Class signaling via Apple products

[firecat]

"A Macbook Pro is just as much of a status marker as a Louis Vuitton purse or a BMW."

I recoil at the notion because I think Vuitton purses and BMWs signal a different class than ones I identify with. (At least I tend to have prejudices about people who have those things—I'll assume "not like me" unless I get evidence to the contrary.) But I do think that, in California at least, there's a class I might call "hi-tech professionals" and having Mac products can signal identification with it.

FWIW, I think I'm kind of clueless about class.

Anyway, it's interesting to contemplate. What do you think?

Comments

[graymalkin13.livejournal.com]

I've had enough experiences where other people have reacted to signals I wasn't intending to send that I try not to be entirely unaware of them anymore.

I get this. I think I've experienced this, though possibly not in the same way you have. I am heavily tattooed and for the last 30 years have been wearing unusual ("gothic") clothes. People who live in a more conventional world, such as medical personnel, have been startled and put off by my appearance and I've had poorer (no pun intended) treatment from such people. The situation improved a bit when I stopped coloring my hair. Now it's gray and that seems to help people with conventional expectations relate to me a little better.

I spent 7 years in an extremely conservative town, where I was apparently the only woman who had visible tattoos. While I was there, I bought and carried a high-status purse (with no visible designer logo and a handsome design), specifically to signal that I wasn't to be treated as a freak. When I moved to a more enlightened city, that bag went into my closet, never to be used again. I hope.

I completely understand what you say about work clothing. When I worked in the corporate world, I chose my clothes carefully and toned down the "gothic-ness." But people still noticed that I was "weird." I was lucky to be in a department where a bit of eccentricity was acceptable and my ability to do my job well bought me credibility.

Hurray for alterations! :)