# Things that used to be considered "high class" that are now tacky **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121 "2015-12-01T16:50:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/41 "2015-12-01T22:14:29Z")
Miley ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/42 "2015-12-01T22:42:15Z")
Wallpaper? In the 70’s/early 80’s it was in many higher end suburban homes. Heck, I remember how proud my family was of grasscloth wallpaper. Now, it’s a sign of pure tackiness ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/43 "2015-12-01T23:12:08Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Wallpaper? In the 70’s/early 80’s it was in many higher end suburban homes. Heck, I remember how proud my family was of grasscloth wallpaper. > > Now, it’s a sign of pure tackiness You could probably say the same thing about that ‘wood’ paneling that was everywhere for a while. Wood paneling in a country estate is still veddy veddy upper crust, but that faux wood synthetic ‘stuff’ in a regular house is an automatic tear-out. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/44 "2015-12-01T23:18:36Z")
Showing off a pineapple at a party. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/45 "2015-12-01T23:23:00Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Showing off a pineapple at a party. But it’s the international symbol of hospitality! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/46 "2015-12-01T23:28:15Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > All black waitstaff? Waitstaff who all happen to be black is one thing. What you’re talking about it quite another. Would cassette players count here? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/47 "2015-12-01T23:34:15Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Would cassette players count here? They’ve already come back around to hipsterism. Maybe they could go in the thread for “high end does x, middle does y, low end does x” because really small bands still put stuff out on cassette because it’s cheap even if they are not hipsters. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/48 "2015-12-01T23:56:18Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Waitstaff who all happen to be black is one thing. What you’re talking about it quite another. What, like waitstaff made up entirely of Maori rugby players? Because I can’t help but think that would be awesome. “_Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup._” Waiter: _**[GLARE](http://files1.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_248/2484955/file/adidas-moko-small-78095.jpg)**_ “_Oh, sorry, my mistake, I guess that was just an ordinary raisin…with wings._” ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/49 "2015-12-02T00:05:18Z")
I remember reading an interview with somebody and the question asked was, “When did you really realize you were rich?” And the guy said he was taking his car–a Jag I think–in for some routine thing or other, and he happened to recall that when he had a Subaru, he did not know his mechanic’s name, or need to. And he realized he was rich enough that he did not need a Jag and could go and buy himself another Outback. So he did. I personally cannot wait until asparagus gets low class and is no longer the vegetable of choice at fancy steak houses. Not that I go to fancy steak houses for vegetables in the first place. But then they will probably come up with something even worse. (I know, it’s hard to imagine.) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/50 "2015-12-02T00:05:27Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > What, like waitstaff made up entirely of Maori rugby players? Because I can’t help but think that would be awesome. > > “_Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup._” > Waiter: _**[GLARE](http://files1.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_248/2484955/file/adidas-moko-small-78095.jpg)**_ > “_Oh, sorry, my mistake, I guess that was just an ordinary raisin…with wings._” “I hate All Blacks! Hey, why are people throwing things at me?” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/51 "2015-12-02T00:33:12Z")
If we want to look at language, I think one example might be the use of the word “gentleman”, at least in Southern Ontario. The only place I see that word used is on “Gentlemen’s Clubs”, in other words strip clubs. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/52 "2015-12-02T00:41:19Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > What about fur outerwear, such as a mink stole…? These seemed very popular among the well off several decades ago. My impression is that they are not as popular now. Anyone know? My father-in-law inherited, from an elderly neighbor, two sable stoles of the sort popular in the early twentieth century - that is, including the heads and claws of the animals. (The purpose, so far as I can tell, was to show that they weren’t fake. Pretty gruesome, I have to say.) He tried selling them, but, living as he does in the armpit of Florida, got no takers. So he sent them up here to us, to see if we could do better. My wife has tried just about every antique seller and vintage clothes dealer, and _nada._ Nobody is interested. Dunno if it’s the moral issue, or simple aesthetics, but it’s been almost a year and not a bite. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/53 "2015-12-02T00:52:02Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > My father-in-law inherited, from an elderly neighbor, two sable stoles of the sort popular in the early twentieth century - that is, including the heads and claws of the animals. (The purpose, so far as I can tell, was to show that they weren’t fake. Pretty gruesome, I have to say.) > > He tried selling them, but, living as he does in the armpit of Florida, got no takers. So he sent them up here to us, to see if we could do better. My wife has tried just about every antique seller and vintage clothes dealer, and _nada._ Nobody is interested. Dunno if it’s the moral issue, or simple aesthetics, but it’s been almost a year and not a bite. Often you can find very nice fur coats at thrift stores. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/54 "2015-12-02T01:09:00Z")
Vacationing in Cancún Cruise ships ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/55 "2015-12-02T01:09:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Linoleum flooring. When first invented this was the toast of the town. Now it’s seen as cheap flooring. Aluminium cutlery was all the rage among the rich in the 19th century (Napoleon III had a set made for state dinners); it used to cost more than _gold_ cutlery. [Gelatin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin_dessert) used to be an exotic dessert choice because of how difficult and labour intensive it was to prepare. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/56 "2015-12-02T01:18:58Z")
The Ball-point pen. From [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen) > [@](#): > > Debuting at Gimbels department store in New York City on 29 October 1945, for US$9.75 each, Reynolds Rocket became the first commercially successful ballpoint pen. Reynolds went to great extremes to market the pen, with great success; Gimbel’s sold many thousands of pens within one week. In Britain, the Miles Martin pen company was producing the first commercially successful ballpoint pens there by the end of 1945. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/57 "2015-12-02T01:24:39Z")
Also: Gimbal’s nemesis, Macy’s. Both were definitely upscale; It was well into the 1980’s before Macy’s California (at least the CA operation) would accept Visa or MasterCard - it would accept only its own card or AMEX. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/58 "2015-12-02T01:32:01Z")
Has anyone mentioned beauty queens? ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/59 "2015-12-02T01:51:57Z")
Being overweight. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/60 "2015-12-02T01:59:52Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The Walmart shopper probably thinks shopping at thrift stores is “tacky”. I don’t think the Walmart shopper has a concept of tacky. The objection to thrift stores is that the stuff is not “brand new.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121.md?page=4)