Aparvenu is a person who is a relative newcomer to a high-rankingsocioeconomic class. The word is borrowed from theFrench language; it is the past participle of the verbparvenir (to reach, to arrive, to manage to do something).
The wordparvenu typically describes a person who recentlyascended the social ladder, especially anouveau riche or "new money" individual. The famousMargaret Brown, who survived thesinking of theTitanic in 1912, was portrayed as a "new money" individual, most notably in the "climbing social classes" musicalThe Unsinkable Molly Brown, because of her impoverishedIrishimmigrant roots and lack of socialpedigree.
TheOxford English Dictionary defines aparvenu as: "A person from a humble background who has rapidly gained wealth or an influential social position; a nouveau riche; an upstart, a social climber. Also in extended use. Generally used with the implication that the person concerned is unsuited to the new social position, esp. through lacking the necessary manners or accomplishments."
The term designates individuals not socially accepted by individuals already established in their new class. It expresses a form ofclassism.
Asocial climber is a derogatory term that denotes someone who seeks social prominence through aggressive, fawning, or obsequious behavior.[1] The term is sometimes used as synonymous withparvenu, and may be used as an insult, suggesting a poorwork ethic or disloyalty to roots.
Several examples might include athletic and entertainment professionals born and raised inpoverty and suddenly finding themselves with significantly higher income due to their new-found celebrity status.
Established royal families of Europe regarded theBonaparte family asparvenu royalty.Napoleon III tried to marry into Swedish and German royalty, but was unsuccessful because he was aparvenu. For instance, his plan to marryAnna Pavlovna, one of the sisters of theEmperor Alexander, did not push through because theEmpress Mother objected to the union on account of Napoleon's status as a parvenu.[2] The reason given for themisalliance was difference of religion.[2]
This was also said to be the case with the marriage of EgyptianPrincess Fawzia to the futureShah of Iran,Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.[citation needed] One of the reasons speculated for their divorce is that Fawzia's family, includingKing Farouk I, viewed the Pahlavis asparvenus.[citation needed] Though theMuhammad Ali dynasty ofEgypt andSudan, to which Fawzia belonged, had humble beginnings, it had solidified its status in Egypt and theArab World since 1805. In contrast, the Pahlavis were a far more recent dynasty, owing their position entirely to thecoup d'état of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's father,Reza Khan, in 1921.
Manyparvenus in theUnited States arrived there as poor immigrants, then worked their way up the social ladder. Beginning as laborers, they took advantage of better economic opportunities in the U.S., moving on to become civil servants, "white collar" (business/office) workers and finally members of respectable society.
In the 19th century, the French aristocracy viewed Jewish women who converted to Christianity upon marriage as parvenus.[3] Professor Catherine Nicault of theUniversity of Reims Champagne-Ardenne has argued that this exemplified the way in which the French aristocracy was hostile toward Jews.[3]
The dictionary definition ofparvenu at Wiktionary
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