What is “Flexing”? And Why You Shouldn’t

We Share What We Want Others To Think About Us

Do we always need to share what we’re doing? Why do some people only show the nice parts of their lives? Are they immune to shitty days? Or could it be we’re lying to ourselves thinking we need to prove our existence to our friends.

Studies have shown that when we’re down on ourselves we’re more likely to buy luxury goods. In Martin Lindstrom’s Brandwashed, he references how kids with lower self esteem will rely more on brand names than kids with a higher self esteem. Lindstrom sums it up in the book with: “the larger the logo on the clothing, the lower the self esteem”.

It Always Comes Back To Attracting The Opposite Sex

From the book Spent the author says all consumerism can be traced back to the root cause of trying to attract a mate. If you think about it, pop culture, fashion and any new trend is about portraying ourselves as better than others and more attractive to potential mates.

Just how it got it’s name, “signaling”(pronounced “flexing”) is doing something in public that makes people think about you in a certain way. Generally conveying status, people signal others in hopes of convincing them of something.

This is why brand name clothing will always be popular. It’s a way to signal I have money! (even if you don’t and spend a large portion on hype beast gear). This is why people who never share on social media regularly go on vacation and post every day.