Rich people have perfected the art of making poor people things look glamorous. This act, the essential fetishization of poor people culture, is apparently so rampant it has acquired it's own name: Poorism. I find that a particularly clever and useful title, but the necessity of it is what leaves me with questions. I'm not sure what the appeal is of poorism but wealthy people just adore it. Perhaps the attraction comes from the same feelings which drive many to go camping. The fantasy of a life of simplicity. The difference, however, is that people go camping for a weekend. Rich people engage in poorism as a semi-permanent lifestyle choice.
You'll find poorism in many varieties, from wealthy people deciding to go 'off the grid' and live on the road - which would be a poor people thing if they weren't buying hundred-thousand dollar RV's to go travel in while still hoarding all the millions they possess but aren't using instead of donating it or at least spending it to put into circulation - to discussing how they wish they had been born poor because poor people "have so much humility and strength" and other nonsense that tells you they have no idea what it's like to eat cereal for every meal for three years straight because I came out of that bitter and jaded, but I still tip $5 on the rare occasions I eat out because I know for sure I don't want anyone else to live that way, not because being poor made me overly-kind.
One of the larger trends of the wealthy elite is the concept of Tiny Houses. Arriving arm-and-arm with the Minimalism trend, this housing style has gained a lot of popularity in a very short time. Again, I have no idea what the appeal is. Having a Tiny House has always, to the rest of the world, been a sign of a person who is short on cash and had to make compromises in order to have their own space. These days, however, Tiny Houses have skyrocketed in cost due to their large following of the glamorous elite. If rich people are buying than you can jump the cost up as much as you want! So what used to be an affordable living style for the lower class has now become a much coveted residence type for the children of celebrities.
I sound jaded and bitter in these previous paragraphs, and I usually am, but there is actually a bright side to all of this though it is a selfish one. In the summer before my Sophomore year of college my sister and I were looking for our own small place to rent out happened to find an available unit within walking distance of our campus. We checked it out and it turned out to be essentially a modified shed in the back of a regular house that had been converted into 6 apartments. It had three rooms, a living room/kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom, no internal heating and cooling except a mini-heater and a small window A/C, and a shed connected to the side of the house that was filled with an overflowing collection of junk that the landlords had unceremoniously stuffed there with no plan to remove. And it was absolutely perfect! We signed the lease right then and there and moved in that June. The house is smaller than most classrooms at my university, made of steal so it's always 20 degrees warmer in the house than outside in the spring and summer while also being drafty so it's always 20 degrees colder than outside in the winter, and has had a slew of plumbing and electrical problems, but it's $750 rent a month and for our simple needs the house is absolutely perfect! Not a fan of minimalism or keeping things in boxes, everything we own is on display as tastefully as we can manage on windowsills, bookshelves, and a large 5 year-old Barbie Dreamhouse that has become less a dollhouse and more a curio-cabinet. While the house might not fit a large number of people's standards of living, it does the trick for Jess and I and I think it's just darling!
Remember what I said about the bright side to the Tiny House Poorism? It turns out that my sister and my frugality is all of a sudden trendy! While in years past it might have been embarrassing to say you lived in a modified shed in the back of someones house now it's almost bragging rights to say "I live in a Tiny House". My sister capitalized on that right way, repeating that phrase to anyone who asked where we lived. I thought she was being ridiculous, but people were innately curious about the lifestyle and asked a lot more questions than could have ever been predicted. "Is it comfortable?", "How have you decorated it?", "How many rooms are there?", "Was it expensive?", and most commonly "How exciting! What's it like living in one? I've only ever read about it!" I was almost in shock. It's just like my sister to play up everything we do like we're the style trendsetters of North-East Florida, but in this case she didn't actually have to play up anything! All she did was tell the truth - We live in a Tiny House.
While Poorism is definitely not solving any problems and is absolutely creating more by glorifying the qualms of the poor and causing price rises in what could be effective and efficient solutions to said qualms, in a very small way the glamorized concept of Tiny Houses has done me personally a huge favour. They managed to turn turn the embarrassing house of a cheapskate into the trendy living arrangement of a fashion-forward icon. I think we all know which title we'd prefer, so really, can you judge me?
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