The Countess of Turkish Plastic Surgery;Katie Price There was a time when gilded mirrors, tufted velvet, and ornate chandeliers belonged in Versailles. Or at least Vegas. Now they’re crammed into 2,400-square-foot tract homes in Tulsa and TikTok apartments with no closet doors. Welcome to Baroque on a Budget — a cultural moment where American (and Brits) have decided that if you can’t be rich, you can at least look rich… right up until your Afterpay defaults. It’s not just aesthetic. It’s emotional.   The logical next step of a system where wealth is fantasy, class mobility is stalled, and appearance has become a survival mechanism. This is the Bravo Universe made flesh. Real Housewives meets a Buy Now Pay Later plan. Tesco caviar next to your kid’s orthodontist bill. Let’s start with the truth: envy drives American taste. Not inspiration. Not refinement. Just weaponized longing in soft focus. The national style has become a patchwork of borrowed grandeur — Greco-Roman faux ...