It's time for mumsnetters to finally define "tat"

[Oxforddictionaryunofficialupdate]

Aibu for traffic, title not exaggeration.

In last week the world "tat" took over mumsnet faster than bedbugs did over Paris.

It's time to finally define it. In last week it was plastic items, decorations, some clothes, various home furnishings, kitchem utensils and small gadgets, jewellery (i think), chocolates and sweets...

Anyone using the worls "tat", please give an example items of what "tat" is in your minds. Like exact items examples not "just stuff no one needs".

Because at this point on MN it is simply "any physical item I personally don't like" 🤷 o EVERYTHING is tat...

Yabu - tat is life and everything is tat
Yanbu - it did get ridiculous now with even food being called tat

I hate the word grim as well

To me it’s things minimal in value and/or unlikely to last that are mass produced.

For household items which usually is what these posts are about, I would define it as items that only last one season as an example plus are frivolous and not biodegradable either. I also call them dust gatherers but to be completely honest, I’m not keen on ornaments full stop including the few antiques inherited from mil (don’t tell dh!)😁

To me tat is:
. Thank you teacher mugs, keyrings
. Things you get at weddings such as little vials of bubble mixture with couple’s name and date. Plus similar things.
. Sashes, hats, games that you only play once for things like Hen parties, baby showers, birthdays
. Anything you couldn’t buy Christmas themed stuff ten plus years ago. Talking cushions, lampshades, washing up bowl etc

I find a lot of what is sold these days in even quality stores that I'd consider tat and others think is just marvelous. Those signs saying "live, love, home" or whatever are tat to me. So is anything with a union jack on it (other than an actual flag) - so pillows, dog collars, and actually those little flags that people attach to their car windows when there's the world cup or whatever. Oh and those "baby (or whatever) on board" stickers people put on their car too.

On the other hand I absolutely love my magnetic Barcelona cathedral beer bottle opener. It's horrendous of course but I just find the concept of a church gift shop selling a branded beer bottle opener quite funny.

You forgot Halloween. It's tat central.

Tat to me is stuff which has no purpose and is bought simply for the sake of buying it, usually easily broken and made of plastic. In this category falls the type of children's toy which is found in party bags or won on a hook-a-duck and will be left on the floor to be stepped on or quickly fall apart, anything "novelty" bought as a "joke gift" or labelled with it's recipient's role ("World's Best Teacher!", "No. 1 Dad!" etc.

It cannot necessarily be easily defined as if you need a mug, a mug is not tat, but if you have cupboards overflowing with mugs, a mug may be tat, although there are some things which are always tat.

One of the most egregious examples is those horrible little bags of random items given to people with twee little reasons for each one- A marble for when you've lost yours, a battery to recharge etc. No-one wants that. It's literally just mess that's going to instantly add to landfill, or at best end up taking up space in someone's house because they feel guilty chucking it out.

Usually anything made of cheap plastic, poor quality and has no purpose but also covers anything bought for the sake of buying something so you are able to say you have given someone a present without any consideration about whether or not they would like it, want it or use it but this comes down to the person for example smelly bath sets. I have 2 sisters, a niece and my mother. One sister and I have sensitive skin and can't use these things so to us they are tat that fills up the bathroom cupboard until they get regifted or donated. Other sister, mother and niece love smelly bath stuff and for them they are a thoughtful gift.

I would say it's stuff you didn't really want and will throw away or not use, or you regift and they throw it away
Plastic stuff in plastic packaging, cheap toys that break easily
One use stuff, that isn't recyclable

tat.

cheap plastic toys or decorative items that serve no useful purpose other than to take up space.

I know exactly what you mean. Some posters seem to use tat to mean any tangible thing that isn’t essential to survival as a way of signalling that they are above the shallow accumulation of ‘stuff’.

I really don’t like it as applied to anything ‘nice’, hand made or which has decent ethical credentials, even if the thing isn’t to my taste. Just seems dismissive to lump everything in with plastic rubbish. My dh has a habit of describing food that is indulgent as ‘shit’, which I dislike in the same way. Fair enough if it’s highly processed junk made with 100 ingredients, but not for e.g. a plate of pasta with a homemade sauce that’s heavy on the cream.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there, although I think tat is actually a sub category of what you are describing.

Some things exist only to provide a purchasing opportunity but may be decent quality/not cheap. Perhaps a small bottle of very expensive olive oil in a fancy bottle. Good quality, may be used by the recipient, but really only a gifting opportunity. To my mind, that's not tat.

The psychological need to consume, the activity of shopping as a leisure pursuit, the pleasure of buying per se, are all linked and if we could free ourselves of that it would be heathier for people as well as the planet.

Another tat thing. It’s those things where your DC pester you when they see vendors sell those glow in the dark bands which are single use. Then those light up wands, foam hands etc

Tat = Stuff you don’t need and will have gone to landfill by next Christmas.

I’m more relaxed on this sort of thing now. When my older DC were young I didn’t want to buy them any of the fads because I knew they would die down in no time at all and it would be a waste. Really difficult explaining that to a young child. I did cave a few times, distinctly remember the ‘Jojo bow’ phase with DD for example which I still mock her lovingly for now…

My 7yo has asked for a 67 teddy for Christmas. I hate this meme, it’s a nightmare but he’s literally asked Santa for it in his letter so I caved. It was a fiver so doesn’t cost me the earth and makes him happy. Ditto a dancing Santa for youngest DC. He’s 5 and has SEN, saw it in Aldi and wanted it so I got it. Yes it’s tacky but he was smiling so that was enough for me. He’s non verbal so seeing him dancing along to this silly Santa really meant a lot.

In short, sometimes it’s nice to unclench and give in to a bit of ‘tat’.

Cheap, plasticy, tacky

I've come back to this thread because I've just seen an advert for something that probably costs as much as a house, but still made me think "tat"!

I'd been agreeing with the general definition that's formed from the thread - cheap, mass-produced, not designed to last, etc. - but then I saw this ad (photos below when they load) for a necklace from Chanel's high jewellery line, featuring a 55.55-carat diamond (among more than 700 others!), in the shape of a Chanel No. 5 bottle. I am stunned by the waste of craftsmanship and crown-jewel-sized gemstones to make something so tasteless and tacky!

Stuff nobody actually needs and which also fucks up the environment by ending up in landfill or wherever.
Examples: throwaway fashion (Shein, Temu etc), plastic tourist souvenirs, cheap toys and decorations churned out for Xmas and Halloween…anything which has no real function and no discernible aesthetic value.
(I do have a weakness for fluffy animal toys though)

Anything that does not biodegrade and spends more time in landfill than in use.