To ask how do you know which things are 'tacky/common'?

[TheHydrangeas]

On here I sometimes see certain items, behaviours, homeware, fashion, makeup, etc classed as "tacky" or "common". Sometimes I can understand it, but other times it is things that seem pretty innocuous. Despite this you see this kind of unanimous belief that those things are "common". However I can't really find an underlying pattern to what is deemed to be tacky/common and what is not. Is there any kind of theme or pattern to this? One example is I remember reading a thread where a pretty popular brand of scented candles were classed as tacky.

I also want to say that I am not trying to portray other users negatively as judgemental or anything, we are all entitled to our opinions. I am just interested from a broader point of view - how do certain things become tacky or common?

I can’t stand the strange people who have wax burners and melt wax all day long

I'm not a fan of wax burners myself but I can't imagine going to someone's home and deciding that I 'cant stand' that person or think they're 'strange' because they like them.

Someone round the corner from where I live has got a Ford Fiesta. They've had it sprayed brown and the Louis Vuitton logo put across it.

No?! I assume you're joking? If not that's the best example of common as muck tack that ever was

@OhTheRoses

"" I get what you are saying but would I buy: Kors, Ted Baker, Mulberry, Burberry Tartan, etc. Nah, course not. Ferragamo pump, Kate Spade, Caroline Charles, Hermes scarf, Cartier tank, splash of Tom Ford - of course I would!""

If you cared about sustainability and ethics, you wouldn't buy a hermes scarf. Kate Spade (and Tom Ford) is sold in Catalogues (the Very etc) and on QVC, so that status might change.

I agree that it's all another way to sneer at people. The biggest being 'old money and titles'. Within the accumulation of old money is, abuse, exploitation, racism and slavery, with the occasional bit of genocide/Eugenics thrown in, there's nothing there to brag about.

Old money just means their ancestors stole land and wealth from our ancestors. Kissing the King's arse, doesn't make their ancestors better than ours. It's ridiculous how, in this country, we think some people are more important than others because of it!

I am finding this thread absolutely fascinating. My maternal family are / were very poor and my paternal family was quite rich.

They divorced when I was a toddler because they were so different.

I’ve always struggled with self identity because of this. But I’ve always been happier when I’ve had less money and “stuff” most of my furniture are family antiques.

@Ponoka7 I certainly wouldn't buy a Hermes scarf. I'd buy an Hermes scarf.

Jesus, get over yourself.

[quote OhTheRoses]@Ponoka7 I certainly wouldn't buy a Hermes scarf. I'd buy an Hermes scarf. [/quote]
? Don't understand

Would use 'an' for Hermes pronounced Ermes in a correct French accent.

It’s an Hermes

@Geppili

Would use 'an' for Hermes pronounced Ermes in a correct French accent.

oh got it thanks 😅 As opposed to a Hermes delivery or do we have to pronounce that in French also?

Damn I didn’t read properly and didn’t mean to back up an insufferable social climbing snob.

Whatever it’s called - looks like a nice way to hide an ageing fat neck

😅 This has reminded me when I was a very unwordly twenty year old and organising a work do in town. The restaurant was in Beauchamp Place and I was relaying the address to colleagues and sorting out arrangements. I was doing my best French accent 'Bowsharm' and v posh manager called me aside and whispered 'Beecham darling please'. I was so surprised and quite embarrassed that I had no clue 😅

Snobbery of all kinds is ridiculous, but in my view it usually makes the person being snobbish look worse than the person they are looking down on.

I recall a friend who was dating telling me that she had been put off a man because he'd worn Craghoppers trousers on a hiking date (totally appropriate for what they were doing), as it wasn't a particularly high end or cool brand. My DH was sat next to me at the time, looked down at what he had on.... Craghoppers! We laughed, but I couldn't help thinking that my friend might have dismissed a decent bloke for no reason. The next guy she dated always looked smart and trendy, but was pretty shallow and self-obsessed.

There are many things that will put me off a person - being snide or judgy about others is high on the list. But clothes isn't one of them because they tell you nothing about whether that person is decent, kind etc. Clothes also tell you nothing about the person's level of wealth (or lack of), but that's irrelevant because I don't choose my friends on the basis of their wealth.

Oh god, yes - the insane upper class pronounciation conventions! Beaulieu, Cholmondley, Chetwynde, Menzies, Featherstonhaugh.....

You can't figure it out through intelligence, you have to be told, so the only purpose is to mark people as being either insiders or outsiders. It's totally deliberate.

As opposed to a Hermes delivery or do we have to pronounce that in French also?

I am very amused at the idea of everyone getting pissed off with their errrrrrrmezzzzz courier flinging the parcels over the garden gate again.

(PS if Roses were such a stickler for correctness she'd know it's Hermès. Helps the reader to know to use their French rather than their Greek ).

Anything made to sound french is common and tacky.

Eg. Toilet rather than Loo

🤣

Now trying to decide whether I'm tacky or not. On the one hand, I don't have any grey or velvet or mirrored furniture, I hate grey- it's so dull. My furniture is all second hand/inherited and is mostly battered leather chairs/sofa and ancient looking scratched up dark wood. Nothing matches.
My house is mostly decorated with bronze statues, wood carvings and hand-painted murals and wall hangings done by myself mostly. On the other hand, I have fake flowers and plants which I change seasonally, fake candles (although so they are pretty realistic) and far too many fairy lights .
I don't think I own a single designer item. They just don't interest me. I hate anything with a logo on it. But people can have whatever they like. It's none of my business really.

Second hand furniture = great

Second hand baby stuff... 😳

@MacduffsMuff that’s exactly what I’m saying. I will judge you 9 ways to Sunday for having a “tacky” (in my opinion) wax melt thing and stinking up your house to the point where everything smells of molten wax. But that’s because it’s my opinion. It’s my opinion that those people are weird and tacky.
But you could just as easily categorise me as weird for not liking it - this idea of “tacky“ is so personal, it’s impossible to know.

Oh oh someone mentioned earlier in this thread about out shower curtains on the fences in the garden. What the fuck ? Can anybody shed any light on this ? Never heard of this at all.

@BridgettJ

Second hand furniture = great

Second hand baby stuff... 😳

Depends what it is.

There is nothing wrong with any kind of second hand baby stuff. Toys, clothes, furniture. As long as it's safe, what's the issue?

I think it’s all taste and personal opinion. Some people seem to think expensive and limited/unique to certain upmarket shops/areas equals not tacky. I can say I have seen a lot of stuff in expensive upmarket shops that I think are really tacky. It depends on what you think tacky is. For me, tacky is glaring logos or logos on show, lots of bling and fake fur.