People are fretful about lifestyle retailing because the idea that anyone's immortal soul and deepest longings can be quite so readily anticipated and consolidated with several hundred thousand other like-minded types is worrying.
This quote highlights society's unease with the commodification of personal identity and the homogenization of individual desires. It suggests that the commercial categorization and marketing of lifestyles can make authentic self-expression uncomfortable, forcing individuals to fit into predefined molds shared by many others. There's an underlying concern that such mass consolidation diminishes uniqueness and reduces personal dreams to easily marketable products, raising questions about authenticity and the impact of consumer culture on individual autonomy.
---Peter York---
