A specialist in social class studies has highlighted clear indicators that suggest whether someone hails from a wealthy background.
TikToker Dani Payne, known for her insights into education and politics, shared on the platform how to identify if an individual is from a middle or upper class family based on their everyday behavior.
While it may not be the most practical advice, it’s intriguing to observe and analyze people through this lens. After all, people watching is a popular pastime for many of us.
The conversation was sparked when a follower asked her: “Can you give an example of the types of rules etc that you say would make it obvious to members of the MC [middle class] that someone comes from a WC [working class] background?”
Payne, who is from the UK, shared her research on the topic and expressed her fascination with it, before clarifying the essence of the inquiry.
In essence, she summarized it as how the upper and elite classes communicate to society their class affiliation.
Payne said: “So there are lots of different ways that someone might signal that they’re part of or have come from a certain class background – and a lot of the theory around this comes from a French sociologist called Bourdieu, who came up with this concept of cultural capital.
“Which was essentially how the upper and elite classes hoard certain resources, certain experiences and certain types of knowledge that signaled to everyone else that they’re part of that privileged class.”
She further explained that as more people obtain college degrees, the distinction now lies in their conversational topics.
“So the upper and middle class needed other ways to signal that they were upper and middle class, and one of those areas is behavior,” Payne continued.
“So like, how do you act? How do you talk, for example, and that’s not just accent, although accent is a really big thing in the UK, but it’s also, what are you talking about? Do you know what’s polite conversation? Do you know it’s extremely impolite to ask about money and wealth, etc? Do you have a wide vocabulary? Are you well read and well spoken?
“All of these things signal kind of allegiance to a certain certain class structure. Another is experiences and like, membership to certain, like, elite groups.”
Payne highlighted how participating in activities like visiting art galleries, skiing holidays, and other cultural events can signify class status, as well as being aware of which college courses to apply for and how to approach job applications.
She added: “All of these things mean that you might have the exact same grades, educational background, etc, as someone who is middle or upper class, but they still have an inherent advantage, because they know all of these kind of like social rules.
“They know how to act, they know how to get heard. They know how to navigate the education and employment system, and that gives them this inherent advantage in life.”