At what age did you start worrying about "brands"

Brands became important to me in 6th and 7th grade. In elementary school I didn't need name brand shoes. I liked my keds with the little charms on them. By middle school everyone was into stores like GAP and Aeropostale. When my town got an Old Navy we all went bananas just to have t-shirts and jeans. I think middle school is a decent age - thats when you're starting to come into yourself. My daughter (age 6) loves Sketchers (Twinkle Toes and her Bella Ballarina's) but I completly blame that on Nikelodeon commercials.

lol well my fiance will be getting her the darned things. He thinks it's important for her self esteem.

I think this is a LONG road ahead! lol

You need to tell him that you get self esteem through what you personally achieve and not through what is given to you. If he wants to book her self-esteem, have her do something to earn the Sketchers. Small, age-appropriate chores for a couple weeks or something.

I also agree with the post above mine.

I have never thought twice about brand names. Growing up I had Plain Pocket Jeans, Converse was the real only gym shoe until the late 70's and I got a pair from K-Mart that were Blue with 3 white stripes and the toe and heel wrapped up. Don't even remember their name..so I guess even today I don't look for a name only comfort.

When I was growing up it was all about having a fresh pair of J's (Jordans) I think I was about 8 or so

Sketchers have got to be doing something right with their advertising! My son was 2 begging me for z straps. A couple years later it was some horrendous neon green and white light ups aka the ugliest shoes I have ever seen! My son is now 11 and I haven't heard him mention sketchers in a few years thank God. But instead, I get to hear my sweet daughter go all ape over twinkle toes! She is 5. The commercials are definitely working! We found some shoes with sequins on the toes and sparkly hearts on the back at a thrift store- told her they were twinkle-y toes and she loved them! She was 4 at that time.

Now all I hear about is dream lights, magic slushie makers and whatever commercial she has memorized and obbsessed with.

I remember starting to care about brand probably around age 12. All I wanted for my 13th birthday was a pair of Nikes. My only present was the cheapest pair of Nikes in the store. I wore them untill they fell apart. By then, I started babysitting and earning my own money to buy my own brands if I wanted.

I never worried about brands. That's for suckers!

Its all marketing to the kids, and to the adults, to get you to buy certain brands, its all about the money, and at 53 I have never really worried about brands, except maybe Apple! : )

I don't remember what age I was....but I knew we didn't have the money for the brands I wanted anyway, so I never worried about them too much.

My son (age 6) though, wanted sketchers last year while in Kindegarten. It's all friend-influenced though. He really could care less, other than the fact that his friends have them and they look cool. Now one of his friends in day care has Nikes and he wants those. I'll probably get him some just for the fact that I think they'll actually last longer than a month!

It was in about 5th or 6th grade for me, which slowly faded by Junior year in high school.

Once it faded I avoided anything that 'everyone else was doing' at all costs. It annoyed me how people did that, and still does.

My son is 6 and hasn't started that yet; I'm hoping since he's a boy it won't be 'as bad' but I'm still expecting it to some degree.

I remember when I was 10 I was always made fun of for not having Nike's, Dr. Martens and those Teva sandles, lol. We couldn't afford that stuff, so it bothered me on some level I guess. More so, it was a style thing and not a brand name thing, an example was; when I was 6 all the girls wore those leggings with the lace on the bottom and 2 tiered skirts - I remember wanting them sooooo bad. Lol, yuck the early '90's were gross lol.

I remember caring in Jr High, but I didn't have the option to wear them unless I bought them myself. Sooo... when I had kids and they started the 'brand' thing, I told them that I would give them the money for a 'regular' priced item, say at J C Penney's and they would earn the money for the difference. Every one of them took me up on it. It worked like a charm for all 3 kids, they manage their money well and none of them are hung up on what other people think about what they wear. They care if THEY like their clothes and that's the way it should be. I taught them that the kind of person they are is more important, they respect me for that and are passing it on to their kids.

I buy stuff that fits a certain way, and if there IS a label on it - at least one visible to someone other than me when I'm wearing it, I will usually cut them off. I also don't wear t-shirts with logos or anything like that.

I already bought the product. I'm not going to advertise it for you also.

10 was it for me.. but the tv programs these kids! My daughter is 5 and begs me for Sketchers too!

I'm 27 and I still don't care about brands. I buy clothes that I like and that I can afford, which consists mostly of Walmart, Target, Goodwill, and the occasional splurge pair of shoes. I was raised on a farm and I still live in an area that's fairly rural, and while I hate it sometimes, one good thing about it is that people don't give 2 ****s about brand name clothes.

But I think that has been ingrained in me so much that I could move anywhere and still not care about it. I hope my kids end up the same way...