You are entering the YUPPIEDOME!!!

We are discussing the possible resurgence of the yuppie (or did they never leave?!?), also we are going to build-a-yuppie using the handbook, and more!

Mar 28, 2023

Earlier this year Laura Reilly sent out a Magasin newsletter entitled, “We’re entering WASP country.” In this piece, it starts off with her debate over the usage of the term (for those not familiar with the term WASP stands for White, Angelo-Saxon, Protestant). She goes on to state, “To me, the term so wholly gets at a style that’s seeping back into the aspirational ether- a complete lap since backlash to the phrase retired it out of the quipping cache in the late ‘80s- that it seems a shame to keep it wriggling beneath the clumsy hand of a nervously over-polite vernacular.” Reilly rationalizes that different aspects of the WASP aesthetic ranging from wicker baskets, the arts and crafts movement, and ‘80s costume jewelry have all helped in what she calls the “prep renaissance.” Prep has been on the minds and lips of many- especially after the most recent season of Articles of Interest by Avery Trufelman, in which she discusses not only the history of American preppie style, but also how it is somewhat ubiquitousness when it comes to the way Americans dress. She goes on to propose that preppie style goes beyond just a fad, but that it is rather the foundation of the American wardrobe. Though I totally agree with her stance, I could not help but wonder- what about the yuppies?

Yuppies (Young Urban Professional/ Young Upwardly-mobile Professional) is a term that has fallen out of favor, but exists on the fringes due to the immortalization of such yuppie icons such as Gordon Gekko, Alex Forrest, and of course the YUPPIE GOD- Patrick Bateman. Though the style of these characters are by no means commonplace for the contemporary American wardrobe, I do believe that the image of the yuppie has the same sort of prevalence as its forefather prep. Following Reilly's post regarding WASPs, I reached out to her and told her that I agreed with her on all things WASPs. I also mentioned to her that I felt that there was also a Yuppie resurgence upon us. This was followed by one of her friends, writer Nicola Fumo, summing up the mood quite eloquently by reasoning that in this post-pandemic world we have “given up on socialist/ collective ideas.” Furthermore, we no longer are “hiding our bourgeois pursuits,” rather we are fully embracing them! With that in mind, I knew that I had to explore this idea more!

Before I sat down to collect my thoughts and embark on a little research, I thought that the piece would be rather simple. Initially, I imagined that this piece would be more hyper-consumerism focused, mixed with a few photos of not only the most recent collections but also of my yuppie-fied outfits. (If you are here for my outfits, do not fret I have included a few with the outfit details!)

This is my take on Gordon Gekko off duty. Sunglasses , the blazer is Bottega Veneta from a few seasons ago, classic Lacoste polo , Armani pants I bought from TheRealReal for literally $18 (what I usually do is buy xxl pants, and then have them tailored to my size), Gucci loafers.)

Armani wool coat and pinstripe suit both from TheRealReal, L.L. Bean button down (I have this monogramed, you have got to love the bean!), Hermes tie, and the same Gucci loafers.

However, I soon realized that this yuppie resurgence idea was perhaps encompassed more than just how we consume- maybe it was not a resurgence at all, and it just defined how we lived?

The first thing that made me realize that this idea was not as simple as I had assumed was my foundational text, The Yuppie Handbook (I know the text is a humorous guide, but there is always an ounce of truth in humor). Though this is not the text that introduced the word, (The word first appeared in a 1980s Chicago Magazine article discussing couples moving out of the suburbs to the city. It is basically a story about gentrification.) similar to The Preppy Handbook establishing the supposed guidelines for what defines prep, this establishes certain parameters for the yuppie.(this is actually the sister text to The Preppy Handbook). To cut to the chase, must of the rules revolve around the central ideas of being aesthetically pleasing and staying culturally aware. Mixed in with what does and does not consist a yuppie culture, there is also this central couple- Michael and Jennifer. They serve as the ideal yuppie guides, and you see the rules and how it applies to all aspects of their lives- even divorce. And even when Michael tries to stray away from the yuppie life, he always seems to find his way back. Which leads to the concluding line of the book, “Moral of the story: Once a Yuppie, always a Yuppie.”

Like I mentioned before, there are two guiding principles for the yuppie: what is aesthetically pleasing and staying culturally aware (“staying trendy”). I feel that the former is quite self-explanatory, but if you are still curious about what it means to be aesthetically pleasing for the yuppie, I would like to direct you to the bathroom scene from American Psycho ( The business card scene would also work here as well!). It is the latter notion that oddly enough had me in a frenzy for a few days, because what is considered “staying culturally aware” for the yuppie takes two main routes. One aspect of staying trendy correlates with being aesthetically pleasing. You have to know what interior fad is in an out, what is the latest exercise sweeping the cosmopolitan set, and most importantly where does one eat? (Dorsia anyone?) On the other hand, staying cultural aware means just knowing what is considered important to know- even if you have no real interested or knowledge of said thing beyond the fact that it exists. Basically, you should always have an opinion.

In the handbook, there are a myriad of lists that consists of what is acceptable and unacceptable for a the yuppie. There are lists on the appropriate activities one should partake in, the correct music and movies to listen to and know, there is even a list of words to describe wine! What is missing from all of these lists is an explanation. There are a few lists that make sense, not necessarily because they scream yuppie, but rather they sound like the more mature thing to do (I think we all can agree that there comes an age where SpaghettiOs no longer can be considered dinner.) This of course makes sense, for as the handbook outlines early on that the yuppie is the mature version of prep.

However, there are numerous occasions where the lack of an explanation can not be wilted down to simply maturity. The lists, void of reasonings beyond simply the authors preference, exemplifies this notion that the yuppie does not analyze why they enjoy a certain thing- they just do it. Furthermore, not only are you supposed to do and enjoy whatever is on this list, you also need to have an opinion on everything- and I mean everything. Do not worry if your opinion is sound and researched- just make sure you know the bare minimum, and that you can really drive home your point. Now does that not sound oddly contemporary?

In the midst of reading The Yuppie Handbook, I also found this article by Teddy Wayne called "Tell-Tale Signs of the Modern-Day Yuppie.” In this article, Teddy Wayne proposes “The yuppie has shifted from standing on the prow of his yacht in an attitude of rapaciously aspirational entitlement to a defensive crouch of financial and existential insecurity. This instability has fragmented the yuppie’s previously coherent identity into a number of personae, each of which can trace its lineage to its 80s paterfamilias.” Not only does he mention this fracturing of the yuppie into these various subgroups (the gentrifier, the metrosexual, the bro, and the hipster), he also mentions something that seems obvious but blows my mind- power looks different now.

The yuppie is usually siloed to the ‘80s, which makes sense, the term and subsequently material surrounding it all come about within that decade. Furthermore, the job that carried the cache and financial backing to support the yuppie lifestyle belonged mainly to the finance crowd. However, with the financial crash of 2008 it not only tarnished the cache, it also resulted in who was seen as the most powerful people changing as well. It was not so cool to be a Gordon Gekko type with your pinstripe suits and suspenders, screaming “GREED IS GOOD!” Instead, the new idols were the barefoot gents clad in hoodies and jeans (Eventually those hoodies would change into Issey Miyake turtlenecks and Brunello Cucinelli t-shirts, but I digress.). With the recent bank fiascos, and the bursting of the tech bubble the guard is shifting once more which means that power will again look different. I personally hope the new power rebrand looks something like Miu Miu FW23, alas one can hope!

With all this in mind- It brought me back to the notion in the handbook that staying culturally aware is of the utmost importance. Coupled with this awareness is this sense of inevitable change. Taking into account Wayne's theory, the yuppie would have to shimmy out of the confines of the ‘80s to make sure they were up to date on what was happening culturally. Which means that this person would morph into the various subgroups that Wayne mentioned, but also morphing into the more contemporary versions such as the hypebeast, the influencer, or even the all those TikTok trends (cottage core, east coast grandma, old money aesthetic-which is somewhat of a repacking of the 80s yuppie and prep).

Like I had mentioned at the top of this piece, going into this I thought that I would be talking to you all about how we consume. And how that consumptions mirrors the exuberant consumptive nature of the yuppie. Though I still agree with that idea, I know realize that does not necessarily constitute a full on resurgence. Furthermore, I realized that I had never took into consideration if this “resurgence” I was foreseeing was good or bad? It was not until I had to sit down and research the topic, that I realized that I had fallen susceptive to the same thinking of the yuppie- I had formed an opinion with little knowledge and a lot of bravado. Though this is not just the isolated thinking of a group from the ‘80s, this is how we currently function as a society. Which made think, maybe there really was not a a resurgence because the yuppie never left? Similar to Trufelman’s proposal that prep has become the foundation of the American wardrobe, maybe the yuppie has become the foundation of how we exist? Wayne states in his article, “[...] we have so deeply internalized the values of the yuppie that we have ceased to notice when one is in our midst- or when we have become one ourselves.” Like I said, I never dived into the idea of consumption, we cannot help but recognize how we as a culture consume at such an exuberant level that feels equivalent to the nature of spending by the yuppie class. Aside from just consumption, it is also the way we govern our lives based on aesthetics and the need to have an opinion about everything. (I of course recognize that I am making some sweeping claims here. Furthermore, I know that of course there have always been people who have lived their lives based on aesthetics and ill informed opinions- just look at the Medieval Period.) Who knows, maybe I will read some article that will make me reevaluate this whole newsletter, and prompt me to rewrite this entire thing? Maybe I will wake up tomorrow and come back to my initial thoughts on consumption?

Or perhaps we have entered the Yuppiedome?

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