The status revolution The improbable story of how the lowbrow became the highbrow

Journalist Thompson, best known for his wry criticisms of the travel-writing industry (To Hellholes and Back, 2009), turns his attention to the world of luxury and prestige. He argues that status is no longer reserved for the ultrarich and famous--at least not in the way we're accustomed to thinking it is. Status is now available to everyone; it's more about what the experiences or things people buy say about their values as opposed to what they can afford. Thompson investigates a smorgasbord of topics to explain the new rules of status, including the virtue signaling of rescue-dog owners, the humble beginnings of luxury tastemakers, the authenticity craze, and women-led, trust-based philanthropy. Some readers may cringe at Thompson's sophomoric humor--there's an entire chapter dedicated to studying if it's true that men who buy fancy sports cars really do have small penises--but it's a minor flaw, and he makes up for it with his endearing and self-effacing anecdotes, like when he admits to his affinity for The Bachelor. This will be hard for pop-culture readers to put down.

As U.S. society reconfigures itself, Thompson provides a map to the emerging territory. There are two competing instincts in human psychology: to be a part of a group and to be different than others. At the overlap of these forces is the search for status, which is the concern of Thompson, who has made a solid career out of skewering the pompous and witless in comic memoirs such as Smile When You're Lying and To Hellholes and Back. The author sees a fundamental change underway as the link between status and wealth breaks down. His interest was first piqued when he encountered well-off people boasting of having a rescue mutt instead of a purebred dog. The message was that they were someone with an enlightened mind and a generous spirit, capable of disdaining the traditional trappings of affluence. It's a show to claim status, and the animal is just a prop. "Perform a gallant act. Broadcast it. That's virtue signaling in a dog biscuit," writes Thompson. Looking around, he finds this sort of theater everywhere, from the organic foods that the "virtuous" favor to the fashionably battered clothes they wear. Part of this is due to the proliferation--and therefore devaluation--of items that were once marks of wealth (designer handbags and shoes, etc.), and part of it is due to the millennial generation getting older. There is an endless search for "authenticity," notes the author, which often means traveling to exotic locations in order to post pictures on social media. Thompson, in his droll way, has a good time with all of this, so it is a shame that he often wanders off the point. The long section on luxury cars, for example, fails to connect with the rest of the narrative. However, he provides plenty of intriguing observations and comments, making the book an entertaining read. Thompson is an insightful, wry observer of our times, with a cynical eye for the most foolish of human follies. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.