Money can solve a lot of problems, but… what happens when nearly every character seems to be protected by a bubble of invisible wealth (even ones that are meant to be “just like us”?!)

While “Rich Girls” have always had a certain amount of plot armor (on screen and in real life,) in movies and TV shows even average, supposedly down-to-earth characters can feel like they’re living in a total fantasy world. Which, on the one hand, makes sense since… they’re literally not real. But the truth is that these kinds of stories can have a psychological effect on us in real life, too.

So, let’s take a closer look at all of the sides of this trope to figure out how it’s really shaped our perception of wealth and our own lives…

Featuring Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, I Love LA’s Maia, Emily in Paris, Friends’ Rachel Green, The Devil Wears Prada & more!