Find Your Paradise

This man sits outside the window of a Neiman Marcus on Michigan Avenue (dubbed the “Magnificent Mile”) in Chicago, Illinois. While this particular street in Chicago serves as a destination for the rich to indulge in shopping, fine dining, and the likes, the area is also densely populated by the unhoused. Many reviews online contain complaints about the amount of people on the streets, with some labelling them as “fake homeless” or “beggars” that “ruin the entire experience”. These reviews online, coupled with the way we noticed the unhoused were being treated, perfectly demonstrates how the negative stigma surrounding homelessness is extended to this city and particular neighborhood. The sign displayed in the window says “find your paradise”, while so many people ironically experience the complete opposite mere feet away. This image encapsulates the stark contrast between brands exemplifying luxury consumerism for the wealthy in America versus the grim reality for half a million of its less fortunate population.