Are you in need of another Arizona Wildcats t-shirt? The University of Arizona Bookstores and local Wal-marts are no longer the only places to find one. Wherever you are in the world, you can now order University of Arizona clothing on the Victoria’s Secret Web site (I apologize to the male audience, unless you’re petite and unrepentant Victoria’s Secret shoppers).

Victoria’s Secret now carries more than just lingerie. Victoria’s Secret PINK clothing line recently started branding their t-shirts and sweaters with university logos and mascots, and the UA is one of the college names plastered on Victoria’s Secret clothing. The UA is among 36 universities that Victoria’s Secret PINK has chosen to be a part of the Pink Collegiate Collection, and girls have jumped through many hoops to convince Victoria’s Secret to print their college names on the behinds of their panties.

In order for a college to join the elite Victoria’s Secret establishment, students must nominate their schools on the Victoria’s Secret PINK website. The universities with the most votes are considered, and within a month, that university will be advertised on an overpriced pink sweatshirt in the PINK section of the store. Texas Tech University tops the list of 25 prospective schools with over 5,200,000 votes.

Other students have joined and created Facebook.com groups to promote the Pink Collegiate Collection awareness so uninformed girls will vote for their universities online. The UA has three PINK Campus Brand Representatives, all of which run the Facebook.com group and organized a “”Design a Tee”” contest in mid-January. UA collegiate clothes will also be sold on the mall next month.

The University of Arizona Bookstores offer the Victoria’s Secret PINK merchandise, but I’m still uncertain as to why anyone would purchase this clothing from an outside company that blatantly and shamelessly over charges. To buy a tiny hot pink tie-dyed UA Wildcats t-shirt, you’ll have to pay $39.50. Two pairs of Victoria’s Secret PINK Arizona underwear cost $29.50. A UA zip-up hoodie is $54.50. There are absolutely no discounts on Victoria’s Secret PINK items, and this sparked confusion and turmoil at the beginning of the semester when BIG Cat Friday advertised 25% discounts on all UA clothing. According to a U of A Bookstore employee, a lot of girls got the 25 percent bargain on the PINK clothing line until a Victoria’s Secret representative found out and clarified that the Victoria’s Secret collection is exempt from all discounts.

I’ve always believed that clothes are the biggest waste of money because they’re priced much higher than their actual value, and they’re utterly worthless when death approaches. It’s already sickening that superficial consumers justify their expensive designer wardrobes when some people can’t afford enough clothes for survival. The PINK clothes may be trendy and bright, but they’re highly unnecessary expenses, especially since both men and women can easily find gender-neutral university clothes at their own college bookstore, and for a much cheaper price.

A lot of people complain about how expensive university clothing already is, so why spend more on the Victoria’s Secret version? There’s no reason to pay more than $40 for a thin cotton shirt that is going to shrink, shrivel, and fade after one wash.

Instead of spending nearly $60 on the Victoria’s Secret UA pullover hoodie, invest in the new $22 Arizona Wildcats hoodie on display right in front of the Victoria’s Secret collection. There’s also a $6 t-shirt for sale on BIG Cat Fridays. The bookstore apparel is geared toward men and women, and half the clothes are reasonably priced.

As the economy declines, it will seem even more embarrassing than usual to indulge in materialism, and even those who like to shop should at least stick to a sensible budget. Shoppers are shopping less. The perfect way to scrap superfluous spending is to purchase clothing with caution, and this isn’t possible while shopping for the Victoria’s Secret PINK version of university apparel.

There are much better UA clothing deals around, so resist the urge and check out the UA Bookstore and Wal-Mart bargains.

– Laura Donovan is a creative writing junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.