What determines something as common and tacky

Demeanour and attitude.

It is all in the mind of the beholder isn't it? The way one sees something is different to the way another sees it....

I also remember being told white shoes were common, and open toes, and slingbacks. So if anyone was spied wearing open toed white slingbacks... ?

Both definitions are variable according to geography, generation and upbringing. What is tacky in Middlesex might be thought of as classy in Essex. Even good and bad taste is a matter of personal opinion.

Oh goodness - these posts have brought my dear mum to mind. How often she would 'tut' and say 'how common' when seeing someone behaving or dressing in a particular way. . If she saw any display of affection, smoking, folks enjoying a laugh, excessive jewellery, make-up and yes white shoes.

I've often mused: When does 'popular' flip over to 'common'?

My Grandmother had two words - she used to voice her opinions. Common and Trollope.
These days I can think of several things that fit both words, maybe we should bring them back!

I couldn't believe the class in front of me during my first teaching interview up north. The girls were orange with concealered lips and fake eyelashes. The boys had massive single stud diamante earrings.

Tattoos, particularly on women, are my definition in this list. I was brought up to think they were for sailors workmen and ladies of the night. Someone mentioned the Bet Lynch look. Definitely. Hair bleached to within an inch of its life coupled with the sunbed tan. Older people with all the previous and trying to look like teenagers. I was in a supermarket once and saw a woman aged 70+ with a pink baseball cap with sequins proclaiming the legend "sexy babe!" Men with builder's bottoms, vest tops or no tops reeking of Brut and with chains round their wrists or necks. The David Dickinson look. Also, I seem to remember ankle bangles and nail varnish on toes being seen as very suspect in my youth.

Ankle bracelets were considered common. Only certain ladies wore them.

Personally, I hate to see fingernails in different block colours, particularly on older women. A friend was showing hers off, I honestly thought it looked like a tube of Smarties had been emptied on to her fingertips.

Also hate tattoos, nothing will make me think they look anything other than dirty. I know many GN’ers are very proud of theirs, but I think they look the dreaded c word.

Tattoos, body piercings, botox and lip fillers.
Slug/ clown's eyebrows with false eyelashes and inches thick orange foundation making the wearer look like a Barbie doll.
Fat lasses with miniscule skirts showing off their mottled thighs, clearly no mirrors in their homes.
Effing and blinding every other word, there are millions of other words in the dictionary for goodness sake.

My 8 year old granddaughter made us laugh recently when she said she was going to be a chav when she was 15. Don't think she knew what she meant.

I feel common is a class judgement, lower, but tacky is a taste thing.
I too was told women smoking on the street is 'not nice' Also eating on the street.
I think pierced ears is because you've got expensive and 'classy' earrings and don't want to lose them. The expensive ones came with the ring to go through the hole in the ear but the clip-ons were the cheap ones.
Tattoos can't be common as older daughter has a couple and she is EXTREMELY high maintenance and always has been! Not sure if her sister has any. I will enquire.. I would not get any as I worry that the skin gets damaged and can lead to cancer or something later. I was not asked before daughter got her's.

I went to a fairly strict boarding school and on our Saturday afternoon visits to the local shops to spend our pocket money we were not allowed to step foot into Woolworths or the International Stores as they were “ common”!

Tacky: cheap jewellery, tacky ornaments etc. picked up in a flea market.
Common: boobs hanging out, men without shirts, showing a huge tummy. Bleached hair and hooped earrings, as of years ago.
Enough said!

Oh god yes. Builders bums. Also that fashion (thankfully gone) for having a jewelled thong string visible above low slung jeans.

inishowen

My 8 year old granddaughter made us laugh recently when she said she was going to be a chav when she was 15. Don't think she knew what she meant.

Our youngest DGS said recently that he wanted to be obese, he had heard that lots of people were going to be it!
We could hardly keep a straight face.?

My mother never called anything tacky, although common was used on many occasions, but her real top-down was 'vulgar'. I often looked at the common girls in their short tight skirts, make up, and backcombed hair and remember thinking I would love to look commom- obviously never did as mother would never have let me out of the house. What would the neighbours say? was another of her favourite comments!

lemongrove

Lucca

GagaJo

I once saw a girl in the Northumbrian town I used to work in wearing white see-through leggings with no underwear. Tacky possibly, but they were certainly graphic!

Which town please ? I was brought up in Northumberland

Why Lucca...could it have been you??

Rude ! I always wear black underwear with my see through white leggings.

When I bought anything to eat while out playing I was always on the lookout in case anyone who knew me would tell my parents I was eating in the street.(Made the cream cakes taste better. )

It is all down to personal opinions. Is someone so perfect that they can call something they do not like tacky or common? It is being judgemental as simple as that (it is something most of us are guilty of at some point in our lives). We feel someone's dress is inappropriate they probably feel the same about what we are wearing. Doesn't make them right and us wrong or vice versa. If it's taught us nothing else, in the current situation we should have learned to accept that people have a right to live/dress/eat how they want, common, posh or a mix as long as they are not breaking the law. Being judgemental takes far too much energy.

Definitely no eating in the street and always wear a white bra, not black (which seems to be allowed now), under a white shirt. One day when getting changed for PE at our convent school we were scandalised because someone was wearing a RED bra. Although it was strange that she wore it over the top of a white Aertex vest!

Larger females wearing a size too small, light coloured leggings, especially white then finishing off the ensemble with a top which stops at the waist/above the waist and high heels!
Tattoos for me too. I really don’t like to see them.

According to DH, he checks the look on my face before checking the outfit should I ask his opinion. Seems to work as I always receive his seal of approval. ?

I think I probably frequently look cheap or scruffy, but doubt I ever make it to vulgar. Wish I had the energy!

White or red patent stilettos, tattoos, too tight leggings not covered by a long top. Builders bum definitely - reminds me of ex husband and wife (they both had them). MiL had a Lancashire saying 'she favors she's dropped off a flitting' to express her views on commonly dressed women - DH still uses it occasionally!