9 New Things That Apparently Prove You “Made It”

Once upon a time, making it meant owning a modest home and having a job you didn’t completely hate. 

But the inflation made it so these two things are hardly possible. Most young people don’t even bother trying to own real estate, and working just one job feels like a risky choice.

So, what do we do then? How do we prove to everyone that we’re doing better than they are?

The answer: micro-trends.

These are the small, and often silly, status symbols that change every couple of months. As of right now, here’s how people prove they made it!

1. Boutique Fitness Class

When the word boutique is added so randomly, you know you’re about to be ripped off for no good reason.

Apparently, as middle-class people, if we wish to prove ourselves, now we must take lusso fitness classes in stylish gyms.

Are these spaces any more functional than regular gyms? Hardly! But they’re surely more instagrammable!

A boutique fitness class will typically set you back $35 per appointment. Now, can you go to such a class in your regular sweatsuit?

That defeats the whole point! It doesn’t count unless you show up in a matching polyester set, a Stanley Cup in hand!

These classes provide aesthetic lighting, matching colors, pretty mirrors, and, truth be told, they look lovely.

But choosing such a place for your weekly exercise doesn’t tell people you’re health-conscious. It tells them you’re desperate for validation.

2. Pedigree Pet

While there are still lovely people who adopt animals just to give them a home, those who wish to prove themselves never go for strays and mutts.

They need pets with a pedigree and papers, and a general consensus seems to be: the uglier the dog, the more status you gain.

I’m talking dropping between $3000 and $5000 for a hypoallergenic doodle mix that permanently looks like a puppy and is riddled with health issues.

This naturally means that the initial cost is only the beginning!

These pets usually require special diets and medicine that set the owners back many, many thousands of dollars over time.

3. Destination Wedding

If I’m honest, a destination wedding does sound like a dream come true. 

You and your significant other pick a honeymoon spot and have the wedding right there, with a dozen of your most important people present.

This ensures that your wedding day is truly all about you! 

However, for many middle-class people, it’s a logistical nightmare!

Sure, it shows that you have expensive taste, but can your bank account keep up? And more importantly, can your guests?

Do you fly them all out and go broke, or do you demand they spend their hard-earned money on the trip and, on top of that, bring you gifts?

Weddings are expensive as is. Even getting married in your hometown church is likely to leave you in debt.

So, why ruin your financial future before it even starts? What are you trying to prove, and who do you think even cares?

4. Designer Coffee

This sounds made up, doesn’t it?

Well, if you wish to prove your success, starting your day with a regular cup of joe just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

If it’s under $15 and doesn’t have a name with five adjectives, you’ve failed.

It needs to contain all the little luxury ingredients: oat milk, sugar-free vanilla, cinnamon, specific beans, etc.

We’re no longer drinking coffee for the caffeine; we drink it to prove our identity.

But to approach this topic with a little more empathy, I do understand where people come from when they covet these complicated orders.

They want to enjoy a little cup of luxury to feel like all their hard work has paid off in some way.

The core sentiment seems to be: What is the point of it all if I can’t even afford this stupid cup of coffee?

5. Luxury Car (Paid Monthly)

Buying a car means having to struggle with paying it off for a few years, and then it’s all yours until you decide to get a new one.

But right now, most people opt for leasing cars. 

Now, of course, leasing has its perks. It makes it a lot easier to switch between cars. However, it’s a financial trap disguised as luxury.

You might feel like you can prove to everyone that you made it by driving a hot new car, but you’re spending a lot more money than if you simply invested in a regular car that you could own. 

Ordinary cars can look pretty nice, and once you own one, that’s it. You’re left with paying for the gas and maintenance costs, and that’s all. 

I feel like this especially speaks about the change in our values. 

People would rather bleed money every month just to prove they can drive a luxury car, rather than live within their means.

6. Huge Brand Logos Are Back

I thought we have collectively agreed that obvious brand logos prove nothing except bad taste?

It seems like we haven’t learned our lesson from the 2000s and 2010s!

On the one hand, I get that the clean aesthetic has started to bore people out of their minds, but hey, that doesn’t have to mean choosing the other extreme!

Quiet luxury is still in, and believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be beige or eggshell. Color and texture are tasteful, but being a walking billboard will never be. 

Middle-class people went back to wearing purses with large logo clasps and T-shirts that say GUCCI on their chest.

This is peak consumerism, and it doesn’t even look good. 

7. Frequent Phone Upgrades

I’ll make myself sound about a hundred years old now, but things truly are not made to last anymore.

You invest in an expensive fridge or a new phone, and as soon as you pay them off, they’re dead! 

Phone manufacturers are especially notorious for gradually destroying the quality of the device with each new update.

Still, does that mean we should change a perfectly good phone while it still works? 

People who are especially eager to prove themselves make it into a little ritual; they get a new phone every year on the clock.

Are there any special upgrades? Does the new phone look any different?

No, and it doesn’t matter because they’re not even trying to buy a better phone; they’re only trying to buy status. 

8. Kitchen Specialty Gadgets

We’ve never been more aware of our consumerism, yet we’ve never been so eager to consume single-purpose items.

Modern kitchens contain a bunch of expensive gadgets that we can actually use only a few times.

People get air fryers, precision cookers, blenders of different kinds, waffle makers, toasters, etc. Like, if you have a waffle maker, do you need a toaster? They do the exact same thing!

Smeg items have become a status symbol in recent years because the company understood the assignment: it’s not functionality they’re selling, it’s the estetica.

People prove themselves by accumulating all these pastel gadgets and then letting them accumulate dust.

Make it make sense!

9. Luxury Travel (At Least Online)

Whenever I see people post these over-the-top luxury vacation pictures, I assume two things: either they’re a scammer, or they’re trying to prove something.

Travel is sold to us as this must-do thing that helps you grow as a person, and honestly, I don’t buy it. At least not the way they do it.

All they’re doing is trying to larp as elites.

The wealthy might frequent exotic places every month, but we all know that middle-class people have to work all year to afford one decent vacation and a few weekend getaways.

Your followers know exactly how you took those stunning pictures in Bali: you stood in line for an hour in the scorching sun, waiting your turn.

So, why do we keep overselling our experiences online?

Can’t we just get a nice pic with friends or a significant other, and then go and actually enjoy the vacation?