History Main / NouveauRiche

* SteveMartin's character in ''TheJerk'', along with his girlfriend, complete with looking like idiots in a fancy restaurant, AFoolAndHisMoneyAreSoonParted and ConspicuousConsumption, though not in that order.

[[folder:Music]]
* BillyJoel's ''Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)'' is a criticism of blue-collar and lower-middle class New Yorkers who are prepared to literally [[HeroicRedRingOfDeath work themselves to death]], in order to be seen to keep up with the Joneses.
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Literally "new rich" (pronounced [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench noo-voh reesh]]), less literally "new money", this is the negative take on either the SelfMadeMan or the guy who just won the Lottery or had an unexpected inheritance. The NouveauRiche are characterized as rude and tacky, frequently contrasted with the good breeding of [[BlueBlood aristocratic]] characters.

If British, expect them to be from OopNorth. If they are American, expect them to be fat Texas oil barons or cattle tycoons, or even a cotton-pickin', slave-whippin' FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit.

Often paired with ConspicuousConsumption, and can often lead to AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted.

Literally "new rich" (pronounced [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench noo-voh reesh]]), less literally "new money", this is the negative take on either the SelfMadeMan or the guy who just won the Lottery or had an unexpected inheritance. The NouveauRiche are characterized as rude and tacky, frequently contrasted with the good breeding of [[BlueBlood aristocratic]] characters.

If British, expect them to be from OopNorth. If they are American, expect them to be fat texas oil barons or cattle tycoons, or even a cotton-pickin', slave-whippin' FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit.

* Many JamesBond villains, who are contrasted with CulturedBadass Bond.

* The groom's family in ''CorpseBride''.
* Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) in ''{{Caddyshack}}''.

* As mentioned in the [[RealLife Real Life]] section, Molly Brown from [[{{Titanic}} Titanic]], played by Kathy Bates. Subverted in that the only people who seem to dislike her for being [[NouveauRiche Nouveaue Riche]] are the other upper-class women. The men (and of course Rose) all seem to like her just fine.
* Steve Martin's character in {{The Jerk}}, along with his girlfriend, complete with looking like idiots in a fancy restaurant, AFoolAndHisMoneyAreSoonParted and ConspicuousConsumption, though not in that order.

* The murder victim in ''MurderOnTheOrientExpress'', and really, this trope is very common in ChristieTime mysteries- in particular, Jews and American businessmen are almost always presented this way- although the LordPeterWimsey novel ''Whose Body?'' subverts both of these.
* ''PrideAndPrejudice'' plays with this trope.
** The Gardiners are an aversion, as they are literally NouveauRiche who made their money in trade but are genteel, educated "people of fashion."
** The Bingleys also made their fortune in trade, but -- for reasons Austen never gets into -- the youngest generation moves in the upper circles of the landed gentry, and Bingley's two sisters are snobs who look down on people like the Gardiners.
* The antique Roman author Titus Petronius in his satirical novel "Satyricon" (c. 60 AD) has Trimalchio, a freed slave that has come to untold riches, and who is an exemplary ''Nouveau Riche''. Petronius has him throw an exorbitant party, and the meticulous description of it is almost entirely dedicated to this trope (for comical effect). The "Feast of Trimalchio" is quite a famous piece of literature, and the trope therefore OlderThanFeudalism.

* She may not necessarily be tacky per se, but Lina Broud of the ''{{Luxe}}'' series uses this trope as the reason for her rise in status (rather than the truth, which is that she's just a maid that used deceit to get what she wanted).
* As is the case in the anime adaptation (see below), Danglars in ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'' is described as having an appearance as repellent as his personality, and there are a lot of comments about his lack of taste. However, many of the other characters are also self-made (or even currently employed), so it's not clear how much the novel is inherently contemptuous of new money.
* In ''VanityFair'', the three main families, the Sedleys, Dobbins, and Osbournes all made their money in trade. The Dobbins kind of fall into the "lack of class" version, being very recently wealthy, but the novel has its contempt overwhelmingly for the Osbournes, who reached high society slightly before the others, and have become snobbish [[hottip:*: in fact Thackeray himself coined the word snob, and his meaning had the connotation of someone who is new money and gets above themselves- in contrast to a nob, who is an old money aristocrat]] jerkasses.

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* In GilmoreGirls, the Gilmores have been a well-respected and wealthy family for over a hundred years- but they're still considered Nouveau Riche trash by the Huntzbergers, who have been rich for centuries.

* TheBeverlyHillbillies
* In the third {{Blackadder}} series, it looks like the Prince Regent will have to get married for the sake of his finances, and since none of the traditional aristocratic options are available and/or suitable, he ends up pursuing the daughter of a nouveau riche industrialist. It transpires that [[spoiler: the industrialist isn't actually as rich as he pretends, and is just trying to get at the Prince Regent's supposed wealth.]]

* A ''RoyalPains'' episode featured a couple who was this trope. [[spoiler: they were from Nebraska and had won the lottery.]] The husband became Hank's PatientOfTheWeek because he had gout [[spoiler: due to all the expensive food his wife made him eat.]]

* Clo Villagra, the mother of the two romantic female leads in the Chilean SoapOpera ''Marron Glace'', became this due to a ''very'' succesful catering business that she built with the money coming from her dead husband's inheritance. [[spoiler: What Clo and her family didn't know, though, was that said riches came from dirty businesses. Which brings the male lead Octavio into their lives, as he's an ImpoverishedPatrician whose family was the main victim of said tricks and lost their own wealth due to them.]]

* In {{Bully}}, one of the Preps Tad Spencer is new money, a fact he is ashamed of and tries to mask by speaking with a stuck-up BritishAccent.
* In ''MitsumeteKnight'', the Zakroid family became aristocrats of this type thanks to a boom in the diamond and rock phosphate markets. [[TheLibby Linda]], the heirhess of the family, [[BerserkButton doesn't like at all]] being called "Nouveau Riche" though, because [[spoiler: [[LovableLibby she worked hard to become an aristocrat, and wants to prove to all she's worthy of this rank]]]]. However, to get her Ending, she'll have to [[spoiler: [[AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted witness the family's business go to bankruptcy]], so she can see the people who really care for her (i.e. the protagonist)]].

[[folder: Real Life]]

--> Two New Russians were arguing at a bar over which had the fancier car, house, bling, etc. One says "See this necktie? Imported silk, cost me one thousand dollars American!" The other replies, "Bah! I know a place where I can get ''same'' necktie for ''ten'' thousand dollars!"
* ''Parvenu'' -- "upstart", 1802, from French ''parvenu'', "said of an obscure person who has made a great fortune," noun use of past participle of ''parvenir'' "to arrive", from Latin ''pervenire'', from ''per''- "through" and ''venire'' "to come"
** Interesting, isn't it, that the French have these two terms, and the closely related ''arriviste'' ("pushy, ambitious person," 1901, from Fr. ''arriviste'', from ''arriver'' "to arrive". The notion is of a person intent on "arriving" at success or in society)? It's almost like they were snobs or something.

* While we're on this linguistical bent, there is also ''Hobnob'', from the Old English, which carries similar connotations of transgressing social strata.
** And "tufthunter", which referred to college students who tried to hang out with the nobility (who wore distinguishing tufts on their caps).
* A late 1890's (English) newspaper editorial complained that the English nobility was losing its class, what with all the penniless aristocrats marrying off their sons to the daughters of filthy rich American cattle-barons and tycoons.
* DonaldTrump, to a degree. His father was a very successful low income housing developer in NYC, he sent Donald to Fordham, so his family was doing very well before. Donald just took his love of construction and everything else {{UpToEleven}}.

* I wouldn't necessarily say she's tacky, but Lina Broud of the ''{{Luxe}}'' series uses this trope as the reason for her rise in status (rather than the truth, which is that she's just a maid that used deceit to get what she wanted).

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* Invoked by name in ImGettingMurderedInTheMorning.
* In ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (The Would-Be Noble), Moliere acidly criticizes this trope through Monsieur Jourdain, the pretentious and snobbish bourgeois main character. He takes the chance to throw pot shots at aristocrats as well, tho.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC: Television]]

[[AC:Manga & Anime]]
* In ''{{Gankutsuou}}'', Danglars is the epitome of greedy new money with no class- this is well represented by the fact he always wears a golden suit.
* Kazuya and his family in ''HanaYoriDango'', though Kazuya himself is a more sympathetic example.

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC: RealLife]]

* Also the Sa-Sa (Salinas Sánchez) family from the more recent Chilean soap "Brujas", who won the lotto and turned into this. They became the {{Ensemble Darkorse}}s of the series and even got their own SpinOff.

* As mentioned in the [[RealLife Real Life]] section, Molly Brown from [[{{Titanic}} Titanic]]. Subverted in that the only people who seem to dislike her for being [[NouveauRiche Nouveaue Riche]] are the other upper-class women. The men (and of course Rose) all seem to like her just fine.

* DonaldTrump
** Not entirely. His father was a very successful low income housing developer in NYC, he sent Donald to Fordham, so his family was doing very well before. Donald took his love of construction and everything else {{UpToEleven}}.

** Well, "parvenu" was only used as a derogatory term by nobles as "undeserving" of their wealth or social position. Of course, centuries later, it's the ''nobles'' who are seen as undeserving, since they did nothing but get lucky at birth... On the other hand, "arriviste" means more "[[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious and unscrupulous]]".

* ''TheGreatGatsby''
* The antique Roman author Titus Petronius in his satirical novel "Satyricon" (c. 60 AD) has Trimalchio, a freed slave that has come to untold riches, and who is an exemplary ''Nouveau Riche''. Petronius has him throw an exorbitant party, and the meticulous description of it is almost entirely dedicated to this trope (for comical effect). The "Feast of Trimalchio" is quite a famous piece of literature, and the trope therefore Older Than Feudalism.
* A few show up in MidsomerMurders.
* I wouldn't necessarily say she's tacky, but Lina Broud of the ''Luxe'' series uses this trope as the reason for her rise in status (rather than the truth, which is that she's just a maid that used deceit to get what she wanted).

* Alec D'Urberville in ''[[{{ptitled7szgbdx}} Tess of the D'Urbervilles]]'' fits this trope almost perfectly. By contrast, the [[{CharacterTitle}} eponymous Tess]] is (very distantly) an ImpoverishedPatrician.

** Well, "parvenu" was only used as a derogatory term by nobles as "undeserving" of their wealth or social position. Of course, centuries later, it's the ''nobles'' who are seen as undeserving, since they did nothing but get lucky at birth...

Literally "new rich" (pronounced [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench noo-voh reesh]]), less literally "new money", this is the negative take on the SelfMadeMan (and isn't always self-made: Lottery and unexpected inheritance are common too). The NouveauRiche are characterized as rude and tacky, frequently contrasted with the good breeding of [[BlueBlood aristocratic]] characters.

** Not entirely. His father was a very successful low income housing developer in NYC, he sent Donald to Dartmouth for chirst sake, so his family was doing very well before. Donald took his love of construction and everything else {{UpToEleven}}.

* A ''RoyalPains'' episode featured a couple who was this trope. [[Spoiler: they were from Nebraska and had won the lottery.]] The husband became Hank's PatientOfTheWeek because he had gout [[spoiler: due to all the expensive food his wife made him eat.]]

* In GilmoreGirls, the Gilmores have been a well-respected and wealthy family for over a hundred years- but they're still considered Nouveau Riche trash by the Huntzbergers, who have been rich for centuries.