Kate Hackett
Ah, the rich. We envy, we aspire. We…
Watch them ape our shit? What the actual hell?
Today we bring you a thread from u/tintaapple, who asked the Reddit’s AskWomen community, “What screams rich pretending to be poor?” The answers were incredible.
1. Van life
Van life. “I was struggling paying 1,500 dollars in rent so I bought a van for 10 grand and spent 20 grand making it look like a bedroom to save money”
2. Begpacking
“Begpacking,” where rich kids will travel to some low income country in Asia or Central/South America and bum around in hostels for a few months while earning pocket money through begging, busking or odd jobs. Then they talk their “authentic life-changing experience” for the next couple of years.
3. “Artists”
They’re really evasive about how they get by with an expensive loft in a high rent city without a proper job (it’s their parents/family).
4. Urban renewal
Wearing urban outfitters new ‘urban renewal’ collection, specifically the dickies shirt
5. Dental care
They don’t understand why that cashier or waiter who is missing teeth can’t just go and get some dentures. They’ll blame drugs rather than the cost of dental care.
6. “Neutrals”
Boring looking clothes, accessories, and makeup that are indistinguishable to the fast stuff by eye, but obvious by touch. Aka super expensive in terms of material and quality. Like always cashmere and wool instead of a polyester blend, or some expensive grain of leather that is hand stitched. Complimentary to this, a general disinterest of luxury brands and focus on function instead.
7. Being cheap
Being CHEAP and stingy. When I was in college, my friends that were actually poor, came from poor households, and worked 1-2 jobs were some of the most generous people I knew. “I got you for this,” “Let me cover for you” etc. all the time. My friends that grew up rich and from the richest suburbs of Chicago wanted everything promptly Venmo’d to them down to the exact penny. Even if it was for something a dollar here or a dollar there. When it was their turn to owe me, I never got anything back. Once when we were going out, they all asked me to pay for an Uber XL ($60+). They then had the audacity to straight up hit DENY on my Venmo requests???
8. Farm folk
Growing up, I’d have to say “send the kids to a farm to learn about life”. I grew up working class and a farm girl, parents were penny pinching poor, I grew up with other kids who also were like this. And parents who are more financially better off say that ” we are so lucky to live a hard working humble life style” and fetishize dressing like a cowboy and farmwork, not knowing how fucked up the agriculture business for normal folk or poor folk is. And as an adult it makes my stomach churn. Like there’s acknowledging this lifestyle, then there’s fetishizing it ya know…
9. Poverty Porn
On college campuses: anybody that says they care about “disparities” and tried to involve themselves in volunteering activities surrounding the “disadvantaged” should automatically flag you as rich. The same rich Naperville or North Shore kids were always in these activities and anytime you had a damn conversation with them the word “disparities” would come out. But 5 minutes into a conversation about what they actually do in that club, they sound like a politician/pageant speech speaking in vague generalities with a “for the children!” thrown in there somewhere (iCarly reference). You can just tell they’re speaking like poverty is something distant to them, but is being used to support their agenda of trying to be relatable.
They always complained that they had it tough growing up, etc, etc, and then I’d be shocked when I visited their place or parent’s place. Luxury cars, Chicagoland’s finest mansions (Burr Ridge, Winnetka, etc.), high rise downtown condos purchased by their parents so they wouldn’t have to live in the student slums like the rest of us, etc.
I’m convinced rich people have this obsession with “poverty porn” to feel relatable. To be honest, I find it much more endearing when well-off people credit their parents and their family’s hard work and show gratitude, instead of trying to pretend to be something they’re not. It just comes off as distasteful.
10. You’re not from the hood, Brian
Suburban rich kids swearing they’re from the hood and joining gangs. You grew up with a maid, butler, and chauffeur, there’s nothing hood about you.
11. Keeping it low down
Back in college I had an ex who only used like 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants in a wk. I thought he was just lazy going through his cabinet or don’t really have that much. He’s also really down to earth kinda humble guy.
So, Eventually he invited me over to their house for dinner— I was mindblown. Chandeliers and everything. Floors ever so squeaky and shiny. His parents had separate bmws. I was just in awe. Not saying he pretends to be poor intentionally but I thought this was fitting enough
12. Woe is me!
Tales of woe that they don’t actually understand are not very woeful, usually directed at working/lower middle class people to gain sympathy and dominate the conversation. Complaining that they had to wear hand me downs, only got to take X vacations a year, lamentations about every little thing they didn’t have when someone else did, without any consideration that their financial situation wasn’t the cause of this. You look a little deeper and find that they’re well off/upper middle class but they wore hand me downs because they have a same-gender sibling only 2 years older than them. They “only” got one vacation a year because their parents were very busy, and they’re not including camping trips or visiting family because “that doesn’t count.” Their parents didn’t buy them designer clothes when they were in middle school because they would get ruined or grown out of within 6 months, and didn’t buy them trampolines or ATVs because they were dangerous.
It’s honestly so common that when people start listing off reasons they were or are “poor,” I honestly have to hear that they regularly skipped meals or had utilities cut off to believe them. 90% of the lectures I’ve gotten about how poor people are or grew up honestly come from people who are so incredibly overprivileged that they don’t realize that every family has to budget and prioritize, and sometimes people don’t have things for reasons other than they literally can’t afford it.
13. Burning Man
Attending Burning Man. You literally LOOK homeless (with all the dirt, exposure to the elements, “roughing it” food wise, tents etc.) but if you have the time and means to do the full experience at all — you are not poor.
14. Showing off
The videos of people giving out random money to people without homes or those with signs, and capturing their reaction, and then posting it online to show how charitable they are.
I’m all for helping those in need. I think it’s an incredibly important part of society. But why try to show the world your benevolence?
15. Baby toys
Spending a ton of money on minimalist baby items. Acting like the simplicity is the reason you bought it but it cost double or triple similar items.
Also cloth diapered because it’s eco friendly and “cheaper”. While ignoring the cost you paid for luxury cloth diapers, covers, a spray house, laundry etc. People can’t afford that up front cost.
16. Too clean
It’s a little hard to explain, but they’re sort of too well maintained and clean, if that makes sense. Simple clothes (flannels, jeans), that are brand new and crisp. Stuff that isn’t high end, but has no wear and tear at all. Perfect haircut, expensive—for a normal person—watch and shoes. Around me they all drive brand new, squeaky clean Chevy Escalades or maaaybe a brand new pickup.
The jewelry tends to be the real tell. Guys who don’t use their hands often wear rings. Nice rings. And their hands don’t look worn. The women’s jewelry will be expensive, though that doesn’t mean gaudy. Then lastly they don’t show the signs of a harder life. So sun damage, low stress so fewer wrinkles, and just overall look healthier since they can afford to take care of themselves.
And of course there are exceptions. None of these are foolproof. They’re mostly just tells that you get a sense for over time from being around a lot of people like this.
17. Romanticizing a life
Their privilege seeps through when they talk about how they “spent a day camping outside to experience being homeless.” It’s gross that they’re romanticizing a lifestyle that they know they can get out of after they’re bored
18. Cheap foods
Had a roommate who constantly wanted to talk to me about being frugal and eating cheap foods.
The cheap foods? Carbs and piss water beer. No poor person, who has grown up poor, spends money on that shit and calls it “frugal” .
He wanted to be so relatable, and it felt forced.
19. Building schools
Building schools in impoverished nations on the backbone of God’s plan to help the needy.
Stop exploiting children with lackluster construction skills to make them seem like they are making a difference.
Shit beans.
20. Slang
Using slang and having a grungy type room (spray paint on walls etc). Usually correlates with the south bank teens who wear baggy dirty clothes, judge people for dressing ‘basic’ and spend their parents money on ket.
