keep up with the Joneses

K

keep up with the Joneses (idiom)
/ˌkiːp ˈʌp wɪð ðə ˈdʒoʊn.zɪz/

Meanings

• To try to match the lifestyle, possessions, or social status of others, especially neighbors or peers.
• To feel pressure to spend money or buy things in order to appear equally successful as others.
• To compete socially by copying what others have, even when it causes stress or financial strain.

Synonyms: social comparison; status chasing; lifestyle competition; competitive consumption; conspicuous consumption.

Example Sentences

1. He bought a bigger house just to keep up with the Joneses, even though it stretched his budget.
2. Many people go into debt when they keep up with the Joneses instead of living within their means.
3. She stopped trying to keep up with the Joneses and felt happier focusing on her own priorities.

Etymology and Origin

The idiom “keep up with the Joneses” refers to the social pressure to match or surpass the material possessions and lifestyle of one’s neighbors or peers, often leading to conspicuous consumption and financial strain. It embodies a critique of societal competition rooted in status-seeking behavior, where individuals prioritize appearances over genuine needs.

Etymologically, the expression combines “keep up with,” a longstanding idiom meaning to maintain pace or equality, dating back to the seventeenth century, with “the Joneses,” a generic surname symbolizing anonymous yet aspirational figures.

This combination highlights the universal nature of social emulation, transforming a common name into a metaphor for unattainable standards.

Primary Theory of Emergence

The predominant explanation attributes the phrase’s popularization to a satirical comic strip that debuted in the early twentieth century, depicting a family’s futile attempts to emulate their unseen neighbors. Created by an artist drawing from personal experiences of living beyond one’s means in affluent suburbs, the strip humorously portrayed the McGinis family’s social climbing antics.

This narrative resonated widely, embedding the expression into everyday language as a shorthand for competitive consumerism. The comic’s influence extended beyond print, inspiring films and reinforcing the idea that such rivalry is a cyclical, self-perpetuating phenomenon among middle-class households.

Alternative Beliefs and Historical Speculations

Several other accounts propose different roots for the phrase, often linking it to prominent families or locations associated with wealth and prestige.

One belief connects it to a lavish mansion built in the mid-nineteenth century by a New York socialite, whose opulent estate reportedly spurred neighbors to construct even grander homes in a bid for superiority.

Another suggests ties to a wealthy power couple from the American South, known for their extravagant real estate investments and lavish entertaining, which set benchmarks for social elites.

Less common speculations include references to a picturesque street in a southern city or associations with literary figures from high society, though these lack direct evidence of the full phrase’s usage prior to its widespread adoption.

Geographic Inception

The expression first emerged in the United States, reflecting the cultural dynamics of early twentieth-century American society. Amid rapid industrialization and urbanization, growing middle-class aspirations fueled a consumer culture where status symbols like automobiles and homes became markers of success. This environment, particularly in suburban areas near major cities, provided fertile ground for themes of neighborly competition, allowing the phrase to gain traction domestically before spreading to other English-speaking regions by the mid-twentieth century.

Initial Documented Appearance

The earliest known printed instance of the phrase appears in a comic strip published on March 31, 1913, authored by Arthur R. Momand. Featured in a New York newspaper, the work bore the title “Keeping Up with the Joneses—by Pop,” introducing the concept through daily vignettes of domestic satire. In this inaugural context, the phrase served as the strip’s heading, encapsulating the central theme of striving to match an invisible benchmark of prosperity, without quoting specific dialogue but framing the entire narrative around this idea.

Money, Rich, Social, Up, Wealth