The imagery you reference from Home Alone is revealing because that cinematic world assumed a middle class family could occupy a large home engage in expensive travel and care for many children without the extreme wealth gap we see today. In reality that degree of comfort now requires either a very high income or generational wealth and for some families likely both. The nostalgia for that imagined norm only sharpens the contrast with present realities.

The most interesting aspect of this new status symbol is that it blends the private with the public. A handbag or watch is outward facing status. A large family managed with paid help is a semi private signal that becomes visible through media appearances public events and curated online presence. It tells observers not just that the person has wealth but that they command a level of life control most people cannot dream of.

The deeper economic truth here is that reproduction at scale in affluent settings becomes a form of capital investment with heavy ongoing expenditure. It is a status game where the currency is not just money but the human capital and logistical machine needed to raise multiple children with a certain quality of life. In that sense it may be the purest form of the luxury flex today precisely because it cannot be bought in an instant. It must be sustained year after year which is why it remains unattainable for most and aspirational for many.