Upper class people come in all shapes and sizes but in general I find they do not have a preoccupation with appearing wealthy or perfect. They just sort of live their lives with nothing to prove.

Yeah I agree Kate Middleton is expected to look a certain way. However look at her family. Hyper groomed try hards, which is not what true wealth or upper class people. The comparison still holds for illustrative purposes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when Kate Middleton got engaged and showed the world her ring, she looked PERFECT - hair, outfit, teeth, smile, manicure etc. When Zara Phillips got engaged and showed the world her ring, it was extremely modest and her nails were tatty and she had a hole in her sleeve. This is the difference between strivers and the truly wealthy.

Also yes to being unflappable and stoic.

+1,000,000.

And if Kate had done that, she'd have been torn apart for it and all the "she's not worthy"/"she can never be a proper royal"/"the UK deserves better from their future Queen" sort of stuff would have begun in the media.

Kate Middleton knew she wasn't just marrying the love of her life, wasn't just marrying into a family or a social circle or a class but was marrying into a position and a role, and she obviously lived up to that. In general, people tend to expect their princesses to be PERFECT...from the moment of engagement on she belonged to the public and she knew what was expected of her.

Kate Middleton and Zara Phillips isn't really much of a comparison.

Anonymous wrote:So when Kate Middleton got engaged and showed the world her ring, she looked PERFECT - hair, outfit, teeth, smile, manicure etc. When Zara Phillips got engaged and showed the world her ring, it was extremely modest and her nails were tatty and she had a hole in her sleeve. This is the difference between strivers and the truly wealthy.

Also yes to being unflappable and stoic.

+1,000,000.

I am from a wealthy family. I had no idea how wealthy they were until I got older. When I was in college, I worked two jobs . Paid for everything myself. My mom did not want me to be raised the way she saw other kids in our economic class being raised. I learned the value of dollar very young. In fact, all of my friends are everyday people from all walks of life. I am super uncomfortable dealing with people who are in the same "class" as me. Many of them are elitist assholes and the way I see them treat "the help" makes me cringe.

Cruises are def not upper class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flossing and bidet

That's funny. We bought a house in DC for $325. It came with a bidet. My DD is 10 at the end of the month. She flosses morning and night and uses the bidet before her shower. (I do too). We are TRULY not upperclass-but... she can roll with the best of them. Private school, private violin lessons, ballet lessons and swim team. Well-traveled with a passport since she was 22 months old. 3 cruises and ski vacations-out west. I always think-who is this AA child going to marry.

So-not sure that the bidet and flossing make one upper class-at least not in my house-but it does make you cultured. We are well-rounded and cultured.

Flossing and toilet is middle class and up. Lower middle class, at that. The rest of the stuff you list is upper middle class and aspirational. Who's she going to marry? Some other upper middle class kid that she met in college or at her first law firm job.

Well the bolded is a dead giveaway. Sailing is one thing cruising is another thing entirely.

So when Kate Middleton got engaged and showed the world her ring, she looked PERFECT - hair, outfit, teeth, smile, manicure etc. When Zara Phillips got engaged and showed the world her ring, it was extremely modest and her nails were tatty and she had a hole in her sleeve. This is the difference between strivers and the truly wealthy.

Also yes to being unflappable and stoic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flossing and bidet

That's funny. We bought a house in DC for $325. It came with a bidet. My DD is 10 at the end of the month. She flosses morning and night and uses the bidet before her shower. (I do too). We are TRULY not upperclass-but... she can roll with the best of them. Private school, private violin lessons, ballet lessons and swim team. Well-traveled with a passport since she was 22 months old. 3 cruises and ski vacations-out west. I always think-who is this AA child going to marry.

So-not sure that the bidet and flossing make one upper class-at least not in my house-but it does make you cultured. We are well-rounded and cultured.

Flossing and toilet is middle class and up. Lower middle class, at that. The rest of the stuff you list is upper middle class and aspirational. Who's she going to marry? Some other upper middle class kid that she met in college or at her first law firm job.

Anonymous wrote:Buy quality and keep it forever (clothes, shoes, cars).

Have nicknames for really common names like John and Elizabeth that sound like "Shep", "Biffy", and "Trip". Use the same 5 names over and over again every generation.

Lots of alcohol and very little food at parties.

That's more WASP than wealthy. My MIL's family is super WASPy, but not rich. When we go married there were 5 people named "Elizabeth" within his circle of aunts and first cousins. They were nick-named "Betts," "Beth," "Buffy," "Boots," and "Effy."

Anyone who thinks an entire "class" of people can be defined by consistent behaviors across the entire group but no other groups is delusional.

People are people.

Eating a Snickers bar with a fork and knife.

Valet

I think starting this thread shows a lack of class.

Anonymous wrote:not cursing or having screaming fights in public. I can't believe how much of that I see on certain blocks in DC.
Reading all the time to their kids, starting as infants. To the point of obsession.

Right. That's why they always have cocktails in their hands... because they repress everything, never express an emotion, never say what they really think/feel. And then they fill that emptiness with alcohol.