The Rise of the Yuppie

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The Rise of the Yuppie
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• Young
• 21 to 38 years old
• Upperwardly Mobile or
• Not restricted to privilege of birth
• Urban
• Primarily located in Urban centers
• Professional
• 40,000 annual salary

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Who Are They?

• Born 1946-1964
• Salary from 40,000
• Occupation Professional/Management
• American Demographics 4.5 million qualify
• Approx. 1.2 million URBAN

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• Counterculture/ Head Values
• 1. Alternative Lifestyle
• 2. New ideas about Family / Marriage
• 3. Emphasis on Personal Freedom
• 4. No real sense of nostalgia

• Yuppie Values
• 1. Alternative Lifestyle
• 2. New ideas about Family / Marriage
• 3. Emphasis on Personal Freedom
• 4. No real sense of nostalgia

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New Left Characteristics

• Ambitious
• Achievement Oriented
• Risk Takers
• Daring
• Hard Working
• Entrepreneurial

• Self-Absorbed
• Self-Indulgent
• Controlling
• Competitive

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Yuppie Characteristics

• Ambitious
• Achievement Oriented
• Risk Takers
• Daring
• Hard Working
• Entrepreneurial

• Self-Absorbed
• Self-Indulgent
• Controlling
• Competitive

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The Economy

• Anti- materialism naïve
• I would have to make a commitment to being poor
• Political Critique of 60s Counterculture
• Entrepreneur replaced Reformer / Radical
• Money brings change
• You Just Better Have Enough Money

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Yuppie Angst

• Guilty over Compromises
• Youthful idealism v. Desires for success
• Self-Doubt

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The Market
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Real Estate Speculation
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Donald Trump
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Wall Street, 1987
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Gentrification

• Infusion of Capital in Neighborhood
• Idea to attract new development or other
  investors
• Preservation of Built Environment

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Gentrification

• A trend of re-urbanization since late1970s
• Outside Investors take over neighborhood
• Neighborhood becomes too pricey for older
  residents

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• 1984 Newsweek Special Report
• The Year of Yuppie

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Consumption Habits
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A Yuppies Prayer

• Now I lay me down to sleep.I pray my
  Cuisinart to keep.I pray my stocks are on the
  rise,and that my analyst is wise,that all the
  wine I sip is white,and that my hot tub's
  watertight,that racquetball won't get too
  tough,that all my sushi's fresh enough.I pray
  my cordless phone still works,that my career
  won't lose its perks,my microwave won't
  radiate,my condo won't depreciate.I pray my
  health club doesn't closeand that my money
  market grows.If I go broke before I wake,I pray
  my Beamer they won't take.

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October 19, 1987