Below are my thoughts about your statement
"I'll Admit to it. We have been lead into a false sense of security that if we buy the most expensive brands we are instantaneously safe from the cruel remarks of the people around us. That our reputation is increased. "
People should take a mental inventory of the people whose opinion matters to them. Your self perception should not be based on the opinion of what a stranger thinks or what someone who only knows a fraction of you thinks. You can spend your whole life trying to gain a favorable opinion from others and before you know it you hate yourself more and more because there is no longer you, just an illusion of you that you created. Be something more than what others want you to be be what you want to be.
RE: Materialism...