From dinner parties to grocery flexing: Inside Gen Z’s new language of luxury
Caught in the middle of inflation, a cost of living crisis, and apparently now Donald Trump’s tariffs, it has become increasingly difficult for Gen Zers to showcase their wealth, taste, and sophistication.
With luxury vacations, lush restaurant visits, and designer imports off the table, Gen Zers and millennials alike are now turning to something far more accessible but just as status-coded to show off their affluence: dinner parties and grocery flexing—because what says opulence more than Erewhon strawberries and a charcuterie board with cheeses carefully selected at the farmer’s market?
The newest signifier of wealth is being able to give away food, and expensive food at that.
What are Gen Z dinner parties like?
Imagine a white tablescape dressed in colourful hand-dipped candles, some mismatched vintage glassware, and small arrangements of hand-picked flowers. TikTok and other social media platforms are currently flooded with this aesthetic, evidencing how at-home fine dining is a trend that has firmly captured the next generation.
@foodieholly_ Replying to @emmasl5 how I made the menus for my Italian themed dinner party! 🍋🇮🇹🫒🍅 #dinnerparty #dinnerpartyideas #dinnerpartydecor #dinnerpartyinspo
♬ Come Prima - Tito Puente And His Orchestra & Abbe Lane
@honeybabygirlyswirly ringing in summer the best way we know how💐🫶💕🍋🌞 #dinnerparty #dinnerpartyideas #tablescapes #springbreak #springdiy #flowerinstallation #partydecor #springfashion #summerdinner #summerdinnerideas #girlydinner
♬ In the Mood - Glenn Miller
@raymoralessss 10/10 recommend using paper as your tablecloth for everyone to draw/ write cute notes all over the table at your next dinner party 🫗🖍️🍒💚 #dinnerparty #dinnerpartyideas #summerdinnerparty #girlsnight #fyp #foryou
♬ Dance You Outta My Head - Cat Janice
Search terms such as ‘dinner party aesthetic’, ‘dinner party theme’, and ‘best dinner party foods’ have exploded in 2024. In fact, Pinterest logged an increase of over 6,000 per cent for ‘dinner party’ searches that year.
And instead of the quick and uncomplicated ready meals from Tesco, netizens are preparing three-course dinner experiences from scratch à la Nara Smith with dishes such as heirloom tomatoes on grilled flatbread as starter, smashed harissa sweet potatoes as a main course, and pavlova as dessert. In other words, Gen Zers aren’t messing around and are coming for that ‘Host of the Year’ crown.
@dees.table Everything I served for my lovely ladies during our beautiful Spring dinner🤍🌸 I also served a cheesecake at the end but trying to remember to film that too proved to be too difficult🥹 Flammkuchen idea was taken completely from @Laurita 🤲🏻 #dinnerideas #howtohostadinnerparty #hostadinnerwithme #dinnerparty #girlsdinner #amsterdamfood #hostingtips #hostingideas #hostingfoodideas #amsterdamlife #amsterdamvlog
♬ This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole
Still, this is not your parents’ type of dinner party—formal wear and small talk with your weird cousin Dan because your dad said, ‘Go, he’s sitting alone’.
Gen Zers are showing up in their cutest tenniscore fits, or quiet luxury ensembles for this underhanded display of wealth. And they come ready to play party games like werewolf, dance the night away to a pop culture girly playlist, and have some invigorating discussions about whether KFC is actually using human meat.
What is grocery flexing?
In this new era of quiet, no, muted luxury, the new elite speak in seasonal produce and sourdough starters. This means that grocery flexing is less about what you cook and more about where you shop, what you buy, and how you present it. Think a pound of cherries from a regional farm, olive oil in aesthetic glass bottles, and vegetables like artichokes that whisper, ‘Tesco? I don’t go there’.
Gone are the days of lacklustre essentials picked up at the off-licence after work. It’s time to view your grocery haul as an opportunity to create a personal brand of luxury disguised as wellness. And unlike a designer bag, it’s more accessible during a recession.
@kriskrechina Favourite sunday activity 🤞🏼🧺 #farmermarket #sundayreset #syndayroutine #farmersmarketday #farmermarketlife #sundayactivity #shoppinglocal #sustainableliving
♬ original sound - gilmoregirlstok
@such.a.sasha What £68 buys you at the farmers market in London 🍅 #farmersmarket #londonlife
♬ I like this life by Marc Bast - Marc Bast
@oliviaamcdowell A little farmers market haul from the NYC Carroll Gardens Greenmarket in Brooklyn to start off the first weekend of spring! #farmersmarkethaul #groceryhaul #freshproduce
♬ It Happened One Night - Gordon L Goodwin
Why has food become a sign of wealth?
Food has always been a marker of class and access. In the 18th century, sugar and pineapples were status symbols. They were considered so exotic and expensive that people would rent them to show off at parties. In the 19th century, celery became so exclusive that it was displayed in ornate vases like flowers.
Today, we can see the luxurious appeal of a good meal reflected in the power that influencer and model Nara Smith holds. On the surface, it’s easy to see only the lavish meal she prepares and the incredibly impractical outfits she wears to do so, but both tell a story of wealth, too—the income and time to facilitate these divine meals is a marker of status.
Perhaps it’s an indicator of recession that our focus is shifting from clothes, jewellery, and exclusive drops to more essential things like a warm home and good (looking) food.
As most of us feel the full brunt of economic strain, maybe it’s really not that surprising and rather heart-warming that our aspirations have turned away from yachts in Monaco and towards more essential things.
Mostly, it’s kind of fun though that Gen Z’s version of saying ‘Let them eat cake’ entails actual cake now.
