Early modern authorities saw it as their duty to stabilize society and therefore often played a cat-and-mouse game with people who aspired to a higher social status, or at least to the material culture and outward symbols of such a status. Since clothing was the most visible marker of social rank, the most obvious attempts to transcend social status involved fabrics, colors, and jewelry that were supposed to be exclusive to a higher social class. In an attempt to stabilize society and make the social hierarchy visible at all times, early modern authorities enacted sumptuary laws, clothing ordinances, and other measures of social disciplining. The fact that such rules and regulations were frequently ignored shows that early modern society was in flux and that people tried to show off beyond their social status, sometimes even more than they could afford.