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What determines something as common and tacky

(158 Posts)
TrendyNannie6 Tue 04-Aug-20 09:19:30

Saw this post on mumsnet, and decided to ask on here for opinions,

nexus63 Wed 05-Aug-20 20:24:11

i left school in 1979 and for the first time i had wages to buy my own clothes, i loved pencil skirts and split skirts, i visited my gran wearing a white blouse, split skirt (did have buttons i removed) showing a bit of leg, forgot i had stockings and suspenders on with black sling backs, my gran looked me up and down and said i was so common looking....lol

Jillybird Wed 05-Aug-20 20:24:16

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GagaJo Wed 05-Aug-20 20:27:37

Both my grannies were granny. So I wanted to be granny. Grandson had different ideas. I'm Gaga. He knows me well.

sparklingsilver28 Wed 05-Aug-20 20:55:36

When my first grandchild expected my jokey next-door neighbour commented "the Duchess will not approve of being called Granny". To which I quipped "what's good enough for the Queen is good enough for me". So Granny all the way since and now 19 and 17. My friend known by her four as Baba because the eldest unable to say Nana.

Grannybags Wed 05-Aug-20 21:06:54

On a really hot day my headmistress caught me eating an ice cream while waiting for my bus home. She drove me back to school (with it dripping down my arm!) to put in the bin.

She then drove me home because I had missed the bus, it was about 3 miles, and told my Mum how naughty I had been!

Tanjamaltija Wed 05-Aug-20 21:13:26

Just for the record, Dolly Parton says "It is very expensive to look this cheap." Tawdry, tacky, cheap, flashy, showy, worthless, vulgar, low, crude... all these are words we use to inform others that we are better than the people we are describing.

Spangler Wed 05-Aug-20 21:14:13

Something that's common is the village green or the recreational space, often referred to as: The Common.

Tacky is the state of a liquid paste that will bond two surfaces, when the paste is tacky, that's the right time to apply it.

I do hope that's cleared up any ambiguity.

Patsy429 Wed 05-Aug-20 21:23:35

When our daughters were old enough to stay home while we went on holiday my DH would make a point of bringing back the tackiest present he could find. They have ended up with a stuffed camel with bells, a talking parrot that reacted to voices, a plastic Eiffel Tower with flashing lights, etc. You get the picture. It was always a highlight of the holiday, for him, to visit all the cheap tourist shops to find something different.

instagran Wed 05-Aug-20 22:53:45

I'm sure the Queen will be amused to learn how many silly people on Gransnet think one's wearing of a headscarf, earrings in pierced ears and white slingbacks (both by HM and her sister, Margaret) is common!

sodapop Thu 06-Aug-20 09:17:24

I'm sure HM appreciates humour and memories of earlier times from said 'silly' people instagran

Alioop Thu 06-Aug-20 13:57:24

My ex husband bought me a book one Christmas with Hyacinth Bucket( Bouquet) on the front. It was etiquette overload, all the do's and dont's. We were from two different backgrounds and he mixed with a lot of high powered people with his job,so it made me feel as if I was common and not good enough. Everyone has their own ideas of what would be classed as common and what isn't. Well I'm going now to hunt out my old white stilettos....

Lilyflower Thu 06-Aug-20 17:05:15

Mixing diamonds and pearls, I believe, is considered rather not the thing.

Ho ho ho.

sodapop Thu 06-Aug-20 17:27:16

Oh no Lilyflower I was getting all my jewellery out for a soiree tonight, white stilettos and leggings all ready not to mention the fluorescent socks.
Now I will have to rethink my ensemble. grin

ladymuck Thu 06-Aug-20 17:32:13

We all have different standards and tastes. It's one of the difficulties of living in human society. Life would be so much easier if we were able to live alongside those who had the same standards as ourselves.

varian Thu 06-Aug-20 17:54:43

Reading certain common and tacky newspapers, and allowing them to influence your views is common and tacky.

Oopsminty Thu 06-Aug-20 18:04:10

varian

Reading certain common and tacky newspapers, and allowing them to influence your views is common and tacky.

That made me smile

My Great Uncle. Long gone now

Etonian, (not his fault). High Court Judge, (his career path)

Not generally looked upon as being common or tacky. Not that he would have cared. Judging people on their clothes/reading material wasn't in his remit. He had to judge on actions.

He read most newspapers. Broadsheets of course

Apart from the News of the World.

Which he loved.

varian Thu 06-Aug-20 19:00:31

NotW is gone but not missed.

varian Thu 06-Aug-20 19:01:16

I remember it being described (probably quite accurately) as "News of Screws"

Peardrop50 Sat 08-Aug-20 18:20:19

Looking down on others and being critical of their life choices is very bad manners. Bad manners = poor behaviour = common, in that particular use of the word. Not, thankfully, meaning commonplace.

sarahellenwhitney Sat 08-Aug-20 18:30:38

The word*' gross*' comes to mind when observing 'mutton dressed as lamb.

grannylyn65 Sat 08-Aug-20 19:15:50

Anything glittery

BibiSarah Sun 09-Aug-20 02:28:07

* dressing with boobs or stomach hanging out in too short a skirt if you haven't got the shape for it*

My boobs hang out from under my just below the knee length skirts.

Maggiemaybe Sun 09-Aug-20 08:21:40

grannylyn65

Anything glittery

Well that’s 90% of my Christmas outfits done for then. grin

Lucca Sun 09-Aug-20 08:56:18

grannylyn65

Anything glittery

Remember all those 80s jumpers with appliqué on......

Alexa Sun 09-Aug-20 09:08:11

I think ostentatious anything from jewellery to partial nudity is bad taste unless there is a genuine reason to show off. Such as wearing a bikini or nothing at all on the beach, or such as wearing a lot of costly glitter if you are the Queen at some ceremony.