Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down What Used To Signify Poverty But Now Is A Sign Of Wealth

it is astonishing when we look back at the evolution of the signs of money.

From fashion to food to decor darling, the poor have created and fashioned the style of the rich.

Sadly the rich keep all the coin and steal the style.

If some stogy old dead rich people could see what their generational wealth is buying today... they'd die again.

Redditor Wezard_the_MemeLord wanted to discuss how the representation of money has shifted over time. They asked:

"What used to be a symbol of poor person 50-100 years ago but now literally says 'this guy is really rich?'"

Money has evolved so much over the years. I'm intrigued to see where I fit now.

On Top

will ferrell elf GIFGiphy

"Before elevators were common, the higher up you lived in a building the poorer you were."

User Deleted

"When I lived in apartments, I would always try to get something on the top floor. Sure, moving is easier on the bottom, but bugs and robberies and upstairs neighbors are less of a problem on the top."

JADW27

"Too far"

"Handmade clothes made of natural fabrics. 50 years ago, people with money had paisley polyester shirts and bell bottoms."

zoqfotpik

"Yo. That was me. Early 70's. I had leisure suits. More than one. Navy blue with flared bottoms. Mostly synthetic. My favorite shirt was polyester with a giant collar, opened to the third button. The colors were mostly gold and blue, featuring images of swans. Mostly. Tony Manero would have taken a look and said, 'Too far.'"

SuboptimalButHopeful

Chaos

"Here in Brazil the floor of most houses is made of ceramic, but not so long ago it was really expensive to have your entire house with ceramic floors, which are usually square, so poor people went to the stores and asked for remains, shards, pieces etc."

"Theoretically they wouldn't be as beautiful as the whole floor but this 'chaotic' and 'rustic' style ended up falling in the taste of the rich, today it is more expensive to pay for a floor made of shards than a floor made in whole and large pieces."

ReiDosNSFW

Size Always Mattered

"100 years ago being tan and muscular was a sign that you were poor and had to work all the time. Now being tan and muscular is a sign that you can afford to eat healthy and have the free time for an exercise routine."

jerrythecactus

"Well, back in olden times, a large, fat person like this was a person of power. A person who had money, who could buy food. A person of respect, like the regional manager of the day. Whereas someone athletic and trim like myself was somebody who worked in the fields, and I was a peasant."

KypDurron

The Burroughs...

Giphy

"Living in Brooklyn."

Vast-Bend6076

"I coulda bought a place in Dumbo before it was Dumbo. For like 2 million. That same building today is worth 25 million. Guess how I'm feelin'? Dumbo."

beardedkingface

Ahh Brooklyn. I feel like this thought can define MANY parts of NYC. But yeah, Brooklyn is now unaffordable.

fried or steamed?

Cancel White Rice GIF by John Crist ComedyGiphy

"Brown rice. Used to be poor/prison food in China. Now it's expensive (and healthier) option over white rice."

Deliximus

"natural"

"Currently very en vogue in Germany are 'natural' construction materials like clay, hemp wool and wood. I had workers on my house from Rumania, and they were all laughing, because they are happy that they don't have to use this dirt and crap back at home anymore, and now they come to Germany just to work with it again for big money."'

Barackenpapst

The Menu

"Eating brisket. Brisket was consider poor person food. It is the toughest piece of the steer and difficult to cook properly. Now brisket and smoking meats are considered almost gourmet."

Dogstarman1974

"Eating lobster and crab was the same way. They were bottom feeders fit for peasant tastes before it became fashionable to eat."

Blacksun388

Fashion...

"Ripped jeans."

Silvan_Foxy

"I was in college in the 1980's. I wore a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee home for a visit and my Grandma gave me $5 to buy a new pair. (NOTE: Jeans did not cost $5 in the '80's, but there were a few outlet stores around which sold Levis for $10. I wish that were still true today!)"'

whatyouwant22

Shades and Color

Wig Hair Style GIF by Reba McEntireGiphy

"Having a tan and hair highlights. People pay good money for those things today but 100 years ago it meant you likely had to work outdoors in rough conditions."

Anticrepuscular_Ray

Well now I feel super rich! I'm glad times have changed.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Miriam Margolyes
David Levenson/Getty Images

'Harry Potter' Star Miriam Margolyes Offers Mic Drop Explanation For Why Respecting Pronouns Matters

Sometimes it is just that easy to make people happy. This is a lesson learned over and over in our lives, but that's because it's an important one.

Actor Miriam Margolyes shared how she learned to change her behavior to make others happier. Margolyes appeared on The Graham Norton Show recently and brought up a fairly polarizing subject in the United Kingdom: trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk looks on during a public appearance, as the billionaire once again turns a newsroom style decision into a culture-war grievance broadcast to millions on X.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk Cries Racism After Associated Press Explains Why They Capitalize 'Black' But Not 'White'

Elon Musk has spent the year picking fights, from health research funding to imagined productivity crises among federal workers and whether DOGE accomplished anything at all besides leaving chaos in its wake.

His latest grievance, however, is thinly disguised as grammatical. Specifically, he is once again furious that the Associated Press (AP) capitalizes “Black” while keeping “white” lowercase.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Yale University School of Engineering and Applied Science
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Elon Musk Gets Brutal Wakeup Call After Claiming That Yale's Lack Of Republican Faculty Is 'Outrageous Bigotry'

Elon Musk—who has repeatedly whined about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—took to his social media platform to whine about a lack of conservative faculty at Yale University.

Musk shared data compiled by The Buckley Institute (TBI), a conservative-leaning organization founded at Yale in 2010. TBI found 82.3% of faculty self-identified as Democrats or primarily supporting Democratic candidates, 15% identified as independents, while only 2.3% identified as Republicans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barry Manilow
Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Barry Manilow Speaks Out After Postponing Farewell Tour Dates Due To Lung Cancer Scare

"Looks Like We Made It" singer Barry Manilow is in the process of saying goodbye to the stage and meeting his fans in-person, but he has to press pause for a few months after receiving a jarring diagnosis.

On December 22, 2025, the "Mandy" singer posted on Facebook, explaining that a "cancerous spot" had been discovered on his left lung.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame, the last time audiences saw Captain America before his unexpected return was teased for Avengers: Doomsday.
Disney/Marvel Studios

Marvel Just Confirmed That Chris Evans Is Returning For 'Avengers: Doomsday'—And Fans Have Mixed Feelings

Folks, once again, continuity is more of a suggestion than a rule in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has officially confirmed that Chris Evans is returning as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, and the internet has responded exactly how you’d expect: screaming, celebrating, arguing, and a very justified side-eye toward how Sam Wilson keeps getting treated.

The confirmation comes via a teaser now playing exclusively in theaters ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash. There is no official online release, despite leaks circulating. If you didn’t catch it on the big screen, Marvel’s response is essentially: sorry, guess you had to be there.

Keep ReadingShow less