Why do social classes exist? Marx primarily discusses this in terms of economic structure. But I want to look at it from a more fundamental, alternative angle.
Classes do not arise only from economic inequality; they also emerge from individuals’ aesthetic consciousness—especially the ways people pursue it through everyday practices. Class is symbolized by what we wear, what we eat, what kind of house we live in, and what kind of car we drive. These things shape how we treat our bodies.
The way we treat our bodies is tied to aesthetic consciousness. Of course, these differences depend strongly on economic resources, but that alone seems superficial. The core issue is how we exercise control over what goes into and comes out of our bodies. For example, it is unpleasant when someone picks their nose or defecates in front of you. If you see yourself as “cultured,” you would avoid such behavior. How people avoid—or fail to avoid—these acts reflects their aesthetic consciousness, and it helps define the class to which they are perceived to belong.
Different cultures conceal bodily excretions in different ways. The more “refined” the concealment, the higher the social status tends to be. Likewise, what someone chooses to eat often signals class. This is not simply produced by economic power. Rather, aesthetic practices around the body inevitably generate economic disparities over time.
