Prestige idea · 3:10pm Jan 12th, 2013
Starting with the idea that Gabriel presented in 'Apple Shrugged': A scroll that can be summoned at will, to display certain information.
Every member of the Equestrian Peerage has a scroll that displays their status. This includes their lineage, their titles, accolades earned, and memberships in various committees and organizations. Certain organizations would appear blurred to non-members except for those who need to know, such as the Princesses themselves. For Example. Luna's scroll would have a blurred line that could only be read by Princess Celestia, Lime Sherbert, and Fleur De Lis.
Status among the peerage was formerly determined by pedigree, then by who had the most accolades, titles, and memberships. Nowadays it's determined by who has the largest number of blurred lines. This also affects the moneyed elite, since they gain proxy status from supporting members of the peerage.
This makes a certain amount of sense, especially in the context of contemporary human governance: it makes a show of transparency while keeping those secrets deemed necessary. (I could name you several countries that pretend not to have a peerage at all.)