Groceries Too Damn High!

There was a well-known saying, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" During the egg shortage and crisis, we almost changed the saying to, "Brother, can you spare an EGG?" All joking aside, it is getting costlier and costlier at the checkout counter. President trump said it's an AFFORDABILITY HOAX made up by Democrats. 

Donald Trump promised voters if they voted for him he would lower grocery prices and inflation. Those are two promises he has failed to keep but continues to lie and say he has accomplished them. Working America is facing grocery bills that are steadily getting higher and those receiving assistance, such as SNAP, have had there benefits yanked from them during a Republican made government shutdown making them UNABLE to buy groceries. When a person is unable to eat, well, let's just say they will not a happy camper and hunger will be on their minds at the ballot box. Lies may be told by Donald Trump, but growling stomachs know the truth.

In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves has decided SNAP beneficiaries shouldn't buy JUNK food with their EBT cards without specifying what is considered junk. So, even if they are given benefits to buy the high priced grocery, their autonomy, food preference and choice is being threated and almost to the point of being dictated. The Trump Administration is an administration of STARVATION it seems on our soil and abroad fir countries we once gave food aid to.

When the Bird Flu epidemic decimated the poultry industry, the government heard consumers complain about the cost of food even more as the price of eggs reached double-dollar digits. During this crisis, federal employees, who monitor such outbreaks (The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other organizations monitor bird flu) were being fired by the thousands. Who was on top of the EGG CRISIS and who was lookingg out for the everyday American?

Will the president help you when it comes to your next trip to the grocery store? Promise after promise was made to win your vote. The majority of elected officials have more than enough money to keep their refrigerator and pantry full. The government shutdown does not cause them one bit of worry, not one missed meal or night's sleep. It is the everyday American who is struggling with inflation and high prices of grocery.

Okay we have to admit America is one of the nations with an OBESITY problem and could invest in healthier eating habits. But healthy food is expensive. Many MAGA people laughed as overweight SNAP beneficiaries pleaded with government officials to not withhold their benefits. They joked the person could miss a meal. Nice people huh? Will the high cost of living make a change in the hefty waistlines? Have you had to put back an item lately at the grocery store you really wanted in an effort to keep the price at the cash register low? JOIN THE CLUB.

The cost of groceries has become sky high but that's not the worst of it. Manufacturers are manipulating their package sizes, and the quality of their product has changed. Not only can you not afford groceries, what you are buying doesn't taste as good as it once had. What is the consumer to do? It almost feels like we are on a FORCED DIET I call, "I can't afford IT."  Will SHRINKFLATION lead to the shrinking of our waistlines?

Without proper notification to the public, manufacturers have switched "ice cream" to "frozen dairy desserts." And boy oh boy is there a difference. It tastes like the MILK is missing, and it is! The higher percentage of milk fat gives ice cream a "rich and creamy texture," but it also adds fat and calories. Meanwhile, frozen dairy desserts often have less milk fat and more air, resulting in a lower fat content and fewer calories. I've noticed it doesn't even melt like real ice cream. CREEPY. These [frozen dairy dessert] products might include additional ingredients like stabilizers and emulsifiers to mimic the texture of ice cream, consequently, while frozen dairy desserts can be a lighter alternative, they may also come with a longer list of additives compared to the straightforward composition of traditional ice cream. To be considered as ice cream, it must have no less than 20 percent total milk solids and no less than 10% milkfat solids, except when it contains milkfat at 1% increments above the 10% minimum. The price of ice cream has soared. 

Chip bags have been getting smaller due to a cost-cutting strategy called "shrinkflation". This practice involves keeping the price of a product the same while making it smaller. In some cases, products have shrunk by 25%. For example, Frito-Lay, the parent company of Doritos, reduced the weight of a bag of Doritos from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces, containing about 5 fewer chips. Mondelez International shrunk a family size box of Wheat Thins from 16 ounces to 14 ounces but kept the price the same. 

During the State of the Union address, while Biden was president, he criticized a trend that's gotten the attention of some consumers. "In fact, the snack companies think you won’t notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot...fewer chips in it. No, I’m not joking. It’s called 'shrinkflation,'" Biden said. Shrinkflation is a roundabout way for companies to raise prices, said Sudip Datta, finance department chair at the University of Missouri Trulaske School of Business. It's when companies offer less of a product — fewer chips in a bag, smaller candy bars, less toilet paper sheets — but charge the same price. The Right scoffed at Biden for talking about shrinkflation, but shrinkflation IS an enemy of the people. Thank you, Mr. President, for seeing something and SAYING something.

In several chat rooms on the internet, people are questioning whether the flavor of one of my beloved chips, Funyuns, have changed. The reason I stumbled on these chats is because I've noticed Funyuns no longer have the great onion taste which set them apart from other chips. THEY ARE TAKING THE TASTE AWAY from their smaller packaging, same price, items. This is making me a little hot under the collar. Why would they do this to me? To you? There are many Americans on fixed incomes who are not weathering the high prices of groceries well. 

The maximum benefit for fixed incomes is $3,822 a month for someone at full retirement age in 2024. Individuals must wait until full retirement age to claim benefits and have been a high earner for 35 years to earn the maximum Social Security benefit. The maximum monthly benefits for SSI, SSDI, and retirement in 2024: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – The maximum payment is $943 monthly for individuals and $1,415 monthly for couples. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) – The maximum payment is $3,822 a month (up from $3,627 in 2023). With this monthly income, rent, car payment, electricity, car insurance, and other bills necessary for daily living must be paid along with their groceries for the month. No simple feat with the weekly price of groceries.

Rank/State/City analyzed (population) Average monthly cost of groceries per person ranked from highest to lowest. I'm from Mississippi.

1 Hawaii, Honolulu (337,200) $556.76

 2 Vermont, Burlington (42,400) $497.41

3 Alaska, Anchorage (291,800) $483.24

         4 New York, New York City (8.17M) $482.87

        5 West Virginia, Charleston (51,400) $427.19

       ***6 Mississippi, Jackson (173,500) $423.33

           7 South Carolina, Charleston (136,200) $411.29

    8 Massachusetts, Boston (617,600) $406.21

9 Washington, Seattle (608,600) $402.08

           10 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (1.52M) $401.02

11 Georgia, Atlanta (420,000) $397.97

      12 Alabama, Birmingham (212,200) $397.39

         13 Minnesota, Minneapolis (382,600) $395.39

            14 Rhode Island, Providence (178,000) $390.19

       15 Wisconsin, Milwaukee (594,800) $385.97

     16 Delaware, Wilmington (70,800) $380.39

17 Oregon, Portland (583,800) $375.41

18 Maine, Portland (66,200) $372.21

        19 California, Los Angeles (4.79M) $370.96

      20 Florida, Jacksonville (880,600) $364.25

 21 Iowa, Des Moines (215,500) $347.05

               22 Oklahoma, Oklahoma City (580,000) $346.37

     23 Tennessee, Nashville (660,400) $346.37

   24 Wyoming, Cheyenne (59,400) $345.62

    25 New Jersey, Newark (277,100) $343.67

     26 Maryland, Baltimore (620,900) $343.67

          27 Connecticut, Bridgeport (144,200) $343.30

28 Ohio, Columbus (879,200) $341.48

            29 North Carolina, Charlotte (731,400) $341.10

30 Nebraska, Omaha (408,900) $336.90

31 Illinois, Chicago (2.69M) $327.31

32 Michigan, Detroit (713,800) $327.12

33 Colorado, Denver (600,100) $326.92

     34 North Dakota, Fargo (105,500) $326.66

           35 Louisiana, New Orleans (343,800) $325.19

36 Montana, Billings (104,100) $323.91

     37 Indiana, Indianapolis (820,400) $318.03

    38 Kentucky, Louisville (597,300) $315.20

      39 Missouri, Kansas City (459,800) $312.63

             40 New Mexico, Albuquerque (545,800) $307.79

41 Arizona, Phoenix (1.44M) $302.80

        42 Virginia, Virginia Beach (438,000) $298.01

43 Nevada, Las Vegas (583,700) $293.43

44 Texas, Houston (2.10M) $286.64

          45 South Dakota, Sioux Falls (153,900) $286.23

  46 Arkansas, Little Rock (193,500) $282.46

47 Utah, Salt Lake City (186,400) $282.23

48 Idaho, Boise (205,700) $281.12

49 Kansas, Witchita (382,400) $261.35

             50 New Hampshire, Manchester (109,500) $183.00 

I don't know about you, but these totals are MORE like my WEEKLY total for groceries, but I'm a family of three. Like I said, it seems like I'm being put on a forced diet, but we know HEALTHY food cost more than the filler food we choose to buy. According to a recent study by the U.K.'s University of Warwick, fixed costs in the supply chain alone have led to American consumers paying 40% more for fruit and vegetables over a 10-year period. More healthy foods are now TWICE as expensive as less healthy foods. On July 12, 2023, the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2023 (published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and jointly produced with fellow UN agencies) provided the latest estimates of the Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet (CoAHD) indicators. The data reveal that more than 3.1 billion – or 42% of the world’s population – could not afford a healthy diet in 2021. This is an increase of 134 million people compared to 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. New study finds when healthy buying incentives are removed, food consumers choose price over health.

If we are choosing PRICE over HEALTH, then our waistlines are still in danger. We are on a forced UNHEALTHY diet. The run-up in food costs began early in the pandemic, when supply-chain snarls and worker shortages collided with rampant demand for groceries. But more recent developments continue to keep prices high. Droughts and extreme heat have dampened production of fruits and vegetables. Why are frozen vegetable prices so high? Blame war, fewer immigrants and California weather, say economists. Frozen vegetable prices are up 18%, on average, over the past year, according to the consumer price index for June 2023. Inflation more broadly hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in mid-2022 but has recently slowed to about 3% as product and labor supply shortages have eased. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) report suggests the grocery companies were also price-gouging consumers.

In 2023, egg prices surged due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, a contagious viral disease among birds. Today, the avian flu continues to persist through 2024, resulting in fluctuations in both demand and supply. The avian flu also affects the supply of chicken. Wheat and flour are encountering significant challenges amid the conflict in Ukraine, widespread famines, and severe droughts. Like wheat and flour, rice supply faces challenges from droughts and extreme weather conditions. India’s government has also enacted recent rice export restrictions on rice, decreasing the rice supply to the U.S. According to the Food Price Outlook report by the USDA, beef prices are expected to rise by 2.2% in 2024, largely due to rising feed costs and water scarcity. According to the USDA, oil prices are predicted to increase by 4.6%. The impact of severe weather on harvests and the Ukrainian conflict are the primary drivers behind these escalating costs. 

Eating out is more expensive than ever, with a 4.2% increase in the consumer price index for food away from home. Food costs across the board continue to rise, even as inflation slows. A Finance Buzz report found that McDonald's menu prices have doubled since 2014 across popular items more than any other of the analyzed chains including Starbucks, Taco Bell and Wendy's. Between 2014 and 2024, the analyzed chains raised prices by 60%, nearly double the national inflation rate, according to the report.

In my mind things cannot get any worse when it comes to what we can afford to eat, but I tell my children, it's going to be a SURPRISE (unknown) for them at the grocery store in their lifetime. UN statistics: The global population by 2050 will reach 10 billion. By 2050, cultivated meat, high-protein insects, seaweed and algae, and allergen-free nuts will be the most sustainable protein sources to support an increasingly growing population.  Women are more likely to suffer from hunger and malnourishment than men. Sixty percent of food-insecure people in the world are women and girls.

What are WE to do? I know my shopping habits have changed. Food items I once would never purchase because they were not the POPULAR named brand are now in my grocery cart. Sometimes, I just can't purchase the OFF-BRAND item, and do without. I'm sure I am not the only one. Here are a few suggested tips to help you while you are on your FORCED ECONOMIC DIET.

Buy from discount grocery stores (e.g., Aldi or Trader Joes)

Use supermarket websites to compare the prices of different stores

Create a weekly meal plan so you only buy what you need

Stick to your grocery list and don’t buy extras

Eat your leftovers instead of making new meals

Clip coupons and look for discount codes

Buy in bulk for cheaper, wholesale prices

Choose the store brand

Create your own sauces and spice mixes at home

Grow your own garden vegetables and herbs 

There is a famous quote, "If you can beat them, join them." Instead of the grocery store STRUGGLE, decide to put your health first. Eliminate the FAKE ice creams. Pass by the less-than-seasoned chips and choose more vegetables over the pricy meats. Choose exercise to keep your mind off of mindless eating and snacking habits. Instead of giving food prices the MIDDLE FINGER, give it a REVENGE BODY. Get in shape, garden for the mind and body, and leave their "SHRINKFLATION" products on the shelf. If you're going to be on a FORCED DIET due to high food prices, do it on your own terms. 

Heart Health: Heart Condition

 LONGER POST THAN USUAL WARNING

There are many Bible passages that have been misquoted over and over again and one Bible misquote I have heard often is: "The love of money is evil." We may say we see the damage the love of money has manifested in the lives of celebrities and everyday people we come into contact within our own lives. But I still would like to clear up the misquote and set the record straight. "The love of money is the ROOT of ALL evil" 1 Timothy 6:10. Got your seatbelt on? Good. Let's go for a ride.

With the addition of the word 'root' and 'all' our perception of money should change and we should guard ourselves from the pitfalls that the love of money brings. Anyone who tries to convince you that poverty is fun would probably benefit from some sort of professional counseling. But, when we allow our financial state to determine our amount of joy in life as a whole, then we must look at what defines our happiness.

While thinking about money and the way we depend upon it and use it, I wondered was there a difference in the way women used money and the way men used money. And the answer is a resounding YES! I found there are 5 top ways each sex use their money (after taking care of the basic necessities that are common to both sexes such as rent and food) and found the differences a little eye opening.

MEN: Men don’t spend, they invest (car, home). Men don’t want something, they need it. Theirs is a future-money orientation. Men are trained to fix and provide, so they view money as a means to capture and accumulate things to add more value. Men want to be looked up to, status.

Men will spend their money on investments (car, home), entertainment, women/online dating/love, hobbies and sports, and betting and gambling.

WOMEN: Women are trained to nurture and seek acceptance and so they view money as a means to create a lifestyle. Women spend on things that enhance day-to-day living. Theirs is a now-money orientation. Women are the collectors of stuff and are taught that what they need to get through life is approval. They have to look good, act good, and be good.

An average woman will spend 8.5 years of her life shopping. So you guessed it, shopping tops the list of how and where women spend their money. Next we have beauty, health and fitness, love/online dating, and furnishings.

There you have it. Each of the sexes have distinct spending habits to which the marketing masses can target each of the sexes in specific ways. Our purchases are the fruit that are springing forth from the root of our desires or needs. Remember the LOVE of money is the ROOT evidenced and so I ask does our purchases serve as an indicator of our EVIL? For the man would evil be the deep need to have the best and newest car? For the woman would evil be the purchase of unending beauty enhancement materials?

With more and more money men become more and more powerful actually buying people's opinion and loyalty. The rich man often obtains the perfect trophy wife and later trade her in when she no longer fits the bill for a younger attractive wife. Men even become workaholics to the neglect of wife and children. Notice gambling creeps into the bottom of the list on which men spend money. Gambling is a force of destruction.

With more money women spend countless thousands for the perfect nose, smile, breast, butt, tummy and the list goes on and on what a woman is willing to do to her body surgically to maintain youthful beauty. When a woman will inject a poison into her face in an effort not to have wrinkles; then you know just how important beauty is to her. Not only is she interested in being beautiful, she is interested in being surrounded in/by beauty. 

I know what you may be thinking. If this blog is dedicated to lifting up women, it sure does talk negatively about women and their quest for beauty. I'm not anti-beauty or anti-sexiness. I am anti that's all a woman has to offer. There was a preacher who once said people are mean to beautiful people and beautiful people can't help God blessed them with beauty. We all have been blessed with different things by the Creator and beauty can be one of those things. There are many beautiful women who have beauty and brains, so I am not bashing beautiful women enhanced or not. I do have a problem with a woman with children living paycheck to paycheck investing her money in extensions, wigs, and nails (I know I should stay in my own lane. Not my business). I have a problem with men pouring all of their money into a car and he doesn't have a home of his own or pay child support because of his love for his car.

Well, I have not escaped those statistics with my years of shopping and spending money on material things to enhance my beauty (self and home). I have an overwhelming love of shoes and I have contributed to the millions the make-up industry pulls in yearly. We often want to be equal to men in all things. Do we want the men's top 5 they invest their money on to be our top 5? Do we want to trade an obsession for beauty for an obsession for status?

As a group we, women, are saying a lot without using words with how we look and present ourselves to the world. Our spending habits speak for us and I do not know if we are purposefully driving what our voice through money is saying. As I said, businesses and services follow our spending trends and cater to those statistical needs. Our spending power influences society. Our use of money actually speaks volumes about our heart. 

I can't begin to count how many times in the last twelve months there has been a call on social media to boycott a business for one reason or another. People are very aware money has the power to change how a business operates or support a cause or political candidate. The usage of money can be for good or evil.

I would ask everyone who is reading this post to reflect on what/how you spend your money on after you pay your rent and electric bill. Is buying grocery your next biggest expense? Some people skimp on groceries, so they have extra money for something else. Is your biggest expense after rent/electricity entertainment? Some people are highly social and must have outings to be around friends, family, or just other adults to relax and have some fun. Do you spend a large amount on shopping for clothes/shoes/beauty products? Men's shoes are costly and there is always a new brand on the market. Wigs of quality cost money as well as paying someone to do a woman's ever changing hairstyles. Where your money is so is what is driving your heart, morals, character. Let me explain.

When we confess our love, we say I love you with my all my heart, mind, body, and soul yet when love goes wrong it is our heart we say is broken not our mind, body, or soul. So where does this unwanted LOVE for money with it's ROOT of EVIL reside in us? Because we dream and plan to have money we can assume the love of money resides in our mind. We may go as far to say the love of money resides in our body because it can be used to keep us healthy and functioning if we have money. Maybe the love of money is in the soul because our spirit or soul is free from worry if we have money.

My answer to the question as to where the love of money resides is in our heart where love can bloom and be crushed. How then does or can the love of money become evil? "As a man thinks in his heart so is he" Proverbs 23:7. 

YOUR HEART'S DESIRES MAKE YOU WHO YOU ARE. The above passage says it's not your brains rational thoughts guiding you in directions and deeds but your heart's WANTS. You think about desires and wants. Your brain signals the body everyday of it's NEEDS without you having to think about it. The brain says I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm in danger, I'm sick, etc. But the heart has deep deep desires/wants. We act on both wants and needs. But it is in wants where evil shows up. And if you want to evaluate your character, pay attention to what you spend a good bit of your money on and why.

There are many bitter people roaming around because of money. A person with a forty hour a week job is angry at the grocery the below poverty level government welfare person has in their buggy with no access to healthcare (It's their tax money being used). The person whose ancestors came to America for a better life is upset people are coming to America for a better way of life (taking jobs and money from other American minorities). People have cable, three televisions, cellphone, and expensive shoes on and will rob you for what you have (best and newest). It's all about wanting more and the root is the love of money causing evil actions and attitudes.

The love of money has a root and it takes up residence in your heart and grows. The Bible says it is an EVIL growth. Now in modern religion churches teach PROSPERITY GOSPEL. Prosperity Gospel tells you that you can have material things and blessing and God don't want you to be poor. If you claim it you can manifest it. You can hear sermon after sermon saying your monetary breakthrough is coming if you keep your faith and even tithe regularly. Prosperity gospel tells people they can have their heart's desires/wants and as a child of God they are meant to prosper. God wouldn't bless the rest of the world with monetary blessing and not bless his children the same way. BAD TEACHING. Is it then a sin to pray for wealth? No. The money itself is not evil it is the person's heart that can sin with wealth and desires for wealth or it's appearance.

Jesus taught in the New Testament of the Bible that silver and gold corrodes, it is the condition of the heart, not material things that matter. But you may say the Bible says God gives you the desires of your heart. Yes. It does say that in the Old Testament but there is always a condition when the Lord says I will give or do for you. Read this:

Psalm 37:1-8 "Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong, for like the grass will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he WILL DO THIS: 

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads to evil."

The Hebrew definition of the word delight (in Hebrew an-nag meaning to be delicate or feminine) carrying the meaning to be pliable or sensitive, or in this context to be dependent on God and to derive one's pleasure from Him. We are clearly told what the desires (In Hebrew it's mishalot to ask or request something) of our hearts should be and it is not money. The promise of giving you the desires of your heart is SANDWHICHED in between DON'T FRET about people around you who are doing evil and are successful. God said he will give us justice and let others see how we live righteously (the quality of being morally right or justifiable). In essence the Lord is saying the good guy is not going to finish last which it seems the Psalmist's heart was troubled by and he was told not to fret twice by God.  

So where your heart is shows up as where your money is and your relationship with money. People are dating now asking the infamous question, "What are you bringing to the table?" People want to be a power couple with money and influence. Online love scams are rampant as well as other scams. As soon as there is a natural disaster my phone blows up with spam calls asking for money for the cause from scammers. Love and commitment are taking a backseat to a business deal type of marriage where money is the main drawing factor. 

I decided to do this post due to the economic stress America is in at the moment. Inflation has many choosing to buy groceries, or gas, or pay the rent each month. People are going to bed hungry. Violence due to poverty is rising. 

I raised my children to live by what the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippians in the New Testament Bible:

"Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received, or heard from me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" Philippians 4:6-12

   

How to Fashion Style a Recession

 

Attention fashion and style bloggers did you know this theory/fact?

My mind started to reach a foggy fact I had heard somewhere at some time about the economy having an effect on whether women wore the hemline of their skirts or dresses longer or shorter depending on the economic climate.

The news article, I was trying to remember, if memory serves me correctly, stated that dress length/economy correlation was first propounded by US economist George Taylor in the 1920s.


During the Great Depression, hemlines reached as far as the ankles

Taylor argued that women wore shorter skirts in boom times because they could afford expensive silk stockings and wanted to show them off. During a recession, however, the skirts grew longer, because the women couldn’t afford stockings and wanted to hide the fact that they weren’t wearing any.

The story said Taylor’s theory had been surprisingly accurate. In the 1920s, 1960s and 1980s, which were boom times in the US, hemlines rose. On the other hand, they reached down as far as the ankles during the Great Depression.

The stock market’s measure of consumer confidence has far-reaching implications. Fashions, such as women’s hem lines, tend to follow the market (high hem lines and high stock prices imply confidence in various areas of life). Movies such as the gangster movies of the 1930s, Godfather style movies of the 1960s, and Batman or Darkman in 1990, follow the stock market contractions of the same periods. Financial indicators such as home construction and buying, auto and major appliance purchases, vacations, etc. all follow the stock market cycles, and in fact stock market trends measure the confidence and psychological attitudes of peoples (including those who are not investors), and thus provides a convenient and concurrent mathematical measure of attitudes and a wide range of economic, political, and societal events.


So, with all of the economic turmoil going on in America these days, will we see longer dresses on an everyday basis? We have already poked fun at Target for its prairie looking dresses offered to their consumer. And with goods not reaching stores due to lack of workers to off load them at ports, the selection of clothes to purchase has dwindled in stores. I have noticed the change and rearrangement of store floorplans in an effort to camouflage the lack of selection of clothes. 

Add the addition of masks to style and fewer people working and socializing, has fashion taken a downward turn along with hemlines?

In 2008 this was the question on the mind of almost all fashion designers. What will women want to wear during our economic downturn? 

This is what fashion had to say about the rise and fall of hemlines, "The oldest adage about fashion and the economy is that hemlines rise and fall with the stock market. In the boom times of the 20s and the 60s, skirts were short; in the 30s and 40s, they fell. Except that, on closer inspection, even this most famous theory fails to hold water. During the wartime years, arguably the period of greatest privation in modern history, hemlines were shorter than before or after the war; in the recession of the early 90s, hemlines fell. We cannot rely on skirt length alone to track the economy through fashion."

After 9/11, upscale New York boutiques reported a surge in demand for lower-heeled shoes: on the shopfloor, they said, women were explaining they wanted shoes they could run in if necessary. The financial crisis has not had the same effect: "heel heights have been rising steadily for several years, and look set to continue their skyward trajectory next season."


Betty Jackson keeps it simple. Illustration: Betty Jackson, "a downbeat stock market is not necessarily reflected in downbeat clothes."

Indeed, according to fashion historian Valerie Steele, "this whole idea that fashion is a 'reflection' of the economy is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say that fashion and art are as much a part of living history as the economy is." What happens on Wall Street, says Steele, "is mediated through the manners and mores of the time before influencing the fashion aesthetic. In the 60s, for instance, what impacted fashion was not so much a booming economy as "the anti-conventional youth movement" which flourished in a booming economy.

The hemlines theory was invented back in the 1920s. But it just doesn't hold up. Take the 20s - hemlines actually began to fall in 1927, two years before the crash. They were falling by 1969, two years before the downturn of 1971," says Steele. 

In many cases, fashion designers appear to have an ability to read the writing on the wall, without waiting for the newspaper headlines. Between 1936 and 1939 fashion began to pick up on the rumble of warmongering, with military-inspired square shoulders teamed with lower heels. Even nightgowns sported three-inch shoulder pads. At other times, we may misinterpret clothes in retrospect in the light of world events. Christian Dior is usually credited with grasping the mood of the moment with his joyous, full-skirted Corolle collection of 1947, which launched Dior's New Look - but in 1939, before the outbreak of war, the Paris collections of Chanel and Mainbocher were both modelled on a full skirt and a wasp waist. With the war came a dampener on fashion, and the trend did not catch on until Dior revisited it.

Rosemary Harden, curator of the Fashion Museum in Bath, agrees that the notion of a catwalk aesthetic which straightforwardly reflects the economy "feels quite glib. It's much more complex than that, and I think it's important to unpack it a bit. The 20s and 60s were a time not just of boom but of liberation. The short skirts of the 20s were driven as much by the rise of sportswear as by the stock market. The sense of liberation cut across the social spectrum - there are photos of my grandma in south-east London wearing short, knitted skirts. The 20s, like the 60s, was a time of opportunity, a time of people not feeling shackled. Opportunity led to newness and experimentation. It is connected to a buoyant economy, but the link is not as direct as people imagine."

Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys department store in New York and author of the memoir Beautiful People, is rather blunter. The notion of fashion design reflecting the economic mood is "a total fallacy. Fashion people live in a creative hermetic bubble and are rarely so tuned in to the political or financial vicissitudes of the world. The idea that they might have a Dr Strangelove conclave where they confer about hemlines and the economy is hilarious." Nonetheless, he says, "there is one certainty about recession, which is that fashionistas will buy less - by which I mean one pair of Louboutins instead of three."

It seems we are in tune with Doonan, whose advice to customers "is always to dress up rather than down, in tough times. You owe it to your pals, family and colleagues to present yourself in an optimistic and fabulous way. Remember what Quentin Crisp said? 'When war broke out, I bought five pounds of henna.' "

So, there you have it. Women will do what they want to do when it comes to fashion. Whether the hemlines grow longer or get shorter; the point will always be - to look fabulous.