A Comparison
Comparing my interviewee and the descriptions from the article, I realized that there are many similarities. This helped me realize that my interviewee was indeed a collector and not an accumulator as I had feared. For example, it stated that “People who are serious collectors of one thing are likely to collect other things.” The person I interviewed showed this: along with shoes, she collects the things that are connected with shoes. For example, she also collects shoe polish, shoe brushes, safeguard, etc. Another similarity that I noticed is that my collector definitely doesn’t hesitate to admit that if she sees a pair of shoes she wants, she will buy them. This is a trait that the article describes that collectors share. However, one aspect of my interviewee that was not similar to the article was this: in the article, it stated that “the more valuable the collection, the less the collector may feel inclined to own up to it.” The interviewee owns 200 pairs of shoes ranging from $20-$250. She was happy to help me and spoke openly about her shoe collection. In fact, her first statement was that she owned around 200 shoes. Therefore, I think that this rule only applies to certain people depending on their personality. If they are more open, then they wont mind talking about their collections.
–Ravneet
I wonder why one would feel disinclined to own a collection that’s valuable? is it because of the fragility of such a rare thing?
I think that some people may feel embarrassed by the value and amount they’ve spent on their collections. They might be afraid people will view them as crazy or obsessive for spending so much.