People often like to indicate off their social status, ensuring that those around them are impressed by their position. Although titles are some of the common status symbols, they don’t make anyone realize at first glance that they need to admire one other party. This is where another status symbols come into play. Different objects at different times were related to the elite, allowing someone to inform if someone was worthy of admiration. While some status symbols still make some sense today, others were downright bizarre. Here’s a take a look at ten strange status symbols over time.
1. Mummies
During the Victorian era, Egyptomania gripped many wealthier households. One way they showed their appreciation for Egypt was to buy a mummy, which they then displayed of their homes.
The extraordinarily wealthy went even further and held unpacking parties. There the guests could watch the disclosing of the bodies.
2. Pineapple
While pineapples are actually widely available in most parts of the world due to advances in transportation and logistics, this was not the case a number of hundred years ago. This is reported by the BBC that Europeans due to this fact viewed pineapples as an incredible luxury and made them a standing symbol.
It was not unusual for buyers to easily display the pineapples moderately than eat them. As a result, they eventually rotted where they sat.
It was also possible to rent pineapples for parties. In these cases, these were decorative items that served simply to indicate that the household was in a position to obtain one for the occasion.
3. Krakow
Crakows were a style of shoe that became popular within the fifteenth centuryTh century in Europe. They were incredibly inconvenient and had long, elongated toes that prolonged several to twenty inches or more beyond the tip of an individual’s foot. The long top was merely a fashion statement, although some viewed longer lengths as an indication of the wearer’s increased “masculinity.”
Finally, the legislature stepped in and limited the length of the toe. As a result, the status symbol soon lost popularity.
4. Follies
A folly is actually a fake castle spoil. The large structures were popular within the United Kingdom from the 18th centuryTh until the nineteenthTh For centuries it served no purpose aside from to display an individual’s wealth or to function a spot for board games or similar types of entertainment. Here is a listing of interesting follies Here.
5. Gout
While it’s hard to assume that a painful illness might be viewed as a standing symbol, this was the case within the nineteenth centuryTh Century. Gout was considered a wealthy man’s disease since it was related to a style of excessive consumption that was only possible in wealthier classes on the time.
6. Tied feet
Foot binding was a painful process that young women in China needed to undergo. This resulted in significant deformities, often leading to the foot never being longer than about seven centimeters.
The final result – which was known as “lotus feet” – was considered highly desirable characteristics until the early Nineteen TwentiesTh Century. However, the practice was banned in 1912, stopping others from collaborating within the tradition.
7. Board games
Although board games are commonplace nowadays, that wasn’t at all times the case. Instead, they were once used as gifts that highlighted status. Many of those featured rigorously crafted, handcrafted pieces produced from high-quality materials. As a result, they became related to wealthier people.
8. Sugar
Sugar was a standing symbol within the Middle Ages. As a result, households created displays of sugar sculptures called delicacies. The intricacies were designed to appear to be buildings, animals and other people. Additionally, they were edible and sometimes ended up as a part of a lavish meal for esteemed guests.
In the Victorian era, sugar led to a different status symbol: blackened teeth. Rotten teeth were considered an indication that you can afford sugar, so people dyed their teeth to mimic the look of tooth decay. Source: Gizmodo.com.
9. Hermit
Some European nobles hired “hermits” to live to tell the tale their properties. Not only did they show that they may afford to herald one other person, but additionally they had that person tackle the role of a stereotypical hermit. This included poor hygiene standards, preaching to visitors, and even scaring guests into foolishness.
10. X-rays
In the early twentieth centuryTh In the nineteenth century, X-rays were treated as a novelty. Accordingly MSN.comPeople were fascinated by the thought of having the ability to see their skeletons, leading many to take x-rays simply to display the resulting image. Because there was a lot interest within the technology, owning your personal X-ray machine was often considered a standing symbol. Later research found that top doses of X-rays were harmful to health and their popularity declined.
What makes a standing symbol?
In short: .
A standing symbol is mostly considered to be an object that indicates the owner’s high social or economic position. What constitutes a standing symbol has modified over time and cultural context. However, an interesting explanation of what constitutes a standing symbol is obtainable by the late American sociologist Thorstein Veblin. Veblin argued that status objects convey status in all contexts because they indicate that the item’s owner was a member of the upper class—and, within the case of fashion, that the person didn’t perform manual labor.
