Final answer:
Many consumers with new wealth suffer from status anxiety and may flaunt their wealth, but still exhibit middle or lower-class behaviors. Some celebrities choose modest living despite ample wealth. The contrasting values between new wealth and traditional behavior can cause tension within individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many consumers with newly found wealth suffer from status anxiety, where they worry about what other successful people wear and what they do. Despite their ability to flaunt their wealth, buying sports cars and mansions, they often retain behaviors attributed to their previous social standings. New-money individuals may have reached a high economic status without the customs and mores of established wealth, having not attended exclusive schools or formed old-money social connections. For financially secure individuals, consumerism offers a sense of well-being, yet it cannot always replace traditional forms of enjoyment, and not all aspirational lifestyles can scale to a larger population.
Interestingly, even celebrities with substantial wealth sometimes make choices reflecting more modest lifestyles. High-profile figures like Jennifer Lopez and Zac Efron, known for their frugality, show that having wealth does not necessitate a constant display of opulence. Meanwhile, stories of those who have risen to affluence from humble beginnings, such as Mariano Rivera and Alice Coachman, illustrate that the path to wealth is not uniform and can be marred by systemic barriers. The juxtaposition of new wealth with traditional middle-class values can create internal conflict, as members of the upper class may still exhibit behaviors associated with less affluent classes despite their economic ascent.