Minnesota University research suggests women buy luxury goods to ward off rivals Hermes Birkin Handbag. Could that Fendi bags be fending off romantic rivals? And what statement is that Birkin bag really making - perhaps a pronounced "back off"? That's the suggestion of new study of women and luxury goods just published in the Journal of Consumer Research. University of Minnesota researchers Yajin Wang and Vladas Griskevicius set out to explore why women desire luxury goods - a market worth US$525 billion per year alone. Sometimes, the researchers concluded, it's because they want other women to know their mates are spoken for. In a series of experiments, the researchers activated women's motivation to guard their relationships by having them imagine their romantic partners being flirtatious and intimate with another woman at a party. Then they assessed participants' desires for luxury products. "In one study, the women participants even physically drew luxury brand logos on handbags, shoes, T-shirts, and cars that were about twice the size compared to those who did not imagine the jealous theme at the party," the authors explain. Whereas men often display luxury products to the opposite sex, women often seek to flaunt expensive possessions to the same sex. But it's not just about "mate guarding" when it comes to that Fendi bag. The authors state that a woman might purchase a luxury item to make herself happy or to signal her status and taste. The authors found that women indicated they would be less likely to pursue a man whose partner was wearing a luxury outfit and accessories. "Women at different ages and relationship status inferred that a woman with designer out its and accessories has a more devoted partner," the authors stated. They also spontaneously inferred the partner financially contributed to these luxurious possessions. Such information is especially valuable when their relationship is threatened by another woman.