What is the ACTUAL meaning of ‘Affordable’?

by Chloe Graham

Can the word ‘affordable’ mean the same thing from around the world? What is the actual meaning of affordable?

Affordable means inexpensive or reasonably priced according to the dictionary. Now by taking this knowledge let's put the word ‘affordable’ in the context of a new clothing brand Parallel Apparel created by the social media superstars and Youtube creators Alisha Marie and her sister Ashley Marie.

In the lead up to the launch of their brand new apparel line, Alisha Marie mentions that the line would be ‘Affordable’. Everyone was excited and pumped to see what the sisters would come out with yet were their expectations too high?

I too was excited to see the launch especially since we have to see the success of Alisha’s own merch line and her podcast merch do so well, I was sure that they couldn’t mess up with this and would create something amazing.

I cannot express how disappointed I was…

And I wasn’t alone.

The clothes were simple. Now not that trendy simple. Just plain old simple. White and black shirts and jumpers with no logo. No print. Nothing special to make it worth the high price.

£55 for a plain white t-shirt.

£118 for a pair of sweatpants.

Do these seem affordable to you? I could go to Primark and get the same products for more than halve the price. Yes, the girls mention that the products are all made from sustainable products and high quality fabrics that bump up the price but you cannot advertise this brand as affordable, especially having products over £100.

Now was Alisha Marie meaning affordable for the place she was living in - Los Angeles? Well maybe but most of her followers can’t even dream of living there. Would you call this a scam?