AIBU to think mumsnetters are well off?

[supergreenuk]

I have thought this for a while but after reading a thread about outfit suggestions for a dinner out, I think I’m right. Most of the suggestions were over £100 for one outfit and this doesn’t include shoes and accessories.
If I am going out I would be looking on Shein or going to Primark. I am not on a particularly tight budget but to spend that much on an outfit to go out to dinner is so not something I would ever consider.
Also the mumsnet swears by email that comes out promotes clothing that I can’t afford. All of my friends shop Primark and Shein. If I go into Next for example I usually walk straight back out again because for the price of one top I can buy a whole outfit on Shein. I’m not judging. I just thought there would be a varied offering of all price ranges not just expensive.

If you go onto the Education threads, lots are about private or boarding schools. They are definitely well off.

Am I?

I mean I’m doing averagely now I suppose, but when I joined MN 15 years ago I was a single parent on income support with no heating or hot water in my house, holding on to my electric meter by the skin of my teeth to keep the lights on, and it was just before my house was repossessed by the bank.

If I’m going out for a night, I check my wardrobe and find something to wear.
Why do I need to buy a new outfit???

I thought everybody knew that mumsnet was majority white middle class women types

They shop in boden not primark op

I feel like a lot of posts recently have been about really struggling financially, so disagree slightly. I think there's a fair mix. On clothes: I'm skint but everyone knows Primark and Shein sell tacky, poor quality, badly fitting tat. Bad for the workers, bad for the environment. Tend to buy clothes second hand from charity shops, eBay, Vinted, Depop etc or buy staples (very rarely) that might be anything from £10-50+ that should actually last (and normally wait for the sales). But appreciate it's probably a luxury to have the time to do all this, vs a couple of clicks on the Shien website.

Maybe the problem is needing to have new outfits all the time? I'm early 30s and take a lot of time dressing well, but I have clothes I've been wearing for years - dresses, jackets, tops, jeans - I really couldn't give a monkeys about wearing the same things over and over. Even on dates (DH didn't seem to notice or care!)

This is flawed logic, lots of high end retailers pay the workers the same amount as Primark. Next and John Lewis is rated the same as Primark and better than Joules on Good On You

But there are ethical brands available. Like Veja, Bam, Reformation, Elvis & Kresse... The price of clothes at Primark and SHEIN make it obvious that someone isn't being paid fairly and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are issues with waste management along the supply chain. For more expensive brands you need to look but avoiding the obvious sweatshop users isn't flawed logic.

Some mumsnetters are rich, some pretend they are rich, some are average, some are really struggling and some are rich but pretend to be poor because they get a kick out out of the competitive poverty threads.

Definitely unreasonable in my case😂

For what it's worth I can't afford to go out for dinner, so the idea that I'd even think about a new outfit just for a meal is utterly alien. But here I am, on MN with a pretty hefty posting history (although I do name change).

Shocking idea I know, but advertising is targeted at profitable demographics. They don't care that we can't afford the labels, all they care about is that there are enough clicks leading to sales from the links to make it worthwhile.

Most of the posters probably pretend

This is such a ridiculous comment. There are literally 100s of brands/stores where you can buy a top for double the £100 budget the OP refers to. There are multiple brand where a dress is £1000+ or a handbag £2000+

Who do you think buys this stuff and why would you imagine they’re not on MN?

Yeah people on MN seem to be living in a different reality to me. People are very quick to suggest things like getting a cleaner.
Also saw someone refer to £800 as “not a lot of money”. 😂

Its interesting to see, but I can’t really relate to how a lot of posters live.

But the “where you shop” logic is flawed if you’re looking to place people into a financial bracket.

I am quite wealthy but I love a mooch in Primark.

I’ve talked a lot about my background. Broke single mother to self made millionaire and I get told to push off back into La La land. For whatever reason nobody believes me despite offering MNHQ to fact check!

Maybe ‘what to wear to dinner out’ isn’t of interest to lower income folk, seeing as many can barely afford electricity let alone that?

I find that individual threads tend to be skewed. Taken as a whole there are probably all sorts.

Were you on the board called "fashion and style" or something along those lines? I find generally people on there suggest things which are fashionable and therefore a bit more pricey

People who take an interest to comment in style and beauty are people who probably spend more on fashion in general. So they are not necessarily rich but they may prioritize their disposable income that way. Of course they are probably not on the breadline and choosing between eating and heating, but that doesn't mean they are well off either.

I used to belong to a caroline hirons skincare group online. There were group members who would drop over £70 on a moisturizer. You would think they are high earners, but as you could see their fb profiles, the vast majority were in jobs which are not associated with high salaries i.e. nursing, teaching. Some were even students or stay at home mums.

I shop at Boden but I tend to buy sale items so would pay £35-40 for a dress (I have seen clothes at Zara for more!). I also buy dresses on sale from seasalt and Joules (and I only wear dresses so its a whole outfit for me). I rarely have formal functions but I would not spend £100. I would try to spend between £50-80 for an evening gown. For makeup, its a completely different story; I buy ysl foundation and charlotte tilbury!

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