“pre-owned” is the new “used.” Well, not new as pre-owned has been around for a few years. What I wonder is how long will it be before “pre-owned” loses its shine and is replaced with something else. What will that phrase be? What will the pre-pre-owned (new) term for “used” be?
A gnew car?
A post purchase vehicle?
A pre-stressed car? (like all the furniture at Restoration hardware)
Tangent –
This makes me think of clothes. Saw a hat today at J. Crew. $24 for silly hat that had spots sewn on it to make it look old and worn. I think they sell pants in a similar vein. As a matter of fact I think I have some. Similarly saw a pair of jeans today on a woman. She was pretty but her jeans were atrocious but they probably cost $$$. Large patches on her rear, knees and other places that do not get worn out on real jeans were frayed. But the fraying was not the normal color of frayed jeans- that whitish grey color, but golden. And the fraying did not go through. Looked like patches of frayed material were sewn on.
Are we as Americans so hungry for history, for a past that we must manufacture it?
If pre-stressing has reached clothes and furniture, when will it reach everything else? When will we be selling new cars that look pre-owned? When will we be selling computers that look like they have been dinged up, maybe already have a few viruses? What determines what people will buy new that looks new; what people will buy that looks used but is new; what people will buy that is used and looks used; and finally what looks new but is used?
- CDs,
- LPs
- cars
- clothes
- houses
- lovers
- pets
- furniture
- plants
- sunglasses
- shoes, etc.
What do/would you buy used/not used/pre-stressed?
Faux history is an aesthetic choice.