ABSTRACT
Social classes arise in drawing boundaries, and social identities are defined and asserted through difference. This chapter presents distinctions within the middle class expressed through concepts and practices, the experience of pleasure, and the disappointments of middle-class consumers in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Concepts and practices along with approval and disapproval of past and current situations regarding consumption show the strategies used by classes and other social groups to construct themselves, secure a social place in the world, and distinguish themselves from other groups. The current consumer market brings both pleasure and disappointment to the lives of older people. Contemporary capitalism produces an illusion of abundance and great variety of potentially available consumer goods. The key categories and concepts of consumption for older people are reflected in their attitudes to youth fashion. The middle-age group seems to have a bigger variety of styles in their vocabulary by comparison with the older age group.
