I didn't know what they were either. Trying to signal status with something like a designer bag seems truly bizarre to me because I don't even understand who the signal is meant for. And what do you call it when a "status" symbol only works on an extremely limited target audience and actively indicates either LOW status or nothing to eve…
I didn't know what they were either. Trying to signal status with something like a designer bag seems truly bizarre to me because I don't even understand who the signal is meant for. And what do you call it when a "status" symbol only works on an extremely limited target audience and actively indicates either LOW status or nothing to everyone else??
I can think of many examples...
Designer handbags signal to a small group of women who like them and everyone else either doesn't notice or thinks the bag haver is gauche it acts as a proxy for being an insecure, vain, social climbing airhead who enjoys wasting money.
Gold chains worn by a young male signal (I guess?) to his friends that he has some money and signals to everyone else the literal opposite, that he likely has no job or savings or credit history.
Modified cars with special mufflers to make them louder signal something to some hobbyist vehicle group and signal I'm a huge asshole please hate me to everyone else.
I mean, there is probably no "status symbol" that at least some people don't revile. But then there are others were the target group is dwarfed the much larger group that looks down on said symbol, and the target group isn't high status themselves, so the purpose is confusing.
Yes. I think the most high status signals wrt fashion are only readable by other high status women in the know, other people just notice the woman looks vaguely wealthy but wouldn’t be able to articulate exactly why. And as soon as people can recognize the symbol it becomes too low status for those women lol
I didn't know what they were either. Trying to signal status with something like a designer bag seems truly bizarre to me because I don't even understand who the signal is meant for. And what do you call it when a "status" symbol only works on an extremely limited target audience and actively indicates either LOW status or nothing to everyone else??
I can think of many examples...
Designer handbags signal to a small group of women who like them and everyone else either doesn't notice or thinks the bag haver is gauche it acts as a proxy for being an insecure, vain, social climbing airhead who enjoys wasting money.
Gold chains worn by a young male signal (I guess?) to his friends that he has some money and signals to everyone else the literal opposite, that he likely has no job or savings or credit history.
Modified cars with special mufflers to make them louder signal something to some hobbyist vehicle group and signal I'm a huge asshole please hate me to everyone else.
I mean, there is probably no "status symbol" that at least some people don't revile. But then there are others were the target group is dwarfed the much larger group that looks down on said symbol, and the target group isn't high status themselves, so the purpose is confusing.
Yes. I think the most high status signals wrt fashion are only readable by other high status women in the know, other people just notice the woman looks vaguely wealthy but wouldn’t be able to articulate exactly why. And as soon as people can recognize the symbol it becomes too low status for those women lol