“I want”, “I need”, “I must have” are the three phrases heard a little more than seldom from your typical American teenager. It seems that every adolescent these days aspires to have designer clothes, drive luxurious cars and live lives similar to the rich kids on Gossip Girl or The Hills. Their unrealistic demands often leave parents shaking their heads in dismay, while hiding their wallets in fear from their sons’ and daughters’ greedy hands. Much more often than not, teens cannot afford the luxurious goods they aspire to possess, but they are, nevertheless, constantly bombarded with messages to buy more, more, more.

Walking into Abercrombie & Fitch, there are full height posters of guys with abs of steel playing football, of girls with perfect smiles and legs giggling happily on a park bench, of young couples gazing flirtatiously at each other, all the while wearing A&F dresses and polos. The breezy, carefree lifestyle that is seemingly achieved simply by putting on a right pair of pants is only ninety dollars away. A price that is never too high to pay in a pursuit of a teenage happiness.

Part time jobs, as a general rule, don’t pay for Gucci handbags and flashy Maseratis. In fact, to even buy a shirt from a respectable designer, it often takes most of the weekly salary of an average teenager to pay for it. Meanwhile, Blake Lively from Gossip Girls prances around on TV, wearing a $2400 dress that you will never see her wear again. The culture of consumerism is tried and true here - show them how they could be living, and they will never stop thinking about it. Is it really that big of a shock, then, when a sixteen year old girl asks her mother for a pair of Marc Jacobs shades, so she could be just a little more like Blake, or Miley, or Lindsay? If young celebrities, often armed with dubious talent and huge paychecks, can afford everything, then why can’t an average teenager?

To be a teen these days often means living a life without having most of the adult responsibilities. Sure, it is not all that easy growing up with peer pressure and parental guidance that often feels more like suffocation. Nevertheless, it is a life without worrying about electric bills and car repairs and credit card statements. Then, it becomes difficult to correctly evaluate all the expenditures that weigh down on the parents of the teens. Young people wrinkle their noses when their parents say no to a self-indulgent purchase request. “Why can’t you buy this for me? Stacy has had one already since January!” they whine and hope that, somehow, their plea will be reconsidered.

Adding to the pressure of programs on television is the urge to fit in school. Somehow, the thought that they will become the coolest guy or girl in school if they show up wearing the latest trend in fashion perpetuates a teenager’s mind. If Zack, the star-studded athlete, wears his brand new Nikes and girls swoon over him, who is to say that those Nikes don’t become a symbol of popularity, at least in the less popular onlooker’s eyes.

Peer pressure has always been and will remain tremendously relevant, for as long as there are teenagers in the world. Growing up and maturing, while still remaining under an intense parental watch, teenagers feel the need to exercise their freedom of choice in the only way they know how - by wearing certain clothes and living a certain lifestyle, whether or not that lifestyle is supported by their old folks. Goths, preps, emos, hipsters, nerds all have their niches to fill in the social pyramid of teenage-hood. The societal relevance is declared by either complete acceptance of materialistic goods or the outright denial of them (at least on the surface).

With little surprise, then, comes a study from the University of Minnesota, directly linking materialism in young people and its direct correlation to their self-esteem. The findings show that levels of self-esteem are related to the levels of desire to spend, in teenagers. In other words, in a teen’s self-esteem is high enough, he or she is less likely to compensate for perceived inadequacies with material goods.

To take this notion a step farther, it is worthwhile to say that it doesn’t mean that all teenage consumers lack self-confidence and are, therefore, shopping to feel better about themselves. Consumerism has always been a huge part of our society and, on one level or another, everyone has felt the urge to buy something to outdo the next door neighbors, to keep up with the Joneses. To say that this behavior is restricted to teenagers would, thus, not only be inacurate, but absurd.

Adults have the advantage over the teenagers in this department, however, in that they have more life experience and more years on this planet under their belt. They realize the need between want and need and, for the most part, know when to say no to an unnecessary purchase. It is those decisions, after all, that keep responsible adults living debt-free lives. Teens, on the other hand, are not yet familiar with those responsibilities. Moreover, teenagers are very much hormonally driven and are experiencing many things in their lives for the first time. To say that they are not feeling the pressure to shop that is tenfold that of their parents is an understatement. When everyone is wearing Hollister at school, it is a matter of life and death, or rather, popularity and ostracism.

There is no way to live a life void of consumerism, as our society will continue to thrive on this lifestyle for many more years to come. There is also nothing wrong with wanting to buy expensive things, or wanting to live a certain lifestyle. After all, this is the drive that keeps most of us going on to college, working hard toward a promotion and saving up for a retirement. It is our responsibility as adults, however, to show our children, or our younger brothers and sisters that materialism is not an end to all means. It is not, nor ever will be, an answer to all of the problems. The difference between wanting and needing can be blurred so easily that it is, ultimately, up to us to know and not forget the difference between the two and teach that to those who look up to us, teenagers or not.