Having a specific "lifestyle" implies a conscious or unconscious choice[?] between that group of characteristics and some other group of characteristics.
Lifestyles provide targeting for advertisers and marketers as they endeavor to match aspirations with products.
In sociology, a lifestyle may come pre-packaged with a matching appropriate worldview.
The word "lifestyle" apparently first appeared in 1939. (Previous generations may not have needed the concept.)
See also:
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump