I am a cliché

[ablutiions]

Standing on the service station forecourt doing a few yogic stretches on our drive to holiday, I realised that I'm a cliché:

Middle aged Londoner, heading for a West Country holiday in my small eco friendly(ish) car, wearing a Boden cardi, and 'trendy' mum trainers with a flowery real cotton face mask dangled from my wrist. having eaten sourdough toast for breakfast. Oh, and carrying a chilly water bottle, natch.

And usually I'd be in France, but you know, Covid and all that.

Anyone else a walking cliché?

@MoreCraicPlease

To the Irish posters saying that this is excruciating and wouldn't happen in Ireland, I give you the Dublin 4/Greystones/Howth vibe - kids at private schools or Gaelscoil, wet suits for wild swimming 6 months of the year, Cartier love bracelets for Christmas, racing at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day, rugby and definitely not soccar (GAA increasingly cool), Avoca deliveries etc etc.

Different but the exact same basically.

I agree to an extent. I've family members living that life!

I still think it's way more varied tho. The Greystones / Happy Pear-loving/ Gaelscoil attending family may buy clothes in Penny's / second-hand / Brown Thomas, or go to Wexford to their caravan vs holiday home in Roundstone, play GAA as much as rugby.

There are enough commonalities to make a type, sure (hello, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly!) but way more differences too.

The idea that clothes alone for example, typifies anything just isn't common.

I live in an area of Dublin with a fair share of cliches but nothing like here. And so much of Ireland has nothing at all like that.

I think part of it in Ireland is the lack of a monarchy, the relative rarity of private schools (outside of Dublin) combined with a healthy dose of begrudgery and tall poppy syndrome. The very existence of the monarchy and the political upper class in England depends on mass buy into a social contract, that those people are somehow "better" "more deserving". That is culturally completely alien to Irish people.
Of course there are wankers and clichés in Ireland, just different to the English cliché. So much of the comedy is made up from the clichés, Ross ocarroll Kelly, D'unbelievables, The Snapper etc. I remember watching The Snapper with some American friends and I was in a heap on the floor laughing, they were absolutely baffled 😊

Mythologies I suppose it's easier to grow your own food in most of Southern Europe as well...almost all my relatives in Italy have successful vegetable patches in their gardens, my parents try their best in the UK but don't nearly have as much luck (their fruit always grows well but you can't just live on blueberries!)

My friend who lives in Spain is looking to move and one of blocks of flats she is looking at - each flat has an allocated allotment, how cool is that?

That sounds lovely @Camomila, you've inspired me to sort out my greenhouse now

@JaniieJones

'I can't believe someone has actually written this without shrivelling up in embarrassment. It's unbelievably try hard and toe curling.'

Yes it is all hilarious for the wrong reasons isn't it. I'm flabbergasted at the silly smug stories.

We just need some try hards to pop along tinkly laughing at their collection of tacky designer handbags and the bragathon will be complete.

Gosh, I'm not sure Chanel can be considered tacky...

@Mybalconyiscracking

The thing is, as long as we do these things because we genuinely enjoy them, does it matter? I am proud of being middle class, DH and I work hard for what we have, why shouldn’t we enjoy life? ( 2 ensuites, 2 children, 2 cars, 2 holidays? )

Many people 'work hard' but this doesn't equate to disposable income. You prob work no harder (or maybe less hard) than the cleaner at the hospital or the bus driver who gets constant abuse and threats from passengers. Also why the need to label yourself middle class- why does it make you feel in anyway proud?

I love this thread.

A couple of years ago I was told that DH & myself were 'the most middle class couple in the country' and it was only my northern roots and accent that 'saved me'

This was a tongue in cheek label that was given because both of us worked at 2 organisations that have frequently been mentioned on this thread.

I still work at said 'middle-class' company and am often the voice of reason in meetings saying - I think customers might find that too expensive. I am definitely the only one with a Northern accent.

DH has moved on to a lower perceived brand but it was a promotion but I really do miss the discounts at his old company (sigh)

Yes that is my point really @Regularchoice. There are clichés in Ireland especially in parts of Dublin - just different ones to the UK.
I've lived among both so know them well. Not sure I fitted the mould in either though!

I have some very nice Boden dresses and trousers. Not shapeless at all, good quality and flattering. I’m not a middle class cliches at all though, I don’t fit anywhere really. I think one thing that really signifies Middle Classness is caring sooo hard what other people think, about everything- , and what to be seen to be doing the “ right” things. They are terrified of being told off or judged and stuck religiously to rules as well as the “right” clothes, holidays, cars etc. It seems exhausting.

There are cliches in all classes and cultures I guess.

I think for us middle classes that have improved our circumstances, it's the realisation that you've broken out of one mould - into another.

@ablutiions

Standing on the service station forecourt doing a few yogic stretches on our drive to holiday, I realised that I'm a cliché:

Middle aged Londoner, heading for a West Country holiday in my small eco friendly(ish) car, wearing a Boden cardi, and 'trendy' mum trainers with a flowery real cotton face mask dangled from my wrist. having eaten sourdough toast for breakfast. Oh, and carrying a chilly water bottle, natch.

And usually I'd be in France, but you know, Covid and all that.

Anyone else a walking cliché?

Just buy a ginsters pasty and a cider and neck both when you arrive at your holiday resort and you'll have cancelled it all out

@polka we've just eyed some people eating pasties so are on the lookout for a local seller.

It's a cracking idea, thankyou.

No it has to be ginsters pasties from the actual garage else it doesn't work

Loving all the middle class cliches being sent up here. I'm a different cliche as I'm heading towards being a #1 Fiesty Old woman. The one the kids think is surprising cool, her conversation flirts with straight out rudeness and even more often flirts with flirting! I find myself saying "ooh, young man!" far too often

It's all arbitrary though isn't it? It always amuses me that some people think going to a certain place, wearing a certain brand etc makes them better than someone else. One of my snottiest neighbours does absolutely nothing with her life and yet sneered at our other neighbour, a nurse, for having a couple of ciders in the garden over the summer. I'm assuming if it was expensive wine it would be fine I hate people like this.

I think what I find most disappointing is that the mc cliche is basically still all about stuff - expensive stuff but stuff. What I liked about having money (a while back) was having more options and opportunities for doing things how I wanted. Stuff didn't really feature. For me having money means not having to think about what sofa, car, paint etc etc we have. Studies show that its the mental load of being poor and the added stress which reduces life expectancy. So why waste time in sourced this and then ..... why the mental load when you could just do something interesting

So genuine questions as I've worked in a gym all my life and it's like a different world (given this thread). I'd love to know!

Why do you have to wear Boden and what's so good about it? Everyone seems to go on and on about Boden.

Why is buying local bread/local or organic fruit middle class?

Why do you need Farrow & Ball when another brand would look the same? Or is it genuinely life changing quality?

What's with the coffee machines, is there a pecking order of brands?

Where do you 'have' to go on holiday and what is the purpose of that?

What's the thing about different breads?

Why the specific fitness brands if they don't give you more support than most you can buy anywhere?

I remember people going on and on about Jo Malone candles. Is that still a big thing too?

It's to give boring folk something to talk about.

I make fun of Boden, but part of the original attraction back in the early 2000s was that it was one place you could get brightly coloured, fun kids’ clothes in nice fabrics, primary colours and patterns that was different to the very gendered pink or blue high street. So you could get a pink T-shirt with a puppy on it for your son or a shark dress for your daughter in primary colours that looked like actual kids’ clothes, not mini adult outfits. That’s less of a problem now that there’s much more diversity in childrenswear brands these days ( - though when I see some brands which are marketing crop tops and booty shorts to preschoolers I don’t mind Boden so much!)

Same with the popularity of brands like Little Bird - lots of people like them because they are proper kids’ clothes, not too fashion-led by trends and a bit retro. They’re selling a lifestyle too - anyone remember the old Boden catalogues where the models would have little speech bubbles about their favourite colours and meals and places to holiday and so on? 😂🤦‍♀️😭

But yes, it has become a complete cliche! I used to buy more from them until they hiked the prices up to be “aspirational”. They do sell a certain kind of look, but it’s part nostalgic part “banker chic” 😂

The founder is Johnnie Boden, Eton and Oxford educated, former member of the Bullingdon club, and friend of the Camerons.
I never bought the stuff thinking I would be contributing to Tory party coffers.

@Polkadots2021

So genuine questions as I've worked in a gym all my life and it's like a different world (given this thread). I'd love to know!

Why do you have to wear Boden and what's so good about it? Everyone seems to go on and on about Boden.

Why is buying local bread/local or organic fruit middle class?

Why do you need Farrow & Ball when another brand would look the same? Or is it genuinely life changing quality?

What's with the coffee machines, is there a pecking order of brands?

Where do you 'have' to go on holiday and what is the purpose of that?

What's the thing about different breads?

Why the specific fitness brands if they don't give you more support than most you can buy anywhere?

I remember people going on and on about Jo Malone candles. Is that still a big thing too?

All because they need everyone else to know that they're wearing, buying, using these brands. They want you to know they can afford it and are therefore superior to your Tesco leggings and tshrit gym gear, your Wilko paint and your Kingsmill loaf.

To them, there's no point having these things if they can't tell everyone about it.

I can't imagine being so insecure in who you are that you need to constantly try and prove how much better you are than others. It must be exhausting.

I’d never heard of Boden unti Mumsnet effusing about it.They don’t have shops do they?

@Polkadots2021

So genuine questions as I've worked in a gym all my life and it's like a different world (given this thread). I'd love to know!

Why do you have to wear Boden and what's so good about it? Everyone seems to go on and on about Boden.

Why is buying local bread/local or organic fruit middle class?

Why do you need Farrow & Ball when another brand would look the same? Or is it genuinely life changing quality?

What's with the coffee machines, is there a pecking order of brands?

Where do you 'have' to go on holiday and what is the purpose of that?

What's the thing about different breads?

Why the specific fitness brands if they don't give you more support than most you can buy anywhere?

I remember people going on and on about Jo Malone candles. Is that still a big thing too?

Can’t answer most of these but Farrow & Ball is actually really shit….but it’s £80 a tin shit.

I got given some - wouldn’t dream of wasting £80 on a tin of paint - and it was genuinely the thinnest paint id ever dealt with!

Get dulux-it’s much better.

Dulux trade paint is good quality

There’s a lot of bollocks about F&B changing in different lights like it’s got some kind of mystical quality. At the end of the day, once you've painted a wall you never really look at it again. Apparently professional decorators hate it with a passion and charge a premium for using it.