Sunday, February 11, 2007

Getting High on Malls

What is it with shopping and women?
Is it some thing that can be ascribed to the paleolithic times when the women had to collect berries and flowers from around the habitat whilst the men hunted? If it is so it sure has evolvled into an artform (which for some strange reason men simply cannot appreciate!!).
Why do they have to check 4 different stores before they decide? And boy can they haggle!! They might not get along otherwise but send them shopping and they get along like a house on fire. That's the amazing power of shopping. My theory is that much like chocolates shopping triggers/tickles something somewhere which leads to a biochemical reaction within the female anatomy that makes them happy. What probably ruins that high is going shopping with a man. As hard as we may try we can never be convincingly interested in the object de'attention (Which by the way in a blink can change from a wineglass to a curtain!!)
And there's a reason...men you see hand were hunters and therefore tend to have a very focussed approach to shopping Which basically means... enter mall...choose shirt...walk out.
That brings me to the topic of malls in general. While the economists might be busy attributing the mushrooming of malls to the increasing disposable income we should not forget that these malls are catering to this primitive need for collecting berries and flowers!! It's just that with increasing education and employment this need has found a manifestation in the form of shopping. During paleolithic times they'd go out to pick berries but they'd pick flowers too..in the modern times they go shopping for groceries and comeback with cosmetics, clothes and shoes too!
They can shop when they are feeling low, they can shop when they're on a high. They can shop when they want to socialise or even when they want to be left alone.
And at some level I'm sure all women live every word of this song made popular by Barenaked Ladies
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
Well you know that it's going to be alright
When we go shopping
It's always lalalalala...
Shopping spree begin
It's always lalalalala...
Everybody wins
So shutup
And never stop
Let's shop
Until we drop
...Shopping with our friends
Shopping once again...
...It's never enough
Until you've got all the stuff