In college, I loved reading Thomas Mann's "Clothes Make the Man." This short story follows a character who, by wearing elegant clothes, is mistaken for a nobleman. But his charade unravels, and he’s humiliated when his true identity is revealed.

Ironically, I lived the inverse while living in the Swiss Alps: I wore trekking clothes and tried to hide any signs of wealth to avoid judgment.

The fear of appearing arrogant was one factor. Learning about my father’s world was another. My father had been a mountain guide who had painted houses, coached hockey, and worked as a lumberjack and stunt man in a James Bond movie (a Pitz Gloria guard). While some might have distanced themselves from their humble roots, I took pride in mine.

But pride didn’t shield me from reality.

A narrated essay from The Pressures of Privilege.
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