In the modern world our lifestyle helps to define our attitudes and values as well as show our wealth and social position. This clearly written introduction to the concept of lifestyle offers a concise guide to how the term is used in sociological accounts to refer to this modern social form. Lifestyles explores * how we should classify lifestyles * why they have become more important * what precisely constitutes a lifestyle. By reviewing a wide range of published material, introducing central themes in the sociology of modern life, examining distinctive styles in social theory and offering its own original contribution to current debates, Lifestyles provides students with a much needed overview of this often misused term.