EXPOSITO!! See How to Be Classy (must read)

Classy people don't boast. They don't seek attention. A hoodlum posts a photo to Facebook of himself posing with a pile of stacked $1 bills and a collection of his favorite guns. He's being unclassy because he's proving his insecurities.


He is so insecure with his finances that he feels compelled to show off what little wealth he has once he gets it. He's so insecure about his manliness, or his ability to protect his loved ones, that he shows off his entire arsenal of "gats".

A classy person doesn't tell the world about all the money he has. He often has far more than the hoodlum, but he keeps it a secret because he is a secure person, and doesn't need the world to know. His wealth might even embarrass him. The unclassy person buys the largest flat-​screen TV he can't afford, and places it in a position of honor in his living room. The classy person could buy a nice flat screen, but he doesn't have one (or if he does, it is somewhere inconspicuous, like a basement). The unclassy person buys new, name-​brand sneakers every year. This shows the world that he is so rich (when he isn't), that he can drop a wad on an overpriced item. The classy person buys himself one pair of nice, but understated, wing-​tip shoes, and he wears them for years until they wear out.
Classy people speak measured words when they have something interesting to say. Unclassy people say the first thing that crosses their minds, because they need to be noticed.
The unclassy man wants the world to think he is a man of means by showing how generous he is. The classy man already knows he is a man of means, and doesn't need to broadcast it.

Tattoos
Classy people don't wear tattoos. Tattoos come from a time where men wore them as badges of honor, (which is, of course, unclassy because classy people don't need to boast of their exploits). But at least back then, sailors earned tattoos by banding together to defeat Charlie. Gang members earned them by defeating their rivals, and wear them to shout their allegiances.
Nowadays, teenage girls get tattoos of their first boyfriends' names. College frat boys get penises tattooed to their bodies while drunk. Suburban American boys get Japanese words they can't read but translate to "raining" and "ninja" tattooed to their biceps. Worst of all, people cover their bodies with hideous, colorful tattoos as a way to be rebellious, all while calling it an "art form". While it may be art (what isn't these days?), it is also the visible manifestation of insecurity from a person who craves attention. He wants everyone to notice him.
A classy person does not get tattoos. But if he does anyway, he at least gets them in places clothing can cover.
Clothes
Classy people are not fashionable. There is a difference between style and fashion. On one hand, fashions change from year to year, but style never goes out of style. You would not be caught dead wearing the purse you bought last year, because this year it's out of fashion. You wouldn't be caught dead in bellbottoms and curly chest hair, because they went out of fashion 40 years ago. You'd rather die than wear legwarmers or parachute pants to work, because you're not an extra in The Breakfast Club. Fashion is not classy.
Style, on the other hand, is classy, because style is always restrained. A tuxedo looks good on almost everyone because it is simple — black and white. You know what ruins a tuxedo? Glossy pant stripes, black shoes made from shiny fake leather, pink cufflinks the size of silver dollars – anything flashy.
Frugality

Since classy people don't want people to notice their wealth, they don't spend time in malls. They don't shop. They buy few things, and then they take care of those things. They only buy new things when the old things wear out. They don't want to be seen as spendthrifts, so they have a yard or estate sale to get rid of unneeded stuff instead of throwing it away. Better yet, they donate their unneeded things to friends, family, or charity, and do not replace them.
Technology
Classy people are slow to adopt technology, and they never hoard gadgets. Unclassy people have to own every new version of the iPhone as soon as it comes out. This gives them social status and shows the world how tech-​savvy they are — something the classy person wants to avoid. While the unclassy man sees the new iPhone and says, "Ooo, the screen is 1mm wider!" and buys one thinking everyone will envy him, the classy man sees the new iPhone and says, "The screen is 1mm wider? Is that it?" and he keeps his old phone until it stops working.
The classy man may read about the iGirdle, but he won't be the first in line to buy it. He waits until the iGirdle comes out, because he knows that it isn't until the 3rd or 4th generation of a product that it becomes good. He watches other people wear their iGirdle and takes his time deciding if he needs it. Once convinced that the iGirdle will improve his daily life in a significant way, he then buys one, but he keeps it hidden. He doesn't wear it out for all to see. He never talks about it. Instead he uses it, cares for it, and keeps it for years without replacing it until he wears it out.

Speech
A loose tongue makes enemies, but tight lips end arguments. Unclassy people have no control over their speech. They are loud, they dominate conversations, and they swear. Frequently. I'm not getting goody-​two-​shoes on you here, nor does swearing make me squeamish. But classy people control their tongues because they have respect for others. Unclassy people don't. Unclassy people focus on themselves—their rights, their stories, their desires. They are the first to offend and the first to find offence. Having no control over their tongues, they sprinkle four-​letter-​words into their dialogue like commas. In their minds they think that swearing is rebellious, the mark of great personality, and cool. Because classy people don't need to be cool, they don't swear.
Conversation
While the way you talk is an important class indicator, so is what you talk about. Unclassy people gossip. This is unclassy for obvious reasons. The gossiper is trying to make himself look important by having knowledge about a person you might not have. (Thus, he is more influential and popular than you). He's also trying to discredit a person whom he sees as a social rival. If he can make that person less respected by his peers, then perhaps he, the gossiper, will gain more respect. (We all know, of course, that the opposite occurs. We don't respect gossips). The classy person doesn't gossip because he doesn't need to prove that he is influential. He doesn't need to cannibalize another man's social standing by tearing him down.

Movies
The unclassy person thinks that by talking about movies, he's showing off how cultured he is. He wants the respect of a tasteful man, so he memorizes every geeky detail of his favorite movies so that he can impress his peers later. Even if you have not yet seen the movie, he will talk to you about it and encourage you to see it too (thus vindicating his taste). He typically loves Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino.
News
Talking about the news of the day is important to the unclassy man. In doing so, he taps into something he thinks is important — collective knowledge — thereby making himself feel more important. This is the same psychology behind wearing brands, as Fussell pointed out. People wear items emblazoned by Nike, Adidas, and Reebok, because everyone knows of them. By wearing them, he feels connected to something others find important. It's the same with news.
Now, I'm not saying classy people are ignorant of the news. They just don't talk about it, unless asked.
Television
Unclassy people talk about television because they want others to know that they, too, tuned into the show at the same time millions of others did. It makes them feel accepted, and less likely to be judged, for having done what so many others have done. Since television tastes change fast, the soup de jour will be different from year to year. But right now, the unclassy person watches Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

They want to know about you, because they are interested in you, and they want to learn from you. They also tend to talk more about personal philosophy. Sometimes they wander into news and politics, but usually only to illustrate a point.

Classy Relativism

You're here reading this because you wanted to know how to be classy. Thus, you, like all other sane human beings, want to be more aware of how people interpret the signals you send. This knowledge will help you can get a better job, or marry a person classier than you, or find classier friends, or raise classier kids. I'm not saying that classy people are better people, or that being unclassy is necessarily immoral. Better, moral, right, wrong; those words have no place in this topic. Class is something apart from these things. The statues of class are part of the unwritten rule-​book all humans evolved to play by. Knowing them can give us an upper hand as we travel through life, so we can find better fortunes and have happier lives.
Class is a frighteningly practical thing. The wisest among us excise ego, pride, and emotions from the subject so that we can reflect upon ourselves honestly and become classier.