, and this essay gives a more defined outlook on that. Shopping malls and catalogues are specifically designed to encourage product consumption and identity construction while catalogues and home shopping networks on television eliminate shopping’s geographic restrictions. The general idea is that “sell you what they want by telling you who you are.” That’s kinda messed up :(