I grew up in a ‘rich white neighborhood’ and here are the ‘weird’ things I learned about wealth

A woman who grew up in a “wealthy white neighborhood” has candidly revealed the weirdest things about wealth and status she’s internalized.

Madison Van Doren, who grew up in Denver, Colorado, took to TikTok to share some of her fascinating observations.

She listed the dos and don’ts she learned growing up in an affluent household, including that Range Rovers are “inexplicably good” but that “red-soled Louboutins” should be avoided.

And dozens of social media users rushed to the comments to praise Madison for questioning these perceived norms.

She candidly revealed the dos and don’ts she was taught growing up in an affluent household

In the clip, which has been viewed more than 765,000 times, Madison cuts up an apple while talking to the camera.

She begins, “I grew up in an affluent, almost all-white neighborhood. I mean, for God’s sake I went to boarding school.’

“I’m going to share with you the weird messages about wealth and status that I internalized as a kid and only recently started unpacking.

“Disclaimers are stupid, but just in case anyone gets bothered by this, I really believe these things, so don’t panic.”

Then Madison throws herself into her list and says, “The list of things that are inexplicably good are LL Bean—especially the bag—and Range Rovers.

“I was in therapy as a kid, like all white rich kids. My mom pulls into the parking lot of my therapist’s office and there’s a car there and I thought, “Oh, the doctor must be here,” and my mom said, “Yeah, she drives a Range Rover, that’s how you know she’s made It.”

“So in my head I thought, ‘Okay, as a professional woman, I haven’t made it until I have a Range Rover.'”

But Madison, who now lives in Brooklyn, was quick to add a caveat: “If you live in New York City, you’re never going to get a Range Rover unless you’re an idiot.”

She begins the clip by saying, “I grew up in a wealthy, almost all-white neighborhood — I mean, I went to boarding school for God’s sake”

Other things on Madison’s no-go list include “bringing up where you went to school in conversation” and “red-soled Louboutins”

Madison rounds off her insight and concludes, “Someone once said that we are the sum of the people we spend the most time with.”

Madison, who works as a digital marketing strategist, then reveals that “another thing that’s inexplicably good” is “bouldering,” for which she shrugs, shakes her head, and mutters repeatedly, “I don’t know.”

She adds that the upper echelons of society will regularly purchase status symbol items such as cars and watches [and] wallets’ without ever using them.

“Let’s talk about the things that aren’t right, the things that the community doesn’t approve of,” she continues.

Madison jokes, “Thou shalt not buy a Louis Vuitton, especially nothing with a logo on it, unless you want people to think you are poor.

‘You will also not post pictures of you skiing. I don’t know why but don’t post pictures of you skiing or on vacation or doing just about anything other than [sharing] bad, blurry pictures of toast and breakfast and your dog.

‘Actually, participation in social media is generally frowned upon.’

Other things on Madison’s no-go list include “bringing up where you went to school in conversation” and “red-soled Louboutins” — though Jimmy Choos is reportedly fine.

Madison rounds off her insight and concludes, “Someone once said that we are the sum of the people we spend the most time with.

She uploaded the clip alongside a caption that read, “I’m nervous about posting this because it’s a little outside of the fashion content I normally focus on.”

Dozens of social media users rushed to the comments to praise Madison for questioning these perceived norms

“So when you spend a lot of time around weird, rich white people, you’re going to adopt some of the things they think and say and do, whether you realize it or not.

“If, like me, you’ve spent a lot of time with those people, think about it — you probably have some weird assumptions about the world, too.”

She uploaded the clip alongside a caption that read, “I’m nervous about posting this because it’s a little outside of the fashion content I normally focus on. But I think it’s equal parts hilarious and important.

“I grew up in a wealthy white neighborhood and learned some pretty hilarious things. These are some of my personal favorite views of wealth and status symbols that wealthy white people seem to have.”

And dozens of social media users rushed to the comments to praise Madison for her openness.

One of them wrote, “You strike me as someone who has rejected all that in favor of a more authentically grounded life. Good for you!’

Another added, “I appreciated this post, thank you for being so real about yourself.”

And a third simply said, “It’s funny because it’s true.”