sociology of luxury

Of course, the most obvious example is Ozempic, the weight loss drug du jour among the elites, which works by suppressing hunger. Ozempic’s impact has been so seismic that analysts have reckoned the drug could have an unprecedented impact on food consumption. “I obviously don’t know when someone is taking drugs,” Anthony Geich, director of guest

There’s a difference between having good taste and being able to afford something. Rich people like Mark Zuckerberg, like Jeff Bezos: what do these people who have everything not have? They don’t necessarily have taste.

You are earning a six-figure sum, and you decide to buy a house in Clapham. What this says is that you, as an immensely rich person in 2024, have no higher aspiration in life than to spend the next 25 years of your life devoting70 per cent of your discretionary income on acquiring an asset that a poor person could have owned in 1924. How is that

Luxury Paradox : The more expensive something is the less likely you are to use it, so the relationship between price and utility is an inverted U. Ferraris sit in garages; Hondas get driven.

Imagine showing Louis XIV your life. Almost everything would amaze him. He would offer you half of Gascony for your flat-screen television. Even driving a 20-year-old car would delight him. The Palace of Versailles consumed more water than the city of Paris, yet the cleanliness of your water supply would still astound him, as would your flushable

What pops to mind is Café Leon Dore, Ralph’s Coffee, Bar Luce, Café A.P.C., or even the Bode Tailor Shop. The same idea applies across the board. Experience a bit of a glamorous lifestyle for only five bucks.