The Philosophy and Psychology of Luxury
Understanding what the term means should help you define what it means for yourself and how you can achieve it – in your terms, of course.
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘luxury’?
You might immediately associate it with items or possessions, having access to them or simply being around them. You’re not all that off-the-mark. In his book A Philosophy of Luxury, Lambert Wiesing argues that luxury is an aesthetic experience.
However, unlike experience gained via the senses, he posits that that luxury is achieved by possessing something, in the process turning it into “a gesture of individual defiance and a refusal to conform to social expectations of restraint”.
Meanwhile, the late Italian journalist Franca Sozzani once wrote that luxury is “research, the chance to experience new routes, to find new and not predictable or already seen solutions.” She deduced that experimenting itself is a luxury, since it could cost a fortune to do so.
In an economic sense, however, the definition becomes more clean-cut: luxury centers around an idea of exclusivity, the feeling that not everyone will be able to get their hands on or experience whatever it is being sold.
Then again, an increasingly rational and goal-oriented ethos in society makes the appeal of luxury grow even stronger.
But is it necessarily a bad thing to yearn for luxury?
Studies have shown that the appeal of luxury is primarily psychological, that emotion is more often than not the key driver that makes individuals opt for luxury, whatever that term means and is manifested for themselves.
Consumer psychologist Peter Noel Murray Ph.D. breaks down what he calls the “emotional end-benefits” of possessing luxury into two key factors: Who I Am and How I Feel.
“Who I Am” primarily deals with the concept of self and provides the main motivation that leads to the consumption of luxury.
Meanwhile, “How I Feel” indicates how the consumer experiences trust, security, contentment, and confidence when accessing said luxury, which is then deemed as authentic and timeless.
Coincidentally, these are the exact things that Everything To Sea wants to make you feel. We understand that it takes planning to be on board with us, particularly in these times with travel regulations and the likes.
In a world where being who we are and loving who we love is often a challenge in and of itself, Everything To Sea aims to provide more than just a respite; we would like to offer you – you guessed it – luxury.
What kind of luxury might that be? It’s the luxury to take some time out from the harshness of our world, to be in the presence of other men from around the world, surrounded by the astonishing beauty of nature and the irresistible delicacy of Indonesian food.
More specifically, Everything To Sea wants you to partake in male nudism and naturism in a safe, judgement-free environment, where you can just come as you are and be yourself at its most literal, natural and authentic form.
Now that’s a luxury that simply cannot be bought.