Call it what you want. But the gays love opulent things, places and people. I mean, what’s wrong with having nice things? New loafers… a new plasma TV, champagne, quality liquor, high thread count sheets, a sick wardrobe… is that a bad thing? NO! It’s damn good.
My friends at Webster’s define opulence as wealth and affluence, or abundance and profusion. Do all gays have this? Of course not. But that doesn’t stop some from sacrificing meals for a week strut around in some new threads.
It may even seem that gay people don’t have their priorities in order (and some really don’t, I’m quite sure we all know one of two). But the idea of owning these elaborate material things can be rooted in many different reasons. I know I cannot pinpoint all of the reasons, but let’s discuss a few. Many times gay people, like to stunt, one up, or out do the other gays. Whether it be looking more fabulous, having a limited edition piece, or having the latest electronic device, some gay people revel in the fact that they have something that another doesn’t, or have achieved a higher level of status. Sadly, these gays are caught up in a fantasy lifestyle. How these types of gays obtained these “riches” requires an entirely different post, so we will get into that later.
We have other gay people that are in love with the world of fashion and all things luxurious. After going through all of the mags for the latest looks of the season, these gays take their hard earned coins, head over to the local luxury dealer (i.e. Niemen Marcus, Barney’s, Bloomies, and Nordstrom), and purchase that piece or 2 that will complete their wardrobe. When worn, these gays are just dying for someone to ask, “Where’d you get that from?” These gays aren’t necessarily wealthy, rich or well off, but they appreciate quality goods.
And the last type that I’ll mention are those gays with the expendable income to live this opulent lifestyle. They’ve worked their way up the corporate ladder or own their own business, they are comfortable in their gayness and they are not afraid to flaunt their achievements. They have their high rise condo in the city, their 3 series convertible, their modern one-of- a- kind furniture, their nightly 7 course dinner, their trips to Rio, and their house in the Hamptons.
Either way you put it, being opulent, having or desiring opulent things, are ideas that are welcome in the gay community. So to all my gays who exude opulence…. Werk!
In the meantime, check out this clip from Paris is Burning on what it means to be opulent. (Fast forward to 2:05).
TTYS,
Fiercely Rich
Since I was a child, I craved to experience gay life first hand. Television was my only outlet to getting a glimpse of that one so-called gay character who happened to be a hair dresser that always had a “friend.” It was a kind of f*cked up misconstrued outlet, but it had to suffice.
