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?

I agree with this, it's all down to money... Many well known property developers become society royalty e.g the Trump's, the Hiltons & the Italian guy with the society daughter Irene Forte they are all self made & in the upper echelons of society...

His name is Rocco Forte, his daughters went to an English private school

@Pullandpush Irene is so elegant and stunning. Slightly off topic but she’s someone you could pick out as rich / posh / umc by looking at her!

Relative. Generation 1. Illegitimate son b1922 to working class parents. Shotgun wedding at 16 to pregnant w/c girlfriend. Given deposit for house by father and in laws. Became massively successful, was a millionaire by 1960. So, wealthy but aspirational working class.

Generation 2. Their 2 children. Privately educated, ponies, etc, lived in gated community in prime SE commuter green belt detached house. Both married 'well' into property and finance. Definitely middle class.

Generation 3. As G2 but more upmarket, wealthier. Tax havens and Barbados. 2 children, both now married minor aristocracy.

100 years from bottom of the pile to near top. So climbing the class ladder is possible. Witness the marriages of successful rich and famous musicians of the 60s, 70s and 80s to Lady This and Lady That. Their children are the new strata of aristocracy and will be embraced as such.

And her sister Lydia too, they have the perfect "rich girl hair" & natural tan! Love their style, Irene went to St Mary's Ascot & Lydia St Paul's, both went to Oxford so I think they are now UC & they're both friends with the royals!

@Chaoslatte

I only know 2 families that use napkins at every meal in the home. They have solid silver napkin holders with their names engraved on them.

All other families I have seen eating, don't have any and use kitchen roll for accidents

Dinner parties are different - napkins regularly used for those occasions

Thinking about Carole Middleton.

And the other way too. DFIL was born to an Army general and minor aristocrat. Definately UMC, his sister married a Lord (actually 2) and her daughter is a Lady.

He married MIL (MMC) and became an accountant (MMC) he was an alcoholic and compulsive gambler and lost his first marriage, his job and his home (twice). Returned to live with his mother aged 45 in a grace and favour cottage.

After a few years he remarried and they borrowed money against his inheritance (long story) to buy a home, which they then borrowed against to fund their lifestlyle. His mother died and the payout did not cover his debts on the house.

He died last year in poverty unable to leave a single penny to his widow. The child of the second marriage (now an adult) is effectively working poor she lives paycheck to paycheck, she has been state educated and speaks with a regional accent. Although she has some cultual capital unless something changes dramatically her children will be pure working class.

@sunglassesonthetable i wonder if Carole Middleton has had elocution lessons or changed her accent? I assume (could be v wrong) she didn’t grow up speaking with a public school accent.

I've never heard her speak tbh.

But she's a great example of class fluidity.

Born WC, Children UMC, Grand Children Royalty

Bit of a one off the Royalty bit.

@sunglassesonthetable Carol Middleton is like @Xenia her name always pops up on these threads! Carole Middleton made the most of what she had to be fair & her dc have reached the highest tiers of society... However I'd prefer to be in Pippa's position, married to a multi millionaire, large house in Chelsea, holidays in St Barths rather than the scrutiny Kate is under...

Oh totally 😁 @Pullandpush

But just like her kids I'd say The Beckhams,Elton's kids, the children of footballers and the newly wealthy can all seamlessly move from their parent's class and into a new one because of the lives they lead.

And it's worked like that through history.

I hate the term 'nouveau riche' though as it seem so negatively loaded.

@Pullandpush Similarly, I have rich American relatives (working in 'wealth management' and real estate) and they treat poor people like poorness is a disease. They are openly and unashamedly disgusted by the working classes. I find it disturbing. It's funny because they also love telling everyone about their strong, hardworking ancestors who travelled over from Europe with nothing, worked super hard in the docks in horrible conditions, and lived in slums, etc etc...?

Differences in core values... that's way more interesting than the material stuff.

What do you think are the differences?

I hate the term 'nouveau riche' though as it seem so negatively loaded. There’s a big risk you’ll develop a green tinge when you use it, you may also lose the veneer of classiness you might have thought you were exhibiting. Even the truly secure leave with a scent of something gone off. - almost dirty.

Clearly I'm not MC then as napkins are only for parties and only made of paper. What the hell is wrong with kitchen roll?

Before or after the rescue pedigree cat sends it flying?

I went to a posh restaurant once and told the sommelier that he could leave the bottle on the table. He looked at me with disdain. Clearly I'm less classy than a waiter. I think that's probably a bigger marker than what university you went to 😂

Yes 100% @Lilaone , we get told all the time how their parents & grandparents took advantage of the American dream & made their fortunes but that dream can't apply to anyone else as everyone who isn't filthy rich is white trash!!!

@Pipsquiggle I suppose if you have gone to the trouble of getting them you might as well use them rather than having them gather dust somewhere!

@JulesRimetStillGleaming I don’t think there’s anything wrong with kitchen roll, it just wouldn’t occur to me to have it at the table. We have both cloth and paper napkins. They sell both kinds in IKEA so I don’t think it really says anything about class.

Except I would call it a serviette most probably and eat on my lap in front of the telly and only use said kitchen roll - that lives in the kitchen - if I made a mess.

I am astonished that there are people who don't use linen napkins as a matter of routine. Kitchen roll is to mop up things like bottles of olive oil dropped by children (to use a recent example).

Reading these comments about the nouveau riche has reminded me of couple of old phrases that aren't heard any more but were definitely used as a put down for rich WC types aspiring to be MC:

"more brass than class"
"all fur coat and no knickers"