What do people mean when they say Brits have an “effortless” sense of humour and style?

Posted by Tricky_Letterhead514@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 70 comments

I’ve lived in the UK for around 4 years now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that people here often have a very dry, relaxed confidence in the way they speak, dress, and joke around.
I’m curious whether this is a cultural thing, a humour thing, or just something I’m noticing as someone who didn’t grow up here. What do British people think creates that kind of vibe?

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libelible@reddit

“A relaxed confidence in the way they speak”…a lot of people are shy and awkward. Like saying hello was a very difficult task.

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Whole_Ad_8229@reddit

I've never heard of British people being described as having effortless style. We're widely regarded as lacking in style.

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Square_Quarter_229@reddit

I’m not sure that’s true! We have a pretty good reputation in East Asia

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Forsaken-Ad5571@reddit

I’d imagine a lot of that is based on costume dramas and the general upper class stereotypes that haven’t been true in the UK since the 70s

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Square_Quarter_229@reddit

Some of it is a legacy thing, but it’s also that Asian tourists go to areas where people are quite turned out (London and the Cotswolds being the main places). There’s absolutely a distinct British style that looks effortless from the outside.

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CharlemagneKidding@reddit

OP misunderstood british style as looking like you put 0 effort in as effortlessly stylish

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Ok_Neat2979@reddit

Depends where you live.

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SnooStrawberries2342@reddit

Yeah once I moved to London and I became effortlessly stylish. It was weird when I moved back home to Wrexham and my clothes started disintegrating and my hair went shit.

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SorryNotSorryMatey@reddit

Obviously you have the tracksuit brigade - but try visiting London everyone puts loads of effort in. It’s none of the most stylish cities in the world.

Anywhere where people have a bit of money in the uk is stylish.

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OpportunityOk5101@reddit

100% this - other countries hate to admit, but 'the London look' is a phrase for a reason. Also not just rich people though. Working class people aren't all like the only way is Essex. Up north people ha e really great sense of style /wear lots of vintage.

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Neither_Process_7847@reddit

Dry humour I'll give OP, but effortless style...yeah, that's not really Brits! Maybe they got lost and mistook Milan for Cornwall?

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BG3restart@reddit

I've been to Milan. The people are stylish, but it's definitely not effortless.

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lunarblossoms@reddit

I'd say your elderly stand out as more stylish.

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DellBottoms@reddit

🤣

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Exotic_Air7985@reddit

Sarcasm is part of british culture. It's stated in the book Life in the UK thats how I found out when I was preparing for my British citizenship test.

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Forsaken-Ad5571@reddit

Sarcasm and dry wit. Which is just about the only dry thing in this country.

A lot of it comes down to classism - the working class and middle class are meant to know their place and not challenge the power structures. So instead we’ve learned to grumble, use dry put downs and weaponising passive aggressiveness. All of which creates our sense of humour.

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Less-Firefighter2419@reddit

I have an example that would explain this

My mate and I were in a railway station, he'd gone for a wee while an elderly man tried to sit in his seat. I politely told him that "sorry, someone's sitting here", he, without a moments hesitation

Turns around and loudly exclaims at the empty seat (in the thickest Scottish accent I might add)

"Oh sorry fella didn't see you there, you're awful tiny aren't ya"

And walks away.

I've never burst out laughing louder than that 😂

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CharlemagneKidding@reddit

Why not give an elderly man your seat? Scumbag

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Forsaken-Ad5571@reddit

The elderly are having our taxes, let us be able to have one thing of our own at least

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TrousersCalledDave@reddit

Trains tend to have more than two seats.

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lammy82@reddit

He didn’t say he was on the train though, he was at the station. Newcastle station famously only has two seats.

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best_username_in_the@reddit

I was on my way to my office to collect my new car, and I called beforehand, “Hey, is the car in the office?" He replied, "No, the keys are."

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geekroick@reddit

Fantastic

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Electus93@reddit

he'd gone for a wee while an elderly man tried to sit in his seat

Imagine that was quite awkward for any nearby onlookers

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yubnubster@reddit

I've heard people talk about humour, although I don't think we've ever been accused of possessing effortless style!

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Beartato4772@reddit

Lager.

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ProD_GY@reddit

Where in the UK are you living? I see people all over the place wearing trackies, dressing like chavs, and loads talking with that fucking awful road man accent. In italy and other places I've been most people I saw were well dressed, not a tracksuit in site

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theotherquantumjim@reddit

I’d guess Milan. Or possibly Monaco

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OprahTheWinfrey@reddit

Who says this? Lol

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Books_Bristol@reddit

Americans would be my guess... Definitely not coming from the French or Italian tourists who always appear effortlessly chic to me.

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PepperySquirrel@reddit

As an Italian I must say, I love the British countryside-posh style. Apart from that, after Ted Baker went, I don’t think there’s hope left 😂

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Smittumi@reddit

I once spent a night in a Naples hospital waiting room, and even the homeless people who came in were stylish.

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PepperySquirrel@reddit

To be fair both my grandmother and mum deeply stressed about the fact that you always had to have clean underwear and clothes because, in the event of an emergency, “What will the hospital staff say if you’re dirty?” 😂😂😂

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MojoMomma76@reddit

But they all wear red trousers and gilets!

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PepperySquirrel@reddit

Did you go to Venice during carnival? 😂

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frankchester@reddit

Where did Ted Baker go?

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dingo_deano@reddit

Yeah. This year I have visited Paris and Verona. I was amazed how well our European cousins dressed not a pair of crocs , leggings, or a hoodie in sight.

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nunatakj120@reddit

I was in Italy last week and would say it’s about 50/50. There was a significant number of tracksuit bottoms, broccoli haircuts and puffer jackets on display. Milan might be a bit different mind.

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The_39th_Step@reddit

French men often don’t dress well - there’s a lot of skinny tracksuits . French women generally do and some men do. Some parts of the UK dress very well. My neighbourhood, Ancoats in Manchester, is super stylish.

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EUskeptik@reddit

The French, whether at home or abroad, always seem to me effortlessly offensive. 🤷🏼‍♂️

-##-

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aaarry@reddit

We’re a bunch of somewhat well dressed funny cunts.

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Honest-Cover9513@reddit

I like this description of us!

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Friendly_External345@reddit

Were British, taking the piss is our thing

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uniquechill@reddit

Who the hell says that?

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Tricky_Letterhead514@reddit (OP)

It's my opinion Sorry

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DingoBingoWimbo@reddit

Don't be sorry - be unashamedly yourself and violently attack people who oppose you

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Toatkgstuff@reddit

Blood alcohol level continually maintained around 0.04%-0.05%

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DeadlyTeaParty@reddit

This is how Americans get bullied. They ask such questions. 💀

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she_is_a_parsnip@reddit

We don’t have a sense of style 😂

But the other answer to your question is … British people don’t take themselves too seriously.

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Real23Phil@reddit

'Keep calm and carry on' sums it up well for me. We embody it well.

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seven-cents@reddit

Someone should tell that to the crazy woman sitting in her ~~tank~~ car in the ASDA parking lot last weekend when my door gently bumped hers as I opened it. No dent nor a scratch, just a touch, but she went absolutely ballistic and started swearing at me before I could even say sorry, and started to video me

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PastafarianFSM@reddit

A parking what now?

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seven-cents@reddit

Lol, seems I have been infected by social media Americanisms! Corrected

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Low-Captain1721@reddit

We all fuck it up together as we go along - we do it very well too 😂

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geekroick@reddit

It's just the way we are. Humour defuses tense situations if nothing else

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Suratwala@reddit

No idea what you’re talking about. Fancy a cup of T?

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

They mean they've never been to the UK but they've seen some British actors and TV.

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Boboshady@reddit

Our parents were this way, so we are this way, and so shall our children be. It's been quite some time since we had anything other than our humour to get us by, and our 'effortless' dress sense is a lack of money disguised as confidence.

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janner_womble@reddit

It's because when we speak, dress and joke, we're generally not seeking simultaneous validation.

Basically, we're confident and cool enough to crack a terrible joke and just casually continue with the day if said joke doesn't land - we mostly just don't care about what other's might think.

British attitude - Got a problem with my vibe? Good for you, now jog on.

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aphexgin@reddit

I'm not sure you can really generalise - like anywhere, some people do have an effortless sense of humour and style whilst others are effortlessly uncool and wit free...

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ClumsyandLost@reddit

Not sure about style but our humour comes from growing up experiencing it. We learn from our parents, relatives, friends of the family, teachers and from our tv shows. It's a big part of our culture. We here the same types of jokes over and over and learn to copy.

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