The phrase "slave to fashion" might have been coined for Shakima Swain. She loves clothes so much, she actually lost a job because she went shopping for a sweater instead of turning up for her first day at work.
But as her family's finances have changed, it's been harder to keep up with the name brands she adores. Now she wonders, are the expensive clothes worth it? In a report for WNYC's Radio Rookies and All Things Considered, she talks about why so many young people are compelled to wear name brands, and the lengths they go to maintain a certain image.
Shakima Swain recorded her story for Radio Rookies, a program of WNYC Radio in New York City that teaches teenagers how to tell radio stories about their lives.
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