You might be more influenced by yuppie taste than you’d think. Back in the eighties – when pop music drowned in synths, the volume of everyone's hair was set to loud, and neon was in vogue – a new age dawned: the era of the yuppie. “Yuppie” comes from the acronym “YUP” – which stands for young, urban professional. Think Patrick Bateman from American Psycho or even Miranda Hobbes from Sex and the City. Nowadays, cities are full of young urban professionals, but this wasn't always the case. In his new book, Yuppies: the Bankers, Lawyers, Joggers and Gourmands Who Conquered New York, author Dylan Gottlieb argues that New York City was the first city to reorganize itself to cater to yuppies.  And it's not just cities that have changed. Yuppies have transformed our country's economy, politics, and culture, too. Brittany is joined by Dylan, assistant professor of history at Bentley University, to break down how yuppies catapulted us into our current moment. For more episodes on the history that explains our culture today, check out:<a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/25/nx-s1-5831626/how-often-do-you-think-about-the-american-empire"target="_blank" >How often do you think about the American Empire?</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/nx-s1-5815381/americans-want-a-royal-family-now-they-have-two"target="_blank" >Americans want a royal family. Now they have two</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1-5739736/were-americans-actually-healthier-in-the-past"target="_blank" >Were Americans actually healthier in the past?</a> Follow Brittany on Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bmluse/?hl=en"target="_blank" > @bmlus</a>e Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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