why the old money aesthetic never gets old
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- Hey guys, in today's video I discuss the rise of the old money aesthetic trend on TikTok.
~sources~
Old Money definition
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_money
Privilege
www.amazon.com/Privilege-Maki...
Ezra Koenig Goes Deep on Vampire Weekend's "Preppy" Image
exclaim.ca/music/article/ezra...
The Rules of The Game: A Fuller Thought on J. Hopper and Vampire Weekend
agrammar.tumblr.com/post/3599...
For Better or Worse: Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig On Life, Death & Ralph Lauren
www.highsnobiety.com/p/ezra-k...
Are You Ready For The Return of Prep?
www.vox.com/the-goods/2263856...
~socials~
instagram: / amandapanda767
tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@amandapanda76... 6772018427601257478&tt_from=copy&source=h5_m
for business inquiries: amandagordon1010@gmail.com - Навчання та стиль
To me the old money aesthetic is the perfect mix of aspirational and unattainable. It's just fantastical enough for the desire/longing to be there, because it can never be truly achieved unless you're born into it, but it's still a look you can mimic or try to embody for yourself to feel upper class/give you confidence to try and ingratiate yourself into those circles. If the Kardashian/designer handbag style is the American Dream personified through style, the old money aesthetic is a calmer version. The Kardashian look screams "new money" and can be seen as trying to be flashy to mask insecurities, but old money is quieter and has nothing to prove because they KNOW that money isn't going away. Also plaid and blazers and sunglasses just look great lol. I love the whole Gossip Girl style.
I was just about to say the epitome of Gossip Girl.
Gossip girl 2005 or the new one?.
@@purplelove3666 2007.
Best comment 🙌🏻
looool yeah try integrting yourself with only your clothes. That is also the most childish view feeling cinfident in clothing. people wear these clothes as a sign to others that have the same monetary means and tell them i am one of them not to gain confidence.
Fun fact about Rockefeller: I visited Morehouse and Spellman College (Historical Black College/University) and came upon the portraits of a young man and woman. I looked down to read the bibliography, saw that they were the twins and Rockefeller's children! Apparently, he had two illegitimate biracial children who couldn't attend the ivies, so he funded and created Morehouse and Spellman for them. Something they never teach you in history books.
EDIT: You will not find information about it on most online sources, it is a hidden fact. I suspect it was fairly common back then anyways. :) If you want to see for yourself, I suggest you all take a trip to Atlanta and visit those college campuses.
Isn't it sad how it was easier to build new colleges than stop Ivies from discriminating? It's just so weird to realise that even all the money couldn't buy fairness. I would love to visit those colleges someday and see their history myself.
This fact is simultaneously so wholesome because rockefeller supported his kids and a fucked up one because the fact rockefeller had to build a whole new school because ivies were so racist they wouldn’t let POC specifically black people in this case attend is really sad
@@kindateia ikr, and the dude was rockefeller one of the richest people in America, racism really is that pervasive in the past and now, it’s a really sad reality unfortunately
Are you sure? Because I can't seem to find any information at all about it. Is it kept a secret or something?
@@delightfuldaisy3520 it is hidden; that is why I was shocked too! They cannot let something like that be known about one of the richest men to ever live. You should take a trip to Atlanta and visit those schools.
"I got my first Louboutins when I graduated high school...." DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF?! lmfao
To appeal to the poor for their money? Lol.is that what it is?
That made me laugh, what a line to say out loud.
🤣🤣🤣
She is the same person who said "homeboy's gonna like...get it" so we can't expect much from her lol
Bellas an icon but even as a fan I lol'd at that
omg sorry to comment again but thank you for bringing up how when a celeb comes from money they try to downplay it and if you bring it up it's seen as an insult by their fans even though it's not. for example i love taylor swift but in her new song "i bet you think about me" she literally says about her childhood home "no it wasn't a mansion" but her childhood home was literally so big lol like idg why so many people try to act like they came from nothing 😭😭 like just be honest
farmers are poor though. thats not suburban middle class wealth
@@TheMagicJIZZ no??? I mean it's bound to be different in different parts of the world but I don't think I could ever describe my friend's 6 bedroom farm house with its entire mortgage paid off as belonging to a poor family. Maybe my definition of poor is different to yours but it isn't a given that a farmer will always be poor, I find it a weird assumption.
@@TheMagicJIZZ yeah. People who WORK on the farm. People who own the farms tend to have a lot more
@@missg8861 I think you don't understand how anything works let alone a microwave. A family farm...not a mega farm corporation
A family farm is literally ran by the parents and children. Not some slaughterhouse
The hell are you talking about. You think eggs just magically appear on the supermarket
@@duck6100 it's a farmhouse...ofc it's big?
Are you Dim?
They spend the majority of their income on fertilizer and seeds. Loans on equipment
Yeah....the great wealth feeding people like you, almost all farmers are poor. Servitude and have to be subsidised by government to feed you. Mega farm corporation is not a family farm
Old money is a big flex on us ppl darker than blue cause new money is the only money most of us knew
Absolutely!
Yes this is certainly true
Bars!
Do you guys know than not only white families are old money right? There are old money families in the whole world : from India to Japan, from Korea to lite rally Africa, they just stay really private and not in the public eye. Old money is not a white thing its just generational wealth.
@@iside2373 it’s actually more apparent in India I guess because we can trace our lineage via our names (sometimes upto our ancestors back in very ancient times, that too in very diverse occupational categories, from temple sculptors to treasurers, or milkmen, or ancient immigrants etc) so some people actually change their names to appear to be of richer communities
have you ever noticed how ivy league schools are often made to very old even though many of the schools are not that old? this is because many of the architecture styles are inspired by the old European universities like Cambridge or Oxford.
Harvard is pretty old…it was founded in 1636. That school is not trying to look old; it is old.
@@aruytpadyugf they were probably not talking about Harvard then.
@@nath7557 they were all founded before 1880. That's pretty old. Their architecture was not particularly ancient for their time, a lot of buildings in North America and even in Europe were still being built in that style back then.
Yeah, I was fascinated by how old and gothic parts of WashU (where I went for grad school) looked. It was founded in the 1850s! So it’s old for Americans, but it looked like St. Andrews in certain places and it was directly inspired by the appearance of Oxford and Cambridge when certain WashU buildings were built for the 1904 world’s fair. Very fascinated by the old-money-adjacent appearance of American colleges.
@@latedala07 Meanwhile you've got Laval University in Quebec which was founded in 1663 but only has modern architecture. It's not about how actually old the school it, it's all about how old it LOOKS
omg i was so scared you were going to romanticize old money but then you went off about how most old money is basically blood money with imperialism, exploitative work conditions, etc., and I simply HAVE to stan!
My thoughts exactly
Yep, it's not HOW their ancestors made their wealth but WHEN that's an important factor. It's really fucked up especially during the gilded age the rich industrialists pay little taxes and worker rights just didn't exist.
Yeah , just like your iPhone, but you still use it
Some of yall seem to think that old money is only a white thing but there are literally old money in Asia and even in Africa, its literally is just a family or clan that passed their money down every generation. They just really private and not in the public eye.
@Tisha Banerjeeyeah I saw that is really common there!! It makes me a little bit made that she made it a race thing because these type of family whatever their skin color 95%of the time they didnt get all this money in an ethical way 🥴
“And even in Africa” why wouldn’t it be in Africa ? old money has been a thing in Africa since ancient times
@@theemanuella9456 English is not my firsr language and I didnt want to use a comma (,) so i thogjt you could use the word even as a connection. I used even, too because on the comments a lot of people think that there that its just a European and Asian thing so "even" Was to underline it and be yeah it exist there too. Sorry for the long comment
@@theemanuella9456 believe she’s referencing the fact that i
Africa is the continent with the poorest population, statistically.
@@Mark-eu6mc Doesn’t change the fact that old money has been a thing Africa since ancient times and there a even Today a lot rich Africans idgaf about statistics
Amanda, thanks for discussing this! It made me think about my middle school obsession with The Clique book series and my obsession with Gossip Girl in high school. From the outside, old money looked like a glamorous society that thought you were inferior which oddly made you want to get in more. Understanding how old money came to be, I don’t aspire to it anymore. Also thinking about how Western society measures success based off the rich and the wealthy, it’s so loaded. The idea of exceptionalism (especially for BIPOC) comes with a lot of sacrifices, self erasure, self suppression, assimilation and mental/emotional/psychological exhaustion. And for what? To be accepted into a clique that doesn’t fundamentally respect you? Once you get in, you’ve proved your worthiness and your hard work has been recognized. However, that acceptance and access is always conditional due to systemic oppression. It’s all a game.
Girl I definitely credit The Clique with my early aspiration for “old money”
Yes i loved the way she explained it cause i too i aspired to have or reach that aesthetic because of gossip girl 🤦🏾♀️ and now the more i learn and understand, i see that most of the time even if one makes it into the “clique” it’s really hard to stay true to yourself because most people tend to code switch & become different. There is an African american movie called jumping the broom & it shows the bougie black family and how they see themselves as belonging to old money & some treat other blacks very poorly knowing damn well that they themselves aren’t respected in those secret societies.
I'm screaming because I LOVEDDDD The Clique books as a tween. It's how I learned about designer labels 😂
@@sandrineella5327 Yes they pride themselves on being accepted into those spaces and maintaining generational wealth like the creators of “high society.” But it’s always conditional.
@@lemonline3719 Same!
I low-key would watch an entire video with that VHS filter and mocking documentary voice. 🤣 I laughed so hard.
i'm filipino and i've never actually associated old money with america. in fact it's the opposite. i've always associated it with spanish or chinese heritage. i went to private schools growing up and most of the "new money" people had american heritage but the "old money" with their exclusive social clubs and gated communities almost always had either spanish or chinese surnames.
@Michelle Most have native surnames but the same Spanish last names have a higher occurrence, so basically there is a greater diversity of native to Spanish names, which gives the impression that most Filipinos have Spanish surnames
I guess from an european perspective all of america is "new money" because the country is so young. So "old" and "new" are somewhat relative terms.
yea she is obviously deranged since she has never heard of the continent of EUROPE. "whiteness=blandnes....." no, white=european=VERY MUCH CULTURE INDEED.
@@audhumbla6927 It depends, Europe is very cultured, the least cultured area being the British Isles. But I think she said that in the context of America, where white people have basically been so absorbed into capitalism that nearly every aspect of there everyday "culture" is rooted in consumerism , even seemingly traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter have been twisted and completely changed by American capitalism such that what they represent in white American "culture" isn't what it represented hundreds of years ago or what it still represents in christian nations elsewhere.
@@user-vl5lt4xi2p you have no clue what you are talking about. all of europe, icluding the brittish isles, have a many thousand year old history of intricate culture, arts, design, religious beliefs. they have a constant living and evolving and complex culture dating back to the stoneage. beowulf? dont you know anything? you are writing in english, how can you say they have no culture?? you are literaly dependent on brittish culture to communicate with me in this very moment??
america is bad at keeping contact with its european roots, yes, becasue you are so blind to the fact that the US is and will always be european, culturally, linguisticly, etc. and yea consumer bullshit.
White = european. European culture is the language were writing here, its the technology you use, the fact that you have cars and roads, the way you read books, all of popcultures main influence, the calendar, etc, etc.
christmas and easter was occupied and stolen from european paganism by christians 1000 years ago and has been evolving constantly ever since while still mainly beeing pagan, even tho all the christian supression and slaughtering of paganism, but most people are ignorant to this fact.
I love that the old money preppy clothing style was created by someone from a working class background
Yeah, it’s also very ironic
It wasn't created by him...he just copied and capitalized on it.
chs75 and we love to see it
Idk, after reading Paul Fussell my takeaway was that the new rich chase an old money aesthetic, the middle class engages in conspicuous consumption, the working class likes shiny things, and old money does whatever it's accustomed to without thinking about the rest.
I read Class a long time ago though, so I may be misremembering.
Honestly, old money is the reason I wanted to marry a prince when I was seven. Old money is the reason I didn't like princess Tiana even though she was the only black princess, she worked too hard for me to want to ever desire to be her. Old money is the reason I didn't really buy into the American "dream" bc that "dream" is literally running yourself into the ground until by a stroke of luck you strike gold at what...forty? I know this is messed up and makes me sound extremely lazy, but honestly, I'm not. I'm the hardest working person I know, so much that it's literally my personality trait. Sometimes I wonder if I was born into wealth, would I still be as hardworking? Sometimes I wonder if I struck gold right now what personality would I still have left? I really don't know. All I know is the feeling of walking on a thin rope and holding my breath so I don't slip over the edge and surrender to the generational curse of inherited poverty...
But I also really like little black dresses and loafers because I mean, they're hella cute and never going out of style...you know?
Personally I find self-made men more charming & admirable than men who are born into money. I'll rather take a Jeff Bezos over say Jared Kushner any day. I find intellect, ambition, hardwork and perseverance attractive. A lot of these old money dudes just ride on their daddy or grandaddy's coat tails. Look at the memes on Brooklyn Beckham's career - he has nothing going on for himself except being David Beckham's son. It's the same with Prince Harry, he is nothing without his title.
@@user-qg5jw1kb3r and still Jeff is a prick and a cheater while Jared is a family man
@@LalaLa-ze7kv Jared & Jeff were just one example 🙄. Jared is a nobody without his family. How do you know what actually goes behind closed doors? I've seen these "old money" kids party it up in college, they have a typical frat boy personality...they barely studied & even got into universities only because their parents are donors. Despite having low grades, they have a job locked in because of daddy. I find intellect & sincere work ethics to be more attractive.
I'm sure there are wonderful, smart men who happen to be born into money. I know an extremely wealthy doctor whose kids are also very intelligent & got into top medical universities solely on merit. But there aren't that many who succeed on their own. I'm just giving my opinion based on personal experience. The ones who made it on their own are a rare breed compared to those who have the backing of their parents' wealth & family connections. I'll always admire the sweat, passion & perseverance put into achieving something, than it just being handed down. "Wealth can be inherited, but identity has to be created on its own".
Continuing the old money aesthetic in music. I think its very interesting that Tyler the Creator has used it as the basis for his latest album too. And you can see/feel the differences in the general commentary of Vampire Weekend in 2009 vs Tyler the Creator in 2021.
i like how CMIYGL has a colourful approach to it and satirizes the lifestyle and behaviour. he even picked a name like Baudelaire. himself as a person knows he has the wealth now, but it isnt old money, its money he worked for
@jikebox……you expect Taylor to stay the same after 12/13 years apart? Come on
Old money is an everlasting fantasy. It's no surprise it continues to enchant us. Good video.
i had no idea about this romantization of the "old money" aesthetic (i remember studying it for costume design for a story i wrote back when i was in high school), but for some reason the only thing i can think of while looking at the reference pictures is either american psycho, the great gatsby or succession. like, its the aesthetic of dysfunction, insatisfaction and corruption to me, with no appealing sides to it. at least dark academia has some of the more gothic, "intellectual" influences and points of reference...
I just realised rags to riches stories sell poverty and downplayed the role of wealth in one's success. By quoting examples that people overcame their poverty despite all the systematic hardships etc, it just undermines how these systematic factors plays a role in social mobility.
Yes I’ve always thought this, like yeah you might be saying the truth and made it out but for ome of you there’s probably like 10s to 100s of you thst don’t yk
we cant blame the system always
@@AC-mp7cx actually, we can. Most issues are systemic and won't be solved by individual actions.
@@eddie-roo Like what???
@@AC-mp7cx poverty, police brutality, homelessness, systemic racism, lack of access to healthcare, lack of access to education, gender equality, incarceration rates, crime rates, economic unrest, lack of upwards mobility, increasing costs of living with a stagnant minimum wage, drug addiction, corruption, etc.
i've been saying the part of the dark academia aesthetic for YEARS. yet, every time i bring it up people deem me as pretentious and it's like, no, just because i *know* doesn't mean I'm pretentious. this was chef's kiss!
I am obsessed with your videos and I couldn’t have clicked faster on one. I consider my aesthetic to be “old money” and it looks like what you showed in this video. But I am farrrrrr from being anything close to old money. I’m from Amish country Ohio and have a steel factory worker and union-member dad, and my mom is disabled and works as a liquor store cashier. I didn’t even have wifi/computer until I started college in 2016 (had to basically live at the library, shoutout to public libraries!). Thanks to things like tumblr and pinterest I learned about the old money look and adopted it as my style a couple of years ago. When people tell me what their first impression was of me or how they view my aesthetic they legit always said “rich” or “expensive.” I view it as the biggest fuck you to the actual rich and privileged people I have met because it means I am accessing a look that they wanted to remain inaccessible. I thrift all of my clothes, every single thing (I had to growing up as well so I got really good with it). I go to rich neighborhoods and get their used designer blouses and coats and shoes. It makes me feel powerful to carry myself with the confidence of that group of people, like I’m destined for success. I don’t know what it feels like to know that no matter what happens, I’d have security and resources. I don’t know what it feels like to grow up knowing that I could go anywhere I wanted for college and that it was already part of the plan. I don’t know what it’s like to have financial literacy and generational wealth, I have to actually help my parents financially. BUT I can dress like I have all of those things and carry myself like someone who does. I never try to actually pretend I’m old money, I actually constantly talk about my upbringing and struggles. I’m proud to come from a blue collar family. It’s just funny to me that my $16 thrifted outfit can make others ascribe me to a different class because those are constructs.
I grew up poor and I always felt shabby. When I finally got a job that paid well I tried to dress ‘high class’ but I never got it right. I have a lot of respect for someone who can look really put together, and especially so for someone who can do it on a budget. Dressing well shows respect for oneself and for others.
@@theshimmerglimmers105 In a way, you've cracked the answer. 'Trying' to dress high class doesn't work because what we're actually seeing/perceiving from high class people aren't necessarily the clothes, but actually confidence and as you've said respect for yourself and others.
A while back, I was watching a vlog by Love Marie Escudero (probably spelt her last name wrong) but she's an Asian socielite/influencer and comes from old money. Anyways, it was a vlog on jewelry and she explained that some of her most expensive pieces are kept (in a safe/vault), but she has replicas made to a actually wear. Any other person wearing a replica or fake might be called out, suspected or mocked. But a person from the wealthy class can pull off cheap things, costume jewelry and the like because we will automatically ascribe those things as expensive/exclusive that even if they told us it was cheap, we'd still think otherwise. At the end of the day, the way you carry yourself, your mannerisms, your diction/eloquence and confidence is 10x more important that 'dressing' a certain way but we often go for the clothes because it's one of the few things accessible to Being like them.
@@tiffany3652 yes, but my point is that a lot of wealthy people probably do this (use fake items) but with confidence, good manners etc, we naturally assume everything they're wearing is authentic even if we don't know their backgrounds.
@@tiffany3652 LOL! Ugh, met a couple of rich assholes (I grew up close to a neighborhood where they liked to purchase homes in California) and honestly, the only ones that stood out in terms of mannerisms were the old money families. Some where still assholes no doubt but with the way they carried themselves, soft cadences, a specific walk, diction, you could tell they had generational wealth and that the girls still went to 'finishing schools' and the like. New money almost always out themselves out, in the worse way possible, lol.
Even the term 'Black Culture' is American centric. In Africa and the Caribbean, ;black culture; exists within the context of very distinct and specific societies (often within the same regions or countries). Whereas in North America, Black Culture can be monolithic.
I would argue for a distinction between black and Black, with "black" referring to Afro descendant people throughout the diaspora, and "Black" referring specifically to the culture that Afro descendant Americans built in the crucible of chattel enslavement.
Although our ancestors hailed from many different countries and had different cultures and ethnic groups, they were scattered and punished in such a way that it was impossible to maintain individual, distinct black cultures within white supremacist America.
Nevertheless, we built our own culture and it is America's number one export. To me, claiming Blackness as distinct from blackness honors my ancient and more recent ancestors without racing the history or culture of either.
I had never thought about the old money aesthetic but now I want to try it ( not that I have the money to get even one outfit but oh well). I do agree that a big draw is being able to live that life where they don't need to care about money and instead can just worry about romance or learning.
hi, I agree with most of what you say in the video, and btw it was really interesting. but as a sociologist iæd like to clarify some things: 1) white culture feels non existent because its the most normalized one/the most widespread, most mainstream 2) however, what you are talking about is more likely class culture or local culture 3) there's a big difference between white amaricans and white scandinavians, or white greeks. It's mostly american culture and social reality that this represents due to the social value americans place on social status, as social status is heavily based on the idea of achievement that could be measured with money, social circle, privilege and etc
Thank you! This video is so USA-centric that it hurts.
There is also no such thing as european culture, because europe has many different cultures, languages, traditions and so on. In europe it would be so weird to talk about "white culture" because what culture do you mean? Italian? French? Spanish? Ukrainian? Polish? Swiss? Swedish?
Preppy style is edgy when it’s appropriated by marginalized groups. I call it “hard prep” in homage to the hard bop musicians who did it in the late ‘50s and ‘60s.
What I love about the Old Money aesthetic is that I can mix and match my entire closet and always look simple and chic at the same time! I like the look of having mannerisms and honestly I turn more heads with this look. I’m a walking mystery when my outfits are the Old Money aesthetic. I love looking put together and noticed that not only the California style is old news but so many people dress super casual with a lack luster sense of fashion. Old Money gives you the best of both worlds.
I never really viewed old money as Americanized I more viewed old money with European family lineages. And I didn’t view it either as humble, I more viewed it as sophisticated and a tangible view of affluence without effort. I like that you focused ur video on the American Old Money aesthetic but I wish it could have more referenced its European attributes. It might have helped ur White Culture definition as much of their culture is related to Europeans. ❤️🤍🖤 no hate just a minor critique from a history and literature student.
i agree, lot of the aesthetic is copy or repurposing of the style of British aristocrats and other Western European countries. the aesthetic is made to look old but in the grand scheme of things is quite new in American society. the core parts of the aesthetic has existed all over Europe for centuries some parts even before the inception of America. there is a lot of so called old money style items that are a regular part of many Western European daily style.
Agree.
Even many americans "old money" families in his moment was "new money", and some of them were not even related to slavery as such, since many arrived in America only in the mid-nineteenth century, for example Guggenheim, Mellon, Getty, Houghton, Vanderbilts, etc. Many Vanderbilts was named in his moment like "new rich" and was very oppulent to the moment.
No one can deny that they did not commit abuses, such as labor (security, crowds, smoke, etc.), but it must also be considered that at that time almost in no corner of the world there was something like "labor rights", that was a modern invention of the 20th century, paradoxically in Europe.
@@jzz6342 exactly a lot of European “old money” comes from slavery and beyond the mid nineteenth century related to monarchism and nobility status. And these entrepreneurs at the time were working under the new emerging globalization and lassie-fair trading, that created the new-old families of the americas you referenced. One form of old money so displayed from the Gentrification of European estates like in pride and prejudice, the Bingleys were new money and Mr Darcy’s family was serious OLD money. Thank you for ur input❤️
@@AngeliaVillar The old money in Europe is highly diversified, to attribute merely to slavery is reductionist. Although it is undeniable that a percentage of this is related to it either directly or indirectly. Was a continent with many regions, kingdoms, and population, so there are diversity in the business. The german family Thurn und Taxis, for example, a very old monet family have his fortune by the postal business within the Sacrum Germanic Empire in its beginnings, and later the cattle ranch and the beer.
Something that strikes me is that nobody talks about the "old money" of the East, which exists, and a lot, for example in India, Turkey, Japan, etc.
Caucasian Europeans? What does it even mean😂
Why can't we just like a style because you just find it nice, cute, pretty and feel happy in it lol I looove the original gossip girl style I couldn't care less about social class but I adore a classic fit :) plaid, blazer, structured coats, absolutely love it.
Same. I couldn't care less about wasp old money social class but I do love their aesthetic
It's important to know where things come from.
If you're not interested, just don't watch video essays, documentaries or think pieces
Maybe in America "white culture" is bland, not in Europe. We have wide variety of cultures and folklores which include music, food, traditions, clothes etc. "White cultre" isn't bland. Here, in Europe we don't even call it "white culture". Every country has it's own history, it's own traditions, way o living, creating art etc. It's just not as visible on the world market as "American white culture" is.
Bella "homeboy can get it" Hadid
On a strictly fashion level, I find the dark academia style to be the most economical in the long run. You buy a nice wool plaid skirt once and you never need to replace it unless you gain or lose a lot of weight.
The old money aesthetic is really interesting to see, especially when its worn as costume or an aesthetic. Seeing people dress up like this is really interesting when you grew up like this. Especially when they dress in what looks like a near identical replica of your uniform which is wild, because when you look at it its like "ewww, I remember having to do xyz in that" though there are other elements of the old money aesthetic, the that is very popular as a trend, that is very American, as in when you look at them you automatically think old american money specifically.
I also think that my country, being colonized by the uk and the climate also influences what I and the people around me perceive as old money.
Hmm, an interesting take. May I ask where you're from? I have a Nigerian friend who also had the whole old money childhood (boarding school, vacations to Europe, formal clothing, British curriculums, table manners etc) and I read that Nigeria and several Aftican countries were also colonized by England so that kind of upbringing becomes a lifestyle as opposed to the rest of us who just take it as an aesthetic. I find that contrast interesting. Because even if you aren't old money by heritage, just by upbringing makes you seem more authentic as opposed to just imitation.
You are waaay more likely to see this aesthetic on people playing dress up on tiktok rather than walking down the actual street. This is the problem with reading too much into an aesthetic that is actually just pushing sophistication. It’s just about the cheapest aesthetic you can thrift and is actually pretty accessible-you just go for what looks sophisticated.
What should actually be focused on is the business models people benefit from because the majority of people benefiting from exploitative business don’t dress like this.
This aesthetic is not a valid representation some of the most well known exploitative businessmen are college drop outs ( norm core is more the red flag nowadays ) and these trust fund models just want to look like a Kardashian which is the antithesis of old money.
This is hysterical to me. I studied history and have met many old money upper class people.
They don't dress 'understated' and 'subtle' because of taste, they just dress normal and everyone already knows who they are.
Because they are the upper class people pay attention to them. They could wear a pair of torn jeans and people would pay attention because they are already in the spotlight.
Plenty of people dress in casual 'old money' clothes and no one cares because they have no fame or power.
The nouveau riche have to show off more status.
Sorry I'm nerdy as fuck so i wrote a goddamn essay but i think that your idea of "the game" is really on point...
There is so much shame around financial privilege in America because, since the glided age, our self worth has been based on how much progress we have made in our lifetime, and admitting that you started at the top leads to the assumption that you have not made any of that progress yourself. Hence, there is an ongoing need to prove that you created your own wealth rather than inheriting it. If you are not able to prove your humble origins, you can at least imply that you didn't inherit your wealth by parading your disdain for the rich and the behaviors associated with richness. In reality, coming from money does not mean you can't work hard, because you can be rich and still work hard to learn for the sake of learning, to follow a passion or to help others - coming from money simply means that this work was not done out of necessity.
It's interesting to compare this estimation of worth to the aristocratic British values that you find in books by authors like Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, where old money and the cultural and social norms that come with it are the ideal, and it is understood that hard work is simply a necessity for those who do not come from old money. For men this meant earning a living through employment, and for women this meant either performing domestic labor, or learning to fake the cultural values of old money through poetry, music, languages, art and fashion in order to transcend class boundaries and marry rich.
I think part of the reason the "Old money" aesthetic is popular is because, if you come from a basic level of privilege (i.e middle class) you can learn to fake it - buy sweaters, plaid, polos and loafers, read books and learn languages, speak a certain way and engage in certain activities. Old money has no need to try, and they know the money is not going away. The culture implies the existence of money whilst supposedly being too "well adjusted" to engage in consumerism. On the other hand "New money" makes a loud and garish show of wealth. In an oxymoronic way, this makes old money more accessible than "new money", where only the uber-wealthy can afford the thousand dollar handbags, jewellery, conspicuous brand name clothing, cars and plastic surgery required to achieve this aesthetic.
I truly appreciate your humanity, Amanda! Well put content!!
the title is the best thing i’ve ever read!
That last point, about escape from labour and the upper class aesthetic, was very perceptive
I kind of thought the look is more popular now because it’s easier to access the polo style/tennis skirt look now because of fast fashion. So now people are able to access an aesthetic now that they couldn’t back in the 80s/90s rich aesthetic. Also watching shows like the Nanny gives a nice contrast between middle and upper class fashion.
i would love a video discussing the stigmatism around the performing arts especially in education - how it is looked down upon to pursue a career within the arts - or even in high school. why is stem prioritized and how did this start? anyways just a suggestion - I loved this video and agree with all the points you made
Stem- the elites are running out of ideas to capitalize off, promote stem to the masses, hire stem kids, make money off what they come up with. Just my opinion.
@@Anita-md9ze that is exactly it. The elites capitalize heavily on stem- especially tech- as (another reason they promote STEM education/careers) they are tools used to easily persuade and control the masses. Art frees the mind, it promotes getting in touch with yourself and encourages a deeper look inside yourself which helps form you into an individual, and so it is harder to control those in the arts when the arts promote growth as individuals as well as promote growth in community. Many human rights movements and thoughts challenging status quo set by the elite started in the arts, so to the wealthy, those in the arts Are Bad.
I think stem is prioritized because of the importance for STEM careers. For example, the world needs more doctors and promoting STEM is one way of encouraging more people to enter the medical field- And careers within the art industry are not really in need of people as much as medical staff, engineers, etc. I think that performing arts and other majors are "looked down upon" because society doesn't see them as valuable to our current world.
great work and also great editing! and lol at that woman explaining how self-made or poor she was by saying she was 'only allowed to get her first luis vitons after highschool'
as per the aesthetics, i believe some just like it cause it's beautiful (after all, the rich have all the resources to make it best looking and best quality) but also mostly because of what's associated with it. the bourgeois ideology is dominant in every aspect and through every little thing, this is no different.
Incredible video, thank so much for making this!! Absolutely loved every point you brought up and all the perspectives you brought up
Not only are you so beautiful but your content is just… *chefs kiss. I could watch your videos all day (and have)
yeah its weird being poor but growing up around kids in school who had and flaunted much more than i did so, to compensate for their new clothes and fashion i choose to go back to that 1920s sort of men's 'dark academia/ Sebastian from Brideshead Revisited/ Aziraphale clothes (since they are surprisingly easy to find at my old goodwill) to make up for it. I still love the style and read classics but hardly dress like it anymore now that im away from them.
I was engaged when you added that filter over the definition of Old Money
Beautifully said! I agreed to the part when you said a lot of us in the pandemic have had a sense of where they are and if they truly want to continue doing miserable jobs or classes. I personally enjoy old money aesthetic for the romanticization of education, it helps in the long run!
Loved this video, the narration, music, references! Spot on! 💕
this was such a wonderful analysis! you are so kind. I love you, beautiful soul
UURGGHH! I ADORE YOU SO MUCH! You always choose the best topics and you really dive in. Yes yes yes!
I love your energy and smooth way of speaking ! It screams confidences.
Wow, eloquently put. I was engaged the whole way. Thank you. Subscribed!
Class is in session 😌
This was a dissertation! I’m so glad I found this video and can’t wait to see the next one
the title is so good!!
omfg i'd *completely* forgotten about Vampire Weekend, tysm for the nostalgia ~
i'm literally in love with your voice it's so so calming
This was an amazing video & very educational great job sis
was enraptured throughout this! the way Amanda presented the nuance of the situation lowkey blew my mind. i'm really intrigued by the idea of appropriating the visual language of the privileged as a way to say that everyone else should have some of the "luxuries" they have.
side note: your hair is so pretty! I love that look
Amazing video! And thanks for the book recommendation!
One of the best video essayists 💘💘
Excellent topic and execution.
I loved learning about the name Ralph Lauren not being his actual name- really interesting!! Great video!
Every time I find a video like this, I have to actively remind myself that this is pertinent to ***the USA specifically***, and that taken out of context, the semantics break down. Because, as a West African, I was wondering what the hell "black culture" meant... But it's okay. It makes total sense, once the context is re-established.
Same as an European, but then again the European and American view seems to differ to decide who is considered white to begin with so it's even more of a mess.
You seem naive. Are you telling me Nigerians and Ghanaians have the same culture. Black in America is not Africa.
@@miamitten1123 As a response to my comment, what you wrote makes no sense.
@@N9ndo that’s true America has a very unique history that can be confusing from an outside perspective. Like where I’m from white just means anyone of predominantly European ancestry but I’m guessing it’s different in Europe
Been so long since I’ve heard good vampire weekend discourse, love this vid
Yay, thank you!
This is such a fresh take on this subject. I'll be thinking on this for a while, I can already tell!
Lovely Amanda! Always well researched, articulated, super informative and well delivered. Love it! Thank you 🙏🏾😊🌸
Thanks for sharing resources! These should be helpful for my fiction research. 👍👍👍
Thank you! I enjoyed this and learned things 🙌 subscribed
I really like the parallel or class cross-ever between The Strokes and VW. Funny how Julian Casablancas and his rich white friends adopted a 'broke rock kid' looks, while VW who come from a more middle-class background adopted this preppy bourgeois aesthetic.
Thank you for this video!
i love watching your videos can u do a video on book recs you read that gives u ideas to film or dealing with social power and justice. i’m running out of books to read
French, British, German, Italian cultures are different.
brilliant analysis!
Thanks for your thoughts!
Good job!! Excellent breakdown babe!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Interesting topic i would have never thought of, congrats on 200k!
This is totally unrelated, but this is the first time I'm watching your videos and can I just say, oh my god, you are so pretty!
Wonderful video very interesting analysis!!
Technically, everything European could consider white culture.
Even many americans "old money" families in his moment was "new money", and some of them were not even related to slavery as such, since many arrived in America only in the mid-nineteenth century, for example Guggenheim, Mellon, Getty, Houghton, Vanderbilts, etc. Many Vanderbilts was named in his moment like "new rich" and was very oppulent to the moment. So basically in US "Old Money" is mostly from XX century and some of XIX, but principal second mid XX.
No one can deny that they did not commit abuses, such as labor (security, crowds, smoke, etc.), but it must also be considered that at that time almost in no corner of the world there was something like "labor rights", that was a modern invention of the 20th century, paradoxically in Europe.
Europeans created class and race based oppression through colonization and other things... but were also the first people to create labor rights and abolish policies such as slavery. Like what
@@chocolateaddictedartist5924 The Aztecs, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, etc., did not have socioeconomic stratifications? for example castes? They always saw each other as ethnic equals? then how do you explain the "flowery war" of the Aztecs?
Class and race differentiations have always existed, but they used other concepts.
Please, study more history.
Did you know that the Japanese and Chinese had ethnic conflicts with each other? That the people of East Africa did not feel equal to those of West Africa? Even the Germans did not feel the same as the Balts, and that both are equally labeled as white today
@@jzz6342 While I'm not saying that cultures besides European ones didn't have racist and classist policies, a vast portion of the world was once colonized or occupied by a European country. As you probably know, Europe exploited a lot of their resources, which probably have an effect on their economic growth on those countries today, especially considering many of these countries are poor. It's just a bit ironic to me, at least, that European countries did this much damage to so much of the world... but also happened to be the first ones to create laws trying to undo all the international injustice they caused. However, I'm not trying to say that other places didn't do that as well. Also yes, I do know especially in India that there's still a lot of caste based discrimination, I'm indian lol and my family has definitely been negatively affected by it.
I watch your videos as a non-american to learn about american culture. Kept reminding myself that for americans, "white people" is a specific shorthand to upper class white anglo saxon americans
Am I the only one that be cracking up during these video essays?!?!? Reality is hilarious
I come a from a family of seamstresses and I always loved the preppy and ivy look. The thoufght of having a lineage of greatness and worldly people, stuck in my head since I was a kid. I actually and still aspire to that and I think you're right, the idea of people living for the mere reason of living is one the reason why the Old money aesthetic is coming. TO be honest, I didn't know it was back.I guess I was of my time or behind it 😅😅😅
but I also think Jay.z and Beyonce have a role in it, since they have made more cool to look comfortably rich again. That grind even if you made it energy, that needed to go out the door
I really enjoyed this video. :)
Native New Yorker here, Central Park was a thriving Black (and indigenous) community: Seneca Village, the beautiful Black community was destroyed, stolen, and is now known as Central Park.
old money... new money... lol it's still money. i don't understand why people glamorize it so much. we use it to buy things and necessities but then it became so exploited that living becomes a luxury now. kill me lmao this world is tiring
There are so many similar styles, lifestyles, etc, that aren't as problematic: dark academia, classic prep, etc... It's like so many are cosplaying a style of a group of people (old money) that want nothing to do with them and that they'll never be a part of. I understand to dress for success and if you enjoy hobbies & lifestyle, then go for it, then it's just a "classy" lifestyle... but also we should find a higher sense of self respect & realize that the same thing some desire and spend all of their money on, is a part of the culture that has not just oppressed people in certain times, but also wants to keep you desperate and stuck in a cycle of poverty by feeding into their machine of consumerism.
Great content!
I lived through preppy culture and it’s just so racist that I hope it never comes back. Bye polo, Lacoste, le Tigre. Rugby, AF, AE, Hollister
I direct you to Paul Fussell's work of genius on the American social class system, titled, quite appropriately... _Class_. MUCH of what you are describing here is the "brand image" of high social class-- something very different from the actual aesthetic of high social class in America. "Luxury Branding" is very much a phenomenon of the classes aspiring to climb, trying to purchase what they VIEW as the things the Social Elites wear, drink, drive, etc.... Ralph Lauren sells the middle class suburbs an image of "classy", functionally identical to the way Donald Trump sells himself as the brand of the "rich classy" to a poorer, tackier clientele. Neither have anything to do with the actual habits or preferences or aesthetics of the people of whom they pretend to represent the "lifestyle"-- branding ITSELF is anathema to people with absolutely nothing to prove.
i love this woman. great content.
Good video. I actually am from an old money family, although it's been disgraced (from the perspective of that class) because of the actions of my grandparents, so the only thing I have to show for it is the aesthetic. Interesting to know it's now a trendy thing again for younger kids when I got called gay in school for wearing what I just considered normal clothes that my dad and grand parents wore. My family was a steel family closely related to Carnegie and got it's original money from land-holding (farmland as well as leased land to coal mining companies) pre-American revolution then amplified it several fold with the creation of American Steel.
I always wondered why people liked the old money aesthetic. I'm not American but I see it being romanticized a lot. Thank you for this video it was illuminating
Another excellent analysis. Love the bit about name changes.
I am high and can't write a meaningful comment right now but your thoughts are so good!
I loved this video!!!!!
Love this
I am from germany and we have alot of old money running in the family, wich we know, was earned by having :" Leibeigene", people who sold themselves to their local "Fürst" (something like a lord) because that was the only way they could pay taxes or erase debt.
Brilliant topic, very interesting.
I’d like to point out that there’s no white AMERICAN culture. Europe is very culturally diverse
There are multiple white American cultures, not just one.
with that shocking statistic you quoted about the change in income sources, i am tempted to believe that we might have a revolution by my 100th birthday.....
Perhaps even before tbh, I can’t wait to see too tbh
You're awesome!