Middle class identifiers 2022

[Pullandpush]

I read a similar thread a few years ago & the main middle class markers were hummus, organic food, private education, boden, ski trips etc, farrow & ball..
Are these unchanged for 2022 or have the identifiers shifted?
Since the pandemic I've seen a rise in the "hipster" style MC especially the men, maybe the working from home has allowed them to relax into the unshaven, casual look which wasn't there a few years ago...
Private education seems to be on the wane but that may be due to the cost of living..
Any other main MC identifiers I missed?

Saints! I tell you all MC people should gets medals cause they are bloody amazing, aren't they? We should make all people middle class, we'd have no problems in the world, maybe a few over entitled people but hey we can live with that - someone tell the politicians, quick!😂

@Worldgonecrazy I think with clothes there are a few different groups within the generally MC types. One is quite traditional and would be brands like Boden, Joules, generally quite colourful, quite often florals for women and girls. Peter pan collars on kids.

Another type is what I'd call the enviro-MC and the kids are often in second hand clothing (but still not bright logos or characters, ha) but it is often scandi brands, maybe Frugi, maybe a bit outdoorsy.

Then I think a third type is the more fashion-conscious MC (but obviously not mainstream), very edgy and on-trend, more urban, I don't even know all of the brands that are in right now for adults but the kids wear more muted colours, stuff from small independent instagram shops, bloomers, etc. This sort are still often quite eco-conscious and buy second hand etc but they are less likely to be 'mother earth' types than the Frugi/bright scandi tribe above.

All three are MC. The top are more likely to have traditional jobs like lawyers. The middle group I find are ironically actually not always that well off, maybe because they have quit work to home school, or maybe don't even come from particularly wealthy backgrounds initially. The last group is what I aspire to look like, but mainly fail :-D

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats what if you use the spare space in your home for a cinema, library and music room?

These threads always contradict themselves. As a 2nd gen immigrant it's a very English thing to be obsessed with class.

it’s just an obligatory part of being the sort of insecure person who only feels comfortable if they can make all sorts of assumptions about others based on obvious external markers and not have to take the risk of finding out, or make the effort to find out, what they are really like.

God alive. Cut people in Veja trainers some slack.

People generally ( not always ) dress like their mates and huddle in like minded groups. Nothing new there.

Some posters on here sound like you'll catch something just by discussing this stuff.

Also, the white company

@Walkaround I don’t think having different classes is particularly healthy! But seeing as we do live in a society with different classes (and massive inequalities when it comes to wealth, housing etc) I think it’s important to acknowledge and understand the differences between the classes.

For example to understand why WC kids are struggling to thrive in certain universities or careers you need to understand the challenges they face and what needs to be changed. See the mentions of cultural capital and networking that have come up repeatedly in this thread! Pretending that class doesn’t matter or that it is irrelevant does a disservice to lots of people and means the system doesn’t change and the status quo is maintained.

I agree with @Trafficjamlog. I arranged for two placements for a work colleague's son who wasn't sure whether he wanted to be an accountant or an engineer. I called someone I knew in each company and then their HR took over with the arrangements.

Pretending that class doesn’t matter or that it is irrelevant does a disservice to lots of people and means the system doesn’t change and the status quo is maintained.

I agree. It's in he same bucket as "But I just don't see colour. Humans are all the same to me."

Who pissed on your cornflakes (or should I say organic locally sourced muesli?)?

Jo Malone stuff used to be decent. No longer, and not for a a few years now - I much prefer a little local company now for handmade candles.

The shoes on/off thing is funny. We work from home and constantly in and out to chickens, garden, etc. It would be bizarre to put on shoes to stay at home. It's big thick socks inside and our wellies by the backdoor!

Whether or not it is harmless goes back to the questions: what is the purpose of social class; and what use are you planning to make of your attempts to categorise different groups of “mates” into social classes? It can be, and frequently is done, for catty, judgemental or hostile reasons, to limit mixing of people by social class, and to retain perceived hierarchies. Are you trying to say all the middle classes are like minded? Why crowbar groups of mates into the same social class? In what way is it harmless? Does class have nothing to do with power and influence, whether cultural, political, or anything else?

😁

The shoes on/off thing is funny. We work from home and constantly in and out to chickens, garden, etc. It would be bizarre to put on shoes to stay at home. It's big thick socks inside and our wellies by the backdoor!

The question is would you be uncomfortable if a guest kept their shoes on? Or uncomfortable if a guest took their shoes off?

Good point

People who claim class doesn't matter really piss me off actually. Class is largely about your social status and level of wealth (or deprivation), and those things have a massive impact on your chances of a healthy/happy life. Social mobility is low in the UK, so changing class is the exception, not the norm.

A woman who lives in the 10% least deprived areas of the England (I.e. MC / UC) will, on average, live 7.7 years longer than her deprived counterparts, and will enjoy 19.8 more years of good health. In Scotland, the same figures are 10 years and 21.5 years respectively. A woman born in the 10% most deprived areas of Scotland will have a health life expectancy of just 50.1 years of age.

That's not a trivial difference to be glossed over or dismissed.

Whilst my previous posts were v tongue in cheek, I too admit to finding this all fascinating just as people in general are endlessly fascinating. I think that clearly not all MC people are going to share the same tastes in food, clothes, cars, holidays etc, but there are overarching trends that one can recognise. I don't think many of us fit neatly into boxes but it can be fun to recognize traits in yourself and others, and to hear about others' perceptions of MC behaviour.

What I dislike about these threads is the suggestion that one class is better/worse than another or when they descend into personal criticism. In my experience you can find saints and sinners in all classes. I also agree that it's disingenuous to say that class distinctions don't exist.

^ healthy life expectancy that should say

Are you trying to say all the middle classes are like minded? No Why crowbar groups of mates into the same social class? I haven't. In what way is it harmless? I've never said that.Does class have nothing to do with power and influence, whether cultural, political, or anything else?Nope. Not me.

I don't think it is any more or less valid to chat about class signifiers than say anal sex or parking. Doesn't mean I'm 'obsessed' with class or making judgements about class.

@Walkaround

Class is much more about background, behaviour and beliefs than bank balance and belongings.

my dh and I both identify as middle class but actually our backgrounds are completely different. My upbringing was comfortable but not wealthy. Several generations of my family have owned their homes, my grandparents all had skilled/professional service jobs (nursing and police) and both my parents have post graduate degrees. We lived in a standard three bed house, went to state school and owned one car. Both parents work in respected but not the highest paid fields, but both work for the love of it rattler than the money. Education and knowledge was valued over money and possessions. We all learned instruments, did sports, went to church and youth groups. Holidays were unglamorous trips to places of historic interest. We didn’t want for anything, but nothing was had for expensive for the sake of it.

my dh on the other hand is from a working class made good background. His parents grew up poor but his dad entrrrd a high paid field and bought the e big house int he country and sent his son to private school. On paper they appear more middle class than my family, but have less of the culture capital than my family. My dh grew up with expensive cars and holidays, but had none of the extracurricular activities I had. He is well read and interested his history and politics, but that came from his school rather than his family. He would describe himself as middle class with working class roots. Interestingly enough he is less bothered about having an expensive lifestyle than others on his extended family who didn’t have the schooling he had.

I suspect onr of our upbringings would be classed as more mc then the other, but different people would have different different orders.

New middle class are often really those who grew up working class and have done quite well and have got money. They might spend big on middle class labels and cars and holidays. They might be looking at more traditional MC spends such as music lessons, funding kids on a year out studying art history and cultural experiences, but often they aren’t interested in that. There can be a big house with flash new decor but no piano, few books. They don’t have the background that gave them contacts whilst at top unis to meet people who went onto become GPs, solicitors, architects.

totally disagree with this, me and dh grew up working class, him in poverty. Now in the top 1% of earners. I was obsessed with reading when a kid, my parents big readers too. Our home is filled with books. Most of my social circle is like this to, lots of WC made good. Lots of professionals in our circle too, from UC/MC backgrounds and TBH nobody gives a shit where anyone came from

If you are mc or not:

If you suddenly had not a single penny to your name, where would you fall?

A mc person would have enough connections to not only retain a mc lifestyle but easily build again and generate wealth through their connections

- The question is would you be uncomfortable if a guest kept their shoes on? Or uncomfortable if a guest took their shoes off?

Shoes on/off is also cultural though.

This and other messages that seem to suggest that there's a MC 'family line' smack of such unreal classism and superiority. It feels like MC means assuming you know better than others and therefore you should busy yourself with community to transmit those values, that you have a deeply patronising and moralising approach, and your core mode is smugness and 'othering' of those around you that you assume to be legible to you. For example, how the hell do you know that these 'newly rich' people don't value family?!

I agree with this. Established MC families usually have an expectation of an inheritance in their future too, because their family has owned property for at least a couple of generations. All that stuff adds up to give you options, and a cushion which someone from a poor family does not have, even if you temporarily fall on hard times.