# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/81 "2015-12-02T19:52:05Z")
I have heard from several sources that when peanut butter was first introduced, it was considered a luxury item. Definitely tacky then and now in at least one sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/82 "2015-12-02T20:02:40Z")
Lots of 50’s style food [but especially aspic](http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/02/15/the-icky-era-of-aspic/). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/83 "2015-12-02T20:19:49Z")
In many parts of California, $250,000 “beachfront” property means that the house was flooded and is full of mold. And the “bay windows” are bullet holes. > [@Shagnasty](#): > > Lots of 50’s style food [but especially aspic](http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/02/15/the-icky-era-of-aspic/). That was the era where they decided that lime jello was something that should be paired with meat. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/84 "2015-12-02T20:30:23Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Would that not be an astronomically cheap waterfront home? Like a shanty or shack or something along those lines? $250,000 doesn’t buy you very much house anywhere, and I can’t imagine that a beachfront Maine house would be very big or nice for such a small amount. It’s a second home (as **Ludovic** mentions), is bayfront (the better to drop the boat’s anchor a few hundred yards from the back door), and there is no beach. They’ve had the place for a while (I looked it up, because I’m nosy.) It’s not a huge house, but it’s nice, and has a good deck. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/85 "2015-12-02T20:31:54Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Master baths with tubs set in large decks, often with steps leading up to them. Now, everyone wants free-standing tubs that cost $4k - $6k just for the tub. Where do you put your wine, your towel, and your book? And where does the cat sit? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/86 "2015-12-02T20:56:05Z")
Kale ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/87 "2015-12-02T21:30:01Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Well, you misread me. > > First, I believe my posting history would establish me as sympathetic to poor people, wherever that has been relevant, should anyone care to look. > > Second, the set of poor people is not congruent with the set of Walmart shoppers. > > Third, Walmart is loaded with brand-new tacky crapola. A very discerning person may be able to go there sometimes without partaking, but they are clearly selling mountains of it. It’s also full of perfectly serviceable low-end household goods and foodstuffs and, honestly, there aren’t a lot of alternatives for poor and middle-class households for a lot things they have. Furthermore, the point was that “tacky” is relative. And it is. They may seem tacky to you, but saying that the substantial portion of the population genuinely has no sense of appropriateness just seems really dehumanizing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/88 "2015-12-02T21:33:33Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > > > Would cassette players count here? > > They’ve already come back around to hipsterism. You know, I thought that it would be funny to make vinyl mainstream again, so hipsters would start listening to cassettes and get stuck with poor sound quality. Just to mess with them. The fact that they did that to themselves makes me feel like I lost somehow. Of course their music sucks anyway, so I still win. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/89 "2015-12-02T21:37:57Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > One of my high school teachers had a mink stole like that, and one day she brought it in. (I don’t remember why.) It was seriously creepy. I can’t imagine wanting to wear such a thing, even for a second. If you were making a horror movie set deep in the Rocky Mountains, and the bad guy was some kind of demented cannibal recluse, this thing would look perfect on him. Yet there was a time when that stole was the pinnacle of fashion. My aunt had one[like this](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c7/9d/a3/c79da34c13d25858ba1da3f8532c099c.jpg) in the 1950s. I thought it was really cool, especially the little beady eyes and the paws. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/90 "2015-12-02T22:02:16Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > 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. Or even worse: in reference to violent criminals. My mother is a retired police transcriptionist, and whenever an officer used that word, she would type “man”. She also did not use the word “lady” in reference to female criminals. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/91 "2015-12-02T22:18:27Z")
Either that, or “gentlemen” is preceded by “can I help you…” and generally implies an employee heading off a man who might cause trouble. According to Idiocracy, “particular individual” will be the future version of that. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/92 "2015-12-02T22:27:06Z")
Its about time someone repurposes all those fur stolas and coats into something modern. Trouble is, the target group for upcycled stuff is anti-fur. As for the op: go big or go home frothy lacy wedding dresses. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/93 "2015-12-02T22:49:20Z")
Of course some of us have the kind of timeless taste that never goes out of style. We knew that avocado fridges were tacky even when everyone else was buying them. 🆒 ---
**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 3, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/94 "2015-12-03T02:45:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > My aunt had one[like this](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c7/9d/a3/c79da34c13d25858ba1da3f8532c099c.jpg) in the 1950s. I thought it was really cool, especially the little beady eyes and the paws. That’s pretty much what the ones my wife is trying to unload look like. They _feel_ incredible, I must say. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/95 "2015-12-03T04:16:13Z")
Your Mum. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/96 "2015-12-03T09:24:08Z")
Usenet. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/97 "2015-12-03T09:35:30Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > 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. Consistent with that, in the United States, “gentleman” is also what Members of Congress call each other. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/98 "2015-12-03T11:48:52Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Kale Well, kale started off as poverty food anyway, it was something that would grow in virtually any soil, without much looking after, to last through winter. It was the sort of thing my Grandad grew in the back garden for some cheap vegetables through winter. It suddenly being taken up as a fashionable foodstuff was the unusual thing, not it becoming a common food again. It’s been a common food for centuries. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/99 "2015-12-03T12:57:05Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Its about time someone repurposes all those fur stolas and coats into something modern. Trouble is, the target group for upcycled stuff is anti-fur. True; the largest target group IS totally anti-fur. I’ve seen several recycled fur items on Etsy, and have been considering buying a few. I like fur and have no problem wearing a) wild-caught fur of certain species, or b) fur that is pre-consciousness-raising era. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > That’s pretty much what the ones my wife is trying to unload look like. They _feel_ incredible, I must say. I’m pretty sure someone has said this, but you might want to contact sellers who repurpose items like these for Etsy. Those could be remade into earmuffs, headbands, or wrist cuffs (to put on gloves). Maybe into a small collar to wear over a sweater (mmm, with a dark grey or ivory cashmere sweater…). But these days, no one wants the heads and paws. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121/100 "2015-12-03T13:35:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Would that not be an astronomically cheap waterfront home? Like a shanty or shack or something along those lines? $250,000 doesn’t buy you very much house anywhere, and I can’t imagine that a beachfront Maine house would be very big or nice for such a small amount. That’s what I was thinking. You can’t even get a house on Lake George for anything less than a million dollars. When I was in high school in the late 70’s early 80’s, if you had clothing made by OP you were in. Now it’s one of the chapest clothing brands sold by Wal\*Mart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-used-to-be-considered-high-class-that-are-now-tacky/739121.md?page=6)