According to Merriam-Webster, the word ‘Classy‘ is defined as having or showing class, Elegant, Stylish.
I think that as soon as you call something classy, it no longer ceases to be. Classy is one of those words that just shouldn’t ever be used – EVER. There is an article on WikiHOW on how to be classy. Apparantly there are 14 steps to being classy and the title in step #2 “Choose your words”. They are telling you to make sure you understand the meaning of a word before you use it. I am okay with that but the words you choose can speak as loud as the meaning behind the word.
Maybe this isn’t an issue for most people but I can tell you the exact moment it became an issue for me. I was at a party and heard the girlfriend of a friend of mine yell – literally across the yard, to “show some class!” There it was, yelling at someone to show class took any possible shine off that word forever.
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There is actually a funny, but very embarrassing story about this post. A new client of mine that I had just met for the first time ever, used the word 'classy' to describe the atmosphere he was after in his project, and I suppose subconsciously his use of the word brought this post to life. When I spoke to him the next day, he had found and read this post – and he made the connection that he had used this word during our initial meeting. He was really nice about it (because he's a nice guy) but I felt terrible.
One of the little businesses within walking distance of my house is "Classy Salon." The fact that English is not the first language of the family must be a factor in how their business was named. My daughter, who studies Japanese, in particular loves the name, so earnestly straightforward, so unintentionally belying.