Those who do not have the resources to buy something that is beyond their financial means should not buy it. If they are aware of their financial means and still really want a certain item, like an iPhone, for example (it may seem like something modest to many, but here in Brazil it is very expensive), that same person will buy it in installments, and that is okay, they did what they could.
This is not what defines rich or poor, it is more complex. What is not acceptable is for a person to stop buying the basics for their family just to have something material. That is not being poor, it is being stupid.
This depends on their own nature because sometimes there are not a few people who try to force their ego just because of prestige and try to be hedon because they don't want to be said to be poor when they are clearly not too able to buy these things and try to force themselves because of prestige itself.
It would actually be better if they don't do things that are not really necessary because doing things like this is the same as those who try to look fine to save their face but on the other hand their economic conditions are not enough to support it. Not a few things like this happen among us, even though they realize that it is burdensome but when it comes to high prestige they put it aside just to look more glamorous.
This lifestyle is clearly not very justified but unfortunately things like this always happen for some people especially for those who are indeed in the circle of life below economic standards which in the end makes them seem more difficult.
Not only does status pressure apply to the rich. Though it's most savage when the margins are tight, there is this idea that trying to look successful is an upper-class issue. You know people judge quickly and forgive slowly, so you grow up on the wrong side of the tracks and every obvious symbol counts double. If society set different priorities, maybe people wouldn’t break themselves just to fit in for a moment
It's not "hedonism". That's the fear of falling behind. Blame the people, blame the system, or blame the psychological operating system we inherit. The rules of the so-called rational financial world are not set up for everyone to win. For someone whose means always grow, "Live below your means" is excellent advise. If your social capital starts at nothing, sometimes the "irresponsible" action seems like the only move remaining
Therefore, scarcity of acceptability is the deeper issue than consumption. Why, even for those with nothing left to prove, does prestige still control? Because authenticity doesn’t pay rent, and real connections are rare when everyone’s playing defense. The cycle is still spinning. If someone wants to change it, the solution goes above financial advice to include tearing down the social norm that makes poverty a public failure rather than a collective issue. If we don’t, we’ll keep blaming people for trying to breathe in a room with no air