sociologists suggest that people disclose much about their positions in social hierarchies by how their everyday choices reveal their tastes. that is preference for certain consumer goods, appearances, manners etc. may signal status because it is perceived as part of the lifestyle of high-status groups. but, it is further argued, not just that patterns of taste are determined by class structure. because people may also strategically employ distinctions of taste as resources in maintaining and redefining their social status.