At a fancy dinner, everything about this person seems to say that they are rich: neat outfit, high-end car, bottle of wine chosen without flinching. Then the details stand out. She excuses herself to ask for a jug of water, says “Sorry to bother you” to the waiter, keep an eye on the prices. When you grow up with little, you quickly learn not to “disturb”…
These micro-reflexes form a social signature. Even when incomes increase, many maintain the habits acquired in a household where every euro counted. Some people continue to systematically finish their plate, take advantage of promotions to build up stocks or feel uncomfortable when faced with a free upgrade. “I was taught not to waste, not to stand out, never to appear “too comfortable”some will say: the body has changed scenery, but the reflexes remain the same.
These Signs of Lower Middle Class Behind a Rich Look
In a gourmet restaurant, she orders with confidence but her gaze drifts towards the price column and she jokes about “the bill which will sting”. At the supermarket, she buys the big brands, especially on promotion, and always keeps toilet paper in advance. At the table, she leaves nothing, not even the basket of bread, but slips a big tip to the busy waiter. In the street, she still comments on the price of gasoline “before”.
Discomfort increases when luxury becomes too visible. A free upgrade to first class, an included hotel spa or valet parking puts her on the defensive. She declines politely, barely drinks an expensive cocktail, prefers to get up to get another drink rather than call the staff. “So even today, when everything is paid, everything is permitted… a little voice slows me down“: don’t overdo it, don’t make waves.
At what point are you a “wealthy” person?
To situate these trajectories, we must also look at economic benchmarks. According to the OECD, the middle class is represented by incomes between 75% and 200% of the national median income. The 4th decile corresponds to the lower middle class, the 7th to the true middle class”, that “You are considered “well-off” from €3,860 in monthly income for a single person” And “The richest 10% hold 47% of total wealth“.
False poor syndrome and feeling of social imposture
What remains is the feeling, sometimes shifted. “70% of French people now say they belong to disadvantaged, modest categories or the lower middle class“and evokes”the emergence of purely subjective poverty“. This “false poor person syndrome” is fueled by upward social comparison, social networks and a slight feeling of imposture in wealthy circles. We can display the codes of the rich while continuing to think, inside, like someone from the lower middle class.