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?

It’s such a personal thing and I get what the OP is trying to reach for but there’s no singular answer.

For me my barometer is right off: I used to think IKEA was chic and desirable. I also think Lelli Kelly shoes are naff in the extreme yet the poshos near me covet them for their darling offspring.

Huh, I've never really thought about why things are considered tacky/common, good question, OP.

It's interesting though, certain things are almost universally considered tacky, like long false nails or babies/toddlers with pierced ears. The nails thing is interesting because it's not a class thing I don't think - the ear piercing though, that's likely due to working class connotations.

It’s easy.

Black or White Range Rover with personalised plates, custom body kit and enormous wheels = tacky. Yes, Mr Rooney, spotted at Asda petrol station in Derby last month, I’m referring to you.

Blue or green Range Rover in standard spec and normal plates = not tacky.

@AgeLikeWine

It’s easy.

Black or White Range Rover with personalised plates, custom body kit and enormous wheels = tacky. Yes, Mr Rooney, spotted at Asda petrol station in Derby last month, I’m referring to you.

Blue or green Range Rover in standard spec and normal plates = not tacky.

This is true, but why do we think it's tacky? What specifically about that car is tacky?

@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?

It's tacky and common when it relates to something a lot of people like and therefore gets looked down upon by others who think they are better/more refined/crashing snobs.

Everyone's view of what is tacky is different... I live in a city with a lot of working class neighbourhoods and in my view, based on experience, the following things are tacky/common.

• babies with unusual American type names. That are supposed to be different but they aren't because so many others have had the same idea.
• eyelash extensions. Just no. If you are going somewhere special, stick on some strip lashes.
• very long plastic nail extensions
• overly inflated lips
• anything branded with Michael kors
• houses with excessive ornaments on display outside or visible from windows
• kids going to school with all matching frilly elaborate hair accessories, usually holding up 2 high buns, scraped so tightly to the child's head, she is bound to have a terrible headache.
• crushed velvet sofas and curtains (think mrs hinch)
• Mirrored furniture and elaborate centrepieces with crushed glass. So expensive and terribly gaudy.
• small children in branded sports wear
• babies with their ears pierced, bangles era
• elaborate christening robes / holy communion dresses

The list goes on

Disclaimer, this is my opinion only!

lifes yes, I know it’s not just cost. Apparently to the landed nobility buying expensive furniture is “common”, because it shows they didn’t have the ancestors to inherit furniture from (Alan Clark MP).
Having those ancestors is quite exclusive.
Knowing the right fashions to follow/spurn is for insiders.

It’s all a way different groups can distinguish each other, and snub each other.

My nails are tacky according to a lot of people cos they're long and fake.

I think Michael Kors is tacky.

Chanel is not tacky... knock-off Chanel is. But generally the difference is obvious.

I think overly branded designer stuff is awful, but in many cases it’s knock off anyway.

I agree with the PP about things becoming popular with the working classes leading to them ending up being considered tacky. Which is a shame really. If you like it, you should like it.

Tacky is when someone pays a stupid amount of money for a basic item then brags about it.
( last week) Some z list Schleb payed £75 for a mask that didn’t fit .
Very tacky 😛

Who was it that said you are common “if your telly is bigger than your bookcase”?

Michael Kors, Pandora = tacky

Cartier, Hermes -=not tacky

Return to Tiffany's = I think they're tacky

In my book (which may be off) tacky is anything that is overly-attention-grabbing and made of artificial materials.

Common is something that everyone does/has.

I think being loud, judgmental, rude and swearing is common and uncouth.

Yes it's weird isn't it? It's like I have this inner radar that tells me when things are tacky/common. It's something I don't particularly like about myself and I try to ignore it as much as possible, but it's still there ... It's something that is quite hard to define, I certainly don't consciously choose to think in terms of 'common' and 'not common'

"Common" is an older term to "tacky" imo.

"Tacky" also "shares a frontier" with "seedy".

"Shares a frontier" being another Alam Bennett phrase.

Or even Alan Bennett

I get the posters who don’t lump tacky and common together either.

For me “common” means ubiquitous
Tacky means “naff”

@HavelockVetinari

Black or White Range Rover with personalised plates, custom body kit and enormous wheels = tacky.

Blue or green Range Rover in standard spec and normal plates = not tacky.

This is true, but why do we think it's tacky? What specifically about that car is tacky?

--

The 'showy-offy' Range Rover is tacky because it's not what smart/posh people would choose. Lords and duchesses don't flaunt things they own, because they don't need to try to impress anyone. Fuck 'em.

And the ordinary blue or green Range Rover (preferably with a muddy labrador in the back) is not tacky because it's the kind of thing they'd choose - although that seems like circular reasoning.

Wow, some of the things listed on here I did not expected to be branded as tacky or common, but then I love Yankee Candles...!

I consider 'tacky' and 'common' as two very different words used to described very different things. For example, 'tacky' is a word I would use describe something that I think is poor taste, like mirrored and crushed velvet furniture, nail extensions, lip injections etc. 'Common' however, I would use to describe behaviour such as spitting on the street, smoking, parents loudly swearing at their children in public etc.

But overall, I'd say it's highly subjective - what I find tacky or common might be treasured by someone or be considered perfectly acceptable behaviour. Everyone's different!

It's hard to put your finger on, and I can't quite explain, but it's a poor person's ideas of what they think rich people's status indicators are. The Range Rover example is a good one. The tricked out white car may be more expensive but old/discrete money would never drive that.

Mind you, I'm private school, Oxbridge and married to a banker and I LOVE a lot of stuff Mumsnet says is tacky. You can pry my fuck off massive Telly and my Disney themed kids clothes out of my cold, dead hands . I also own both Yankee Candles and Jo Malone, because I contain multitudes.

I find the Land Rover Evoque "tacky and common". But of course they aren't common because they are very expensive. Does this help?

My Gran (born 1896 and in service until she married) used to say only common people worry about appearing common.....and talk about money.

I think it is when an item becomes cheaper and tips over to being accessible to the masses. One discussed recently here is “rattan” furniture. It used to be expensive and posh, and actually made of real rattan. Then manufacturers started to produce plastic imitation “rattan”, which lots of people bought because thought it looked fancy, but now that every council house up and down the land has fake plastic rattan furniture in their garden it is a bit tacky and less desirable.

People will call things tacky, common, childish, ugly etc yet will have the most bland and boring tastes ever. I’d rather be tacky and fabulous than boring and grey