I was never a socialist, nor do I believe in the practicality of applying socialist ideas in the real world. But it all started with a sushi bill.

A friend and I were out for a quick sushi lunch at one of the high-end places in Heliopolis. We had only ordered about a roll and a half each and the bill came at around LE 700. This is not unordinary for sushi or the first time we had sushi at this place, so we knew exactly what to expect.  But this time, for some reason, was different.

As I handed the waiter the money, all I could think of was: “This guy probably makes slightly more than this amount a month, and here he is having to watch two girls, who are probably younger than he is, spend almost his monthly earnings on a meal consumed in less than half an hour.”

I was ashamed. I was disappointed in myself. I was confused. I simply felt like a spoilt, uncompassionate brat.

I never had an issue with the luxuries of life, I felt money was made to be spent, so long as I help the less fortunate as much as I could. But now I am thinking, if I do pay my dues to society, does that mean it’s okay to spend a person’s monthly earning on a meal? Is it okay to spend a few thousand pounds on a bag just because it bears the logo of a sought after designer?

Mind you, I am not of the filthy rich in the least bit, I come from an upper middle class background and earn a moderate living.

I had my eyes set on a Chanel bag that I am ashamed to mention the cost of. I had wanted this bag for over six years now, one that I can’t afford but that my parents promised to get as my graduation gift once I finish my PhD.

I used to tell myself it’s quality I am paying for whenever I handed over that credit card at the immaculately dressed sales assistant in the expensive-smelling boutique. I used to tell myself that luxury goods last and that made it okay for me to pay a few thousand pounds on a bag.

But overnight, I had an epiphany, one that shouldn’t have taken this long or this much thought, really.

I am all for quality, but is it really quality we’re paying for when buying a designer good? Is it style? In my mind, it’s neither, it is just that little logo that says this bag cost a fortune and I have enough status and style to afford it. Actually, scratch that, it’s got nothing to do with having style at all, really, it’s simply a statement of financial status because we can easily find very similar high street items that cost a friction. This isn’t to say that those carrying designer bags lack style, designer bags are staples for some of the most creative, edgy and trend-setting fashionistas, just as much as it is a staple for many, well, dull-tasted women, to put it politely.

If you ever watched the Gok Clothes RoadShow, where he features outfits put together using high street brands alongside outfits that strut the latest designer artwork, you will know you can be just as stylish wearing H&M garments as you can be wearing Chanel from head to toe

Designers set trends, they manufacture goods that fit just right and drape perfectly. They revolutionize the fashion world and give us all the little quirky trends we fall in love with. I am not undermining designer fashion, and in a perfect world, I would spend fortunes on a designer bag without flinching an eye.

But this is far from a perfect world; in fact, we’re a third world country and there are many other countries even worse off than we are.

After six years of wanting that Chanel bag, which I still think is heavenly and would definitely drool over every time I pass it by, I cannot bring myself to accept spending large sums on a brand name. I cannot accept that, not because it isn’t of superior quality, but because I can’t hush that voice inside me telling me this one bag you will proudly strut can really, in all honesty, feed a family of four for about a year.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not preaching and I am not advocating anything here, if anything, I still am in love with designer bags and will not go burning the ones already in my closet. I am simply sharing my moment of self-scrutiny, a moment that sadly means I cannot get myself to spend on designer bags when I know some women out there are going to jail for owing a couple of thousand pounds for their daughters’ trousseau.