Oat Milk Drinking, Togo Lovers

YUPPIEs and DINKs, with their highbrow tastes and passions for milk, sofas, and hand soap, are often spotlighted in the media. Yet, they frequently face criticism for caring too much about things that seemingly don’t matter. Are they really that superficial, or do they too have problems of their own?

Hailey Bieber for GQ © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Today’s youth look increasingly different from any generation before them. While we embrace change and adaptations in some segments of society—teenagers suddenly caring about makeup and our grandparents being chronically online—other groups aren’t met with the same open-mindedness. One particular group seems to be perpetually dragged through the media spotlight, more often than not, with a slightly negative tone. Though they are referred to in various ways, the gist remains the same: a young couple, unmarried, without children, living together, and most importantly, spending their money quite differently than the rest of the population. They indulge in hobbies that, at first glance, might seem niche, until we realize that they all share particular passions: what milk they put in their coffee, what sofa they sit on, and how much their hand soap costs. Essentially, they are called out for seemingly caring too little about societal issues and too much about their own interests, while simultaneously being accused of spending their money irresponsibly. But is this really true? Behind the media caricature of this segment of society, who are they? And are they truly deserving of this negative portrayal, or are they, in reality, completely misunderstood?

As the saying goes—a beloved child has many names, and fair enough, judging by their many hobbies and interests. Actually, hobbies and interests serve as identity markers for this group because they care deeply about extremely specific things. Among other things: Togo sofas. If you haven’t seen a Togo, you are missing out. It’s a controversial yet, I’ll deem it, beautiful piece of furniture that is, in reality, just a sofa, right? Right and wrong. The Togo sofa is a sought-after item that sends certain highbrow signals. And oh yes, it’s around $8,000 USD. So, it’s understandable that some people become obsessed with this sofa—if you’re spending that much on it, you’d better be passionate about it. So who exactly are these people who love such sofas dearly? Typically, they are in their 20s or 30s, living in urban areas, highly educated, and characterized by their disposable income. They are also referred to as YUPPIEs—Young Urban Professionals. A YUPPIE alone is interesting, but when a YUPPIE becomes a DINK, things get even more intriguing. DINK is a demographic label used to describe couples with dual incomes and no children—Dual-Income, No Kids. So, the YUPPIEs and the DINKs are actually the core group we’re talking about. It is this group of people who have enough money to spend, along with a blend of higher education, that leads them to care about niche interests that might seem trivial to the rest of society—hand soaps, oat milks, and sofas. To put it plainly, they are a privileged group in our modern society. However, with the general rise in education and more couples choosing later parenthood, YUPPIEs and DINKs are becoming increasingly common. Rather than being the odd ones out, when entering an urban area, they almost run the show. Because these trends are recognizable across many cultures and societies—YUPPIEs simply are booming.

With their disposable income, this privileged group faces criticism for caring too much about their own interests and too little about societal concerns. People seem to think that this group has nothing to worry about at all. But is that really true? Some research has revealed intriguing findings. A Dutch journalist, Jonas Kooyman, labeled this group the ‘Oatmilkelites,’ and his findings show that life isn’t exactly roses and sunshine for them. In fact, he discovered that this group of young people living in big cities is becoming poorer than previous generations. Coupled with this and an unstable housing market, this oat milk elite will likely never be able to afford a home or an apartment in the city, unlike previous generations. That’s some serious bad news for today’s youth. So instead of worrying about these grand problems, they focus on the type of milk they put in their coffee—a form of denial and diversion of attention. And again, fair enough, because these findings are no laugh. So, maybe they aren’t as fortunate as everyone seems to think? Even with their disposable income, it doesn’t seem to stretch far enough. They have too much money yet never seem to have enough. So instead, they quietly sip their oat milk lattes on their Togo sofas. With an overwhelming financial situation and an unstable housing market, it’s no wonder they face challenges. But instead of focusing on these issues, the media drags their name through the mud and shames them for all the things they aren’t doing. Sure, they may care too little about societal concerns, but when you have problems of your own, just like everyone else, it sure perfect sense. Now, this is what this group of our society looks like today. Although it may seem like a new phenomenon, it is nothing of the sort. People and groups evolve over time and continue to look different from their predecessors, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t evolve from somewhere. In, let’s say, our grandparents’ time, YUPPIEs, DINKs, and Togo lovers, along with oat milk elites, also existed; they just looked vastly different. The societal and economic context was quite distinct, influencing the lifestyle and shape of this group. More commonly referred to as young professionals, they often worked in fields like law and finance, with aspirations similar to today’s YUPPIEs of career advancement and financial success. Compared to today, they benefited greatly from suburban developments, making car and home ownership key markers of their success. They lived the ‘American Dream,’ owning a home with a stable job in a suburban setting. Though their marital patterns were quite distinct from today’s, past YUPPIEs placed greater importance on building families. Yet the fundamentals of this group mirror those of today. What is often overlooked amid the negative tone directed at this group is their fundamental importance to our economy. Now, they may care too little about societal concerns and so on, not benefiting society directly with their income, but they do play a key role in our overall economy. Because even though they can’t afford to buy a house in a market they have been completely cut off from, they can still buy that almost-ridiculously expensive hand soap. And overall, that counts for something.

So, this group has always existed and will continue to evolve. Today, with the rise in education, delayed parenthood, and a pull towards bigger cities, it is no wonder we are witnessing a boom in this demographic. Yet, they are often ridiculed in the media. Why is that? Do we envy them for having the time and money to care about milk and soaps? Outwardly, they project a certain privilege that screams too loudly at the rest—much like how people refuse to like Sydney Sweeney, even though there’s obviously a lot to admire. So perhaps the negative tone in the media stems from those who don’t quite understand their challenges? Because as we see, being a Togo lover isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Should we hate them or love them? Personally, I think we should just leave them be. Let them care about their own problems, their choice of milk, and the sofa they sit on, while everyone else focuses on whatever matters to them.