In this episode of Awkward Etiquette with Kiki Astor, we tackle one of the most uncomfortable—and misunderstood—topics in modern society: class. Not money. Not income. Not net worth. Class.

From ancient Rome and Greece to modern Europe and North America, this episode explores how class has historically functioned as a system of behavior, duty, values, and conduct—not merely consumption. We trace how class evolved through feudal societies, the rise of the bourgeoisie, Victorian morality, and America's enduring myth of classlessness, revealing why pretending class no longer exists has made people socially confused, status-obsessed, and deeply anxious.

We unpack the critical difference between wealth vs class, income vs status, and why high earnings don't automatically translate into elegance, credibility, or social ease. Drawing on ideas like cultural capital, invisible manners, and long-term thinking, this episode explains what actually signals class today—and what merely signals insecurity.

You'll learn:

• The real historical meaning of class (and how we lost the plot)
• Why class markers have little to do with logos or luxury spending
• Who actually gatekeeps class, and why gatekeeping exists at all
• The 3 Generation rulle: How class mobility really works—and why so many families rise quickly only to fall within a few generations
• Why restraint, privacy, and institutional fluency matter more than visibility
• How pretending class is "dead" creates fragile elites and chaotic aspirants

Finally, we explore why class still matters—not as superiority, but as stewardship, social literacy, and stability—and how to cultivate genuine elegance regardless of your starting point.

This episode is for anyone fascinated by old money vs new money, social codes, etiquette, cultural power, and the quiet rules that still shape opportunity, trust, and belonging in modern life.

Why does exclusion hurt so much—and why has every functioning society depended on it?

In this episode of Awkward Etiquette with Kiki Astor, Kiki dismantles the modern fantasy that "everyone belongs" and reveals exclusion as one of the oldest, most stable organizing principles of social life. Drawing on history, psychology, etiquette, and elite social systems—from Mrs. Astor's 400 to Palm Beach clubs, London blackballing, and members-only cultures—this episode explains how gates, silence, and unspoken rules actually create coherence, trust, and power.

You'll learn:

• Why exclusion activates the brain like physical pain—and why we misinterpret it as personal failure

• The difference between rejection and structural exclusion (and why confusing them causes social anxiety)

• How old money, elite institutions, and private clubs use etiquette as a filtering system, not a performance

• How the cast of Members Only Palm Beach is anything but real high society

• Why the most secure people don't chase inclusion, over-explain, or audition for belonging

• How to read closed doors as information instead of insults

• How to stop unraveling after being left out—and start choosing rooms that fit your nervous system, values, and identity

This is a deep dive into status, class, power dynamics, etiquette, social hierarchy, exclusion psychology, old money culture, and modern insecurity—delivered with dry wit, historical rigor, and Auntie Kiki's signature clarity.

If you're tired of performative belonging, exhausted by social climbing, curious about how elite systems actually work, or craving a more grounded, dignified relationship to status and love—this episode will change how you move through the world.