How much of this is TV specifically and how much is social signalling about wealth and class? I know I resented that my parents made me buy clothes at "Zellers" (defunct Canadian WalMart) and "Value Village" (thrift store) because kids made fun of my "poor" clothes once in a while. By the time I was 20 I realized that my parents were right and none of those opinions from my peers mattered the least bit.