How Yuppies Changed America

You’ve surely seen them: the packs of 20-somethings stalking the sidewalks of Manhattan in button-down shirts and vests embroidered with the name of an investment bank. Or perhaps you’ve stood behind them in line at a coffee shop, counting the minutes as they order a matcha latte with oat milk. Maybe you’ve listened to them discuss their punishing Pilates regimen, or the amazing Wagyu short ribs they ate last night.

The status signifiers may have changed, but these eager knowledge workers are best understood as yuppies. Short for “young urban professional,” the term can be traced back to the 1980s, when it was used to describe a new cohort arriving in cities: the bankers and lawyers who earned high salaries, coveted loft apartments, trained for marathons, owned Cuisinarts and loved sushi, Brie, and chardonnay. The yuppies were both envied for their........

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