Why has everything become elevated and aspirational?

[Anonymous]

Visited the area for the first time since during the pandemic, specifically Montgomery County. I’m a bit shocked.

New construction everywhere. Strip malls everywhere. Panera bread, everywhere.

My local movie theatre has become “Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas” and everything along 270 between The Kentlands and Bethesda Row has become a wannabe-variation of The Grove in Los Angeles.

My beef isn’t the cost of cinema tickets - that’s been universal around the world - but the sense that what I used to perceive as a pretty heterogeneous, inclusive county has become dominated by some sort of aestheticized TikTok new urbanism where everything has an accent aigu aspirationally edited into its name.

-Shivering in disorientation at Westfield Montgomery Mall as I remember the 90s and early 2000s

[Anonymous]

Panera Bread? Good news it's all frozen going forward.

[Anonymous]

Things change OP.

[Anonymous]

The Rise of the Mud People

[Anonymous]

Actually, everything is much, much worse...you're just getting charged way more for it, so to make you feel better, companies make their name/signage/marketing slicker.

[Anonymous]

I think it's reality tv, to be honest. People watch rich people whether it's Kardashians or Real Housewives or whatever - non-actors - becoming rich and having tons of stuff. Then they flaunt their stuff, whether it's new body parts, cars, jewelry, vacations, homes, etc.

So subconsciously people think "if they can, I can" and they (possibly go into debt to) get it.

[Anonymous]

I'm French and live near downtown Bethesda. It's hilarious how many new buildings in downtown Bethesda have French names or their derivatives: Cheval, Maizon, Camille, etc. Who wants to live in a building called horse?! Let me go to my home, called "home".

Just makes me chuckle. I don't mind any of it, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's reality tv, to be honest. People watch rich people whether it's Kardashians or Real Housewives or whatever - non-actors - becoming rich and having tons of stuff. Then they flaunt their stuff, whether it's new body parts, cars, jewelry, vacations, homes, etc.

So subconsciously people think "if they can, I can" and they (possibly go into debt to) get it.

+1 and social media. Everyone thinks they are fancy now and they *deserve* it!

[Anonymous]

A family member works for a company that builds these places.

Basically it’s because inflation, property values going up, tariffs, etc, everything is several times more expensive than it should be.

So to justify that higher price, you have to make it feel more luxurious. It doesn’t cost that much more to add a few upgrades.

As an example, the movie theater has to make $50-$100 a person just to keep the lights on. You can’t charge $75 for a mediocre movie experience. So you add in the reclining seats, sell slightly fancier booze, and slap an elevated name on the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A family member works for a company that builds these places.

Basically it’s because inflation, property values going up, tariffs, etc, everything is several times more expensive than it should be.

So to justify that higher price, you have to make it feel more luxurious. It doesn’t cost that much more to add a few upgrades.

As an example, the movie theater has to make $50-$100 a person just to keep the lights on. You can’t charge $75 for a mediocre movie experience. So you add in the reclining seats, sell slightly fancier booze, and slap an elevated name on the whole thing.

Movie theaters must hate me. Not only do I only ever go see matinees, I never buy any concessions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A family member works for a company that builds these places.

Basically it’s because inflation, property values going up, tariffs, etc, everything is several times more expensive than it should be.

So to justify that higher price, you have to make it feel more luxurious. It doesn’t cost that much more to add a few upgrades.

As an example, the movie theater has to make $50-$100 a person just to keep the lights on. You can’t charge $75 for a mediocre movie experience. So you add in the reclining seats, sell slightly fancier booze, and slap an elevated name on the whole thing.

Movie theaters must hate me. Not only do I only ever go see matinees, I never buy any concessions.

At least you’re going? I haven’t been to a theater in years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visited the area for the first time since during the pandemic, specifically Montgomery County. I’m a bit shocked.

New construction everywhere. Strip malls everywhere. Panera bread, everywhere.

My local movie theatre has become “Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas” and everything along 270 between The Kentlands and Bethesda Row has become a wannabe-variation of The Grove in Los Angeles.

My beef isn’t the cost of cinema tickets - that’s been universal around the world - but the sense that what I used to perceive as a pretty heterogeneous, inclusive county has become dominated by some sort of aestheticized TikTok new urbanism where everything has an accent aigu aspirationally edited into its name.

-Shivering in disorientation at Westfield Montgomery Mall as I remember the 90s and early 2000s

I’m wondering who actually goes into any of these places and buys something?

[Anonymous]

I saw an article on aspirational materialism on substack, by Isha.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visited the area for the first time since during the pandemic, specifically Montgomery County. I’m a bit shocked.

New construction everywhere. Strip malls everywhere. Panera bread, everywhere.

My local movie theatre has become “Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas” and everything along 270 between The Kentlands and Bethesda Row has become a wannabe-variation of The Grove in Los Angeles.

My beef isn’t the cost of cinema tickets - that’s been universal around the world - but the sense that what I used to perceive as a pretty heterogeneous, inclusive county has become dominated by some sort of aestheticized TikTok new urbanism where everything has an accent aigu aspirationally edited into its name.

-Shivering in disorientation at Westfield Montgomery Mall as I remember the 90s and early 2000s

I won’t worry until the hot dog stands at Home Depot switch to Grey Poupon mustard.

[Anonymous]

A recent article about this phenomenon as applied to coffee shops: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/16/the-tyranny-of-the-algorithm-why-every-coffee-shop-looks-the-same

It's an excerpt from a book about how algorithms "flatten" culture as people and businesses seek to adopt the aesthetic, tastes, verbage that will optimize algorithm results.

A while back I also read an interesting piece about how platforms like Facebook and Instagram "flatten" the Internet itself, as people and businesses just use the platforms and adopt it's internal aesthetics and customs rather than create their own websites.

We are living in a culture of sameness, driven by what people see on reality TV, what is most likely to hit the top of a feed, what garners the most likes and comments. It's deadening.