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Geography plays a huge role in determining social classes and the perceptions of them. It also influences spending habits.[1] In New York, for example, it has
by rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
Geography plays a huge role in determining social classes and the perceptions of them. It also influences spending habits.[1]
In New York, for example, it has been shown that people across the income spectrum there will pay more than the national average for shoes and watches. New York is very wealthy and urban, so you are always walking and being seen in your shoes (and checking the time) and it confers a sense of class. The more people think about the quality of their footwear, the more they will be concerned with keeping up appearances. Even poor New Yorkers spend a higher part of their income on shoes than most poor Americans.
Contrast this with, say, San Francisco. The shaggy-looking dude in jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt could be a multimillionaire, you'd never know. But it is more likely than not that the given individual is physically fit. It's always bikini season in California, whereas New York's long and snowy winters allow for big meals and bigger coats. The more fit people you encounter, the more you will be concerned with your and other's fitness, because it is more readily on your mind. ("It's warm and sunny all year round and you don't even jog or bike? Get off your ass."). Consequently, the Bay Area sees a disproportionate amount of income spent on health clubs.
[1] The New York Times had an excellent Op-Ed from a few years back, called: "What People Buy Where" http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-people-buy-where.html?referer=&_r=0 http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-peo...
- tamana 11y agoFor shoes new yorkers walk a lot than others and need better shoes.
- nerfhammer 11y agoyou also need different shoes for different weather conditions.
- erikpukinskis 11y agoyou also need a lot of shoes if you want to be fashionable, and New Yorkers are damn fashionable
- biztos 11y agoWell, in San Francisco it's actually never bikini season, but otherwise this makes sense.
- rm_-rf_slash 11y agoSan Francisco doesn't have bikini season, it has bikini hours: 10:30AM to 4PM. The other time is reserved for hoodies.
- HalcyonicStorm 11y agoI like the way you think
- kilbuz 11y agoNever, except literally right now. It's really hot out as I type this.
- peterwwillis 11y agoWeird example if you ask me. New Yorkers get about an hour of physical activity a day just from transportation, and have a culture of looking more attractive than in other cities, which includes fitness. I find it pretty hard to find a fat person on the subway in NYC. In contrast, few people in Florida away from the beach seem to work out at a gym, and very few people bike (drivers there see cyclists as fun moving targets). It's often too gross outside to do physical activity, whether it's raining or hot as balls.
- learc83 11y agoThe NYC government says that 56% of people in NYC are overweight or obese. That's lower than the national average, but higher than many other cities. It's also only a few percentage points lower than the State of Florida's averag (which includes rural areas with much higher obesity rates). >I find it pretty hard to find a fat person on the subway in NYC. Maybe you ride a particularly fit (particularly affluent?) section of the subway because if 56% of New Yorkers are overweight or obese, it seems like they'd be fairly common on the subway.