When the word shopaholic is thrown into conversation, people immediately think of two things: some members of the female population and Isla Fisher's character in 2009's Confessions of a Shopaholic. Her addiction to beautiful garments and 100-percent cashmere get her in trouble, making the red-haired protagonist land in both hot water with her best friend and a prominent position at the wrong job. But real life, as is usually the case in Hollywood-produced films, does not always imitate fiction on the silver screen. Two Roger Williams University juniors mirror the same compulsive obsession to shop as Fisher's character, Rebecca Bloomwood, but neither has let the allure of a little black dress or pair of Tory Burch patent flats cause a bigger problem than a simple wardrobe malfunction.
"Thankfully my parents have always been financially secure so my shopping has never gotten us into debt," said Katie Wilson, a graphic design major. "My mom definitely got super mad at me when I first bought my gold sequin sweater though. It was $140 from Anthropologie and she swore I'd never wear it and I thought she was right."
At the time, Wilson admits that her self-diagnosed sequin obsession had not yet blossomed, so her mother's wrath was expected and even accepted. But since then, Wilson has come into her own, realizing and capitalizing on the fact that she loves nothing more than to dress up.
"I realized, more so this year than in the past, that it doesn't really matter what I wear," she said. "I love dressing up. Very rarely will you ever see me in just a plain t-shirt and jeans. It's just not me."
During her junior year of high school, Wilson was introduced to J. Crew by one of her close friends, and to American Eagle by another friend. In contrast with her original shopping havens of Hot Topic and Hollister, Wilson says that it was all downhill from there. While at school, the Hopkinton, Mass. native says that while it is a bit harder to be a true shopaholic; it is the pull and easy access of online shopping and the proximity to the Wrentham Outlets that keeps her going.
"I definitely look at online stores every day. That's probably the real issue I have," she said. "At the mall, I tend to spend less because I tend not to spend full price on an item unless it's something I will really get a lot of uses out of. So maybe $100 at the mall. Wrentham Outlets are an entirely different story. Depending on if I find clothes [or] whatever at a good price, I could spend up to $200 but I generally don't go over that."
When Wilson was younger, she would try to hide her purchases from her parents for fear of being reprimanded. But she says that the fear has evaporated over the years, and that now both her parents love to see what she picks up at the mall and that both now have a much more active role in not only shopping for Wilson, but also in shopping for themselves. Her mom will now go with her to the mall, and point and pick out clothes that she thinks would look cute on Wilson, and her dad, a golf aficionado, will come to his daughter asking for advice on what to wear on the green that day.
Her boyfriend, Petie, thinks her addiction is a bit over the top, but Wilson said that her urges to buy, though hard to control, are often kept in check.
"I tend not to listen to my impulses because I tend to not wear those pieces more often," she said. "I do have a pretty fair process of buying clothes, though. I absolutely downright refuse to even consider a piece without thinking about what shirt, sweater, pants, or shoes I can wear it with. This probably sounds absolutely crazy, but try it. It really helps to keep the useless pieces out of your closet."
Despite her clever impulse control system, Wilson's closet often would make it seem like she did not have her addiction in check. She houses 12 pairs of jeans, three pairs of Tory Burch flats, three pairs of Jack Rogers Navajo sandals, and a plethora of Kate Spade and J. Crew clothing and accessories. She did say that she does not like to splurge all the time, and that she has more fun simply just mixing her inexpensive clothing with their more expensive counterparts. But when it comes down to it, Wilson will always choose to buy rather than window shop.
"If you look good, you feel good," she said. "How can you put a price on that?"
Elementary Addiction
As a young girl, Kitty McTeague looked forward to going to school every day so she could show off her outfits. At a time before she really appreciated fashion, McTeague would pick out and line her outfits up for each day of the week.
"A lot of people think that shopping is materialistic, but fashion is a passion for many people so there
should be no judgment," McTeague said. "Everyone wants to feel good about themselves and shopping is something that can fulfill this, so why not?"
McTeague's shopping addiction first began in elementary school when she loved buying clothes from stores such as Limited Too. In middle school and high school, her clothing store repertoire expanded to Hollister and American Eagle, as well as Charlotte Rouse and Forever 21. Now in her junior year at Roger Williams University, McTeague owes her wardrobe to stores like American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, Guess, and Bebe.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!