Whether we want to believe it or not, all humans care about status — even though many claim not to and, according to sociologist Paul Fussell, the topic is more taboo than sex. 

But humans are tribal animals. What we fear most is being ostracized from our tribe. Which is why shame is the most visceral, painful, and behavior governing emotion. 

Members of the tribes, cultures, and regions in which they claim association (or aspire to) have symbols to display their belonging and where they stand within this group. 

We display this in speech, values, dress, taste, what we eat, how and where we spend our leisure time, and so forth. Subconsciously, it governs virtually all human behavior. 

In the 1980s and 90s, status was loud: the house, the car, the brand on the shirt.

In the 2010s it shifted toward technology and startup wealth.

Success and money used to exist in very limited coastal addresses surrounding Manhattan and LA. Now it lives elsewhere. Nashville. Montana. Florida. Bend, OR. 

Today the signals have become far more subtle. The new symbols of status aren’t necessarily things you buy. They’re ways you live.

Here are some new, post-luxury status symbols we’ve noticed: 

1. Creating Community: In a world of algorithmic isolation, the rarest person is the one who gathers people. “The Host” has become the aspirational archetype as the art of entertaining is nearly extinct.

2. An Unoptimized Life: For the last two decades, we worshipped productivity. Now the flex is wasting time. Unhurried walks. Working less than you could. Leaving your phone in the drawer for an entire weekend. 

3. A Strangely Specific Hobby: Related to #2, dedicating oneself to a super niche pursuit–like tying flies, fixing old Jeeps, kite surfing—is a post-luxury flex. Must have zero professional benefit. This is for love of the game. 

4. Intentional Parenting: In 2026, the baby has become the new Hermes tie or bag. Raising them well requires enormous time, emotional and financial investment, and sacrifice. Intentional parenting is even rarer. Thoughtful school choices, camping, and time with your kids.  

5. Cultural Ease: Shamus Khan made this concept a central theme in his ethnographic work, The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul’s School. The effortless way individuals navigate the world. Knowing the codes of different tribes and being comfortable in any environment. This requires decades of cultivation beginning at an early age. 

So enjoy this week’s dive into the new status symbols. As always, I’m grateful for your time and attention. 

In 1983, cultural historian Paul Fussell published a book with an almost scandalous premise: America, the supposed land of equality with no nobles or inherited titles, actually has a highly intricate status system.

In Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, Fussell argued that American society wasn’t divided into the simple categories we pretend—upper, middle, and lower—but into nine subtle strata, from the “Top Out-of-Sight” elites to the “Bottom Out-of-Sight.” 

What made the book famous was its tone: half sociology, half satire. Fussell dissected American aspiration with a sharp eye, noting that even in a society obsessed with meritocracy, people constantly signal status through taste and behavior.

Perhaps his most interesting idea was “Category X.”

These were people who opted out of the status game entirely—writers, artists, eccentrics, and intellectual wanderers who refused to chase the usual markers of success.

Interestingly, those in Category X became the new bourgeois about two decades later. David Brooks wrote about this phenomenon in Bobos in Paradise.

DISCOVER: PAUL FUSSELL’S CLASS →

The key is to stop optimizing. Put down the phone. And just fucking live. 

BOSS wrote a great piece on the lived experiences that change you…

Making your first dollar on the internet and how it changes you forever. Losing someone you love. Becoming a parent. Traveling the world. Hitting rock bottom. 

Moments like these quietly rearrange your priorities. They make you realize how much of modern life is theater—status games, productivity hacks, endless optimization. And how little of it actually matters.

That may be the ultimate post-luxury symbol: perspective.

READ: 9 LIFE EXPERIENCE YOU CAN’T COME BACK FROM (BOSS) →

For most of the 20th century, private golf clubs functioned mostly as status institutions. Gated communities where membership itself was the signal. 

But a new generation of clubs is quietly rewriting that model. Places like Old Barnwell and The Tree Farm point to a broader cultural shift: the next era of clubs is less about prestige and more about purpose, experience, and community. 

Both opened near Aiken, SC in 2023 with founders determined to break convention. Prioritizing walkable golf, creative architecture, and simple clubhouses built around camaraderie rather than opulence. 

Most interesting is what these clubs choose not to emphasize. Smaller clubhouses. Simpler food programs. Fewer rules. More walking, more practice, more time spent outdoors with friends. In other words, they reflect the same cultural shift we’re seeing everywhere else: the new luxury isn’t exclusivity for its own sake—it’s community, time, and shared experience of a pursuit we love. 

I had a wonderful experience playing Old Barnwell and wrote about it in the piece below.

READ: OLD BARNWELL, THE TREE FARM, & THE FUTURE OF PRIVATE CLUBS →

In the third season of Mad Men, Don pitches Conrad Hilton a campaign for his hotel chain. 

“How do you say ‘hamburger’ in Japanese? Hilton.” 

The concept was getting a familiar comfort while exploring foreign lands. 

In the 1960s this was a big selling point. But today, the rarest luxury experiences are no longer five-star hotels and franchised experiences. 

They’re small, intimate places in extraordinary landscapes. Immersion in nature where access is naturally limited. Guided outdoor adventure that creates memories. 

One such place is Eleven Experience. My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at their Bahama House on the pink sands of Harbour Island. It had 10 guests total and we were all friends by the end of the week. It was everything we’d hoped for. 

They have lodges across the globe. Each centered around outdoor adventures in pristine locations—like fly fishing in Patagonia or cat-skiing in Crested Butte

DISCOVER: ELEVEN EXPERIENCE →

One of the things I cherish most is bringing friends together across different social circles. 

As I mentioned above, entertaining has become a lost art. This makes a true host stand out. I encourage everyone to bring back the dinner party. Here are some tips: 

Start with small, simple dinners or just cocktails and bites. It’s not really about the food.  

Invite interesting mixes of people but you should be pretty sure that they’ll get along.

Don’t overplan. If only 3/10 invites show up that’s still a success. 

And here’s a great way to build authentic connections that can change your life:

TAKE THE 100 CONNECTIONS CHALLENGE →

In a culture that worships career success, raising thoughtful children has quietly become the ultimate legacy project. 

I recently became a father. My wife recommended a book on the French parenting style, Bringing Up Bébé, which was the most helpful in developing my own style. Full of great tips for raising calm, well-behaved children who sleep through the night. 

Such as “the pause”– or not rushing to a fussing baby and allowing them to self soothe. And setting strong, clear limits but giving children significant freedom within those guardrails.

FOR INTENTIONAL PARENTS: BRINGING UP BEBE →

Written from the American South.