What determines something as common and tacky

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

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.

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.

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

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....

Demeanour and attitude.

I hate to admit it but now I view the craze for crushed velvet and grey decor tacky, what's worse for me is, I've always quite liked the colour grey!
As I once heard someone say "trends are for the anxious" and I'm not referring to those who suffer from the condition....it's that blind following of "Instamum's" I find tacky.

When I had my ears pierced at age 32, my mother didn’t speak to me for days. Apparently only gypsies and common people have pierced ears. She did relent much later.

Blinko so are mine! I bought them after surgery on a toe years ago - the only thing that would accomodate the bandage - and I love them. Worn for gardening too - I wouldn't be without them.

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??

*Dontmindstayinghome" I too had this drummed into me when young and I will confess seeing folk stuffing burger buns, sausage rolls etc in their face in the street still makes me cringe. So common!

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

Puzzler61 Glad to hear it

as if they sound

I've had to Google "Sharpie" eyebrows, well just to make sure I haven't been giving myself any, because they don't sound good, in fact they sound as if they sound positively lethal and heavens above they look every bit as bad as they sound even some poor little babies had them drawn on!. Note to self "go easy on the eyebrow products" given brows have taken over from lashes! Once upon a time women had what at times looked something akin to spiders legs stuck on top of their own lashes, me included, but a long time ago! Now it seem the trend, as others have pointed out, is a desire to have a couple of dead slugs above the eyes, hopefully minus any slime!

When I went to school, patent shoes were deemed common by the nuns that taught us. They seemed to think one's knickers could be reflected in them, maybe that was wishful thinking on their part and they had a secret stash of them worn only when it was a full moon! which would be understandable as if there was a batshit spectrum they would have been right up there at the far end along with devotees of The Church of Scientology.

Gaga the mind boggles

Lucca I only possess pearls of wisdom?

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!

lemongrove

Lucca

I’ve not heard the word common used for about fifty years,

Saw a couple of young women on their way into town last Friday. Politely I would describe their figures as extremely ....um....generous, and their outfits (bright red hot pants and boob tube for example) as um....ill-advised
But I never said tacky or the other word.

That was me and Doodle on our way to The Argy Bargy Bar
Last Friday was Ayia Napia Nite.?

Oh Lordy, didn’t recognise you without your pearls??

For me the tackiest of all has to be people who dress up their dogs in little outfits. A dog coat on a cold or wet day is fine - but a nurses outfit, or a ballet dress on a dog -no no no.

That’s an interesting list Esspee.

When I'm out with my sister I'm hurried along whenever I stop to look at anything glittery or anything with animal print material. Clearly she's posh and I'm - er - not!

When we were at the grammar school one of my friends was called to the headmistress' office because she had been seen talking to a coalman!!! In the street!!! Next day her mother was up at the school to see the headmistress. My friend was an ice skater and the coalman was her partner and she was perfectly at liberty to speak to him in the street. I can't help suspecting that the headmistress will still have thought it was common.

My crocs are for pegging the washing out. They're pink...