sociology of luxury
If we imagine a future where the majority of people have smoothed their wrinkles away with Botox, plumped up their lips with filler, sucked out their cheeks with buccal fat removal and straightened their teeth with veneers, will it become desirable to have the natural features that are becoming increasingly rare; the crooked teeth, the smile lines
... See moreDazed • Will Being ‘Ugly’ Be Aspirational One Day?
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
... See moreSerena Smith • Why Don’t Rich People Eat Anymore?
The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product. She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself. One could put this another way: the publicity image steals her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her
... See moreThe default assumption tends to be that it is politically important to designate everyone as beautiful, that it is a meaningful project to make sure that everyone can become, and feel, increasingly beautiful. We have hardly tried to imagine what it might look like if our culture could do the opposite—de-escalate the situation, make beauty matter... See more
Jia Tolentino • Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
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.
Morgan Housel • 100 Little Ideas
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.
Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick • Lol Fashion's Giving Me an Existential Crisis 😅
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.