Hypergamy, or the act of marrying a social class higher than one’s own class, has been a common trend throughout societies for centuries. Dating back to India’s caste system, hypergamy has had a relevant position in the idea of gaining power in the world, especially for women. In most cases, hypergamy applies to a man marrying a woman in a lower class than his, sanctioned because of men’s historical ability to choose who they marry. However, recently, hypergamy has morphed into a grab for power by many women. While some may argue it applies to men as well, truthfully, the world makes it so that women are only able to achieve high status through birth or marriage, whereas men have ample opportunities to grow throughout their lives.
Accompanying hypergamy is the ‘gold digger’ stereotype that befalls many women. It entails mocking women who marry up, often claiming they only do it for wealth. While for some it may not be the case, for many it is. It doesn’t disregard the love they might share, but it also brings to light the need to marry up to gain power. Although women have gained substantial power in recent decades, for many they are still burdened by the ‘glass ceiling’ and the patriarchy as a whole. So yes, gold diggers exist. But it isn’t such a terrible thing when men make grabs for power, so why is it when women do?
In recent years, the ‘Old Money’ aesthetic has grown ever prevalent on social media, and made many strive to become, or at least appear, ‘old money’. Trademarked by cheap blazers and dress shirts, the old money aesthetic seeks to be reminiscent of families with generational wealth, such as the ones in shows like Gossip Girl. However popular the aesthetic grows, many young girls think earning a right into higher social classes is as easy as changing their clothes. Many believe the aesthetic is their ticket to a seat at the table, obscuring their beliefs about wealthy families and upper-class social circles. What is left unsaid, however, is the very exclusivity that fuels elite society.
Social media has saturated elite circles to the point of unrecognition. It has glamorized the ‘elite lifestyle’ to prey on young girls who believe marriage is the only way to gain wealth and power. Because no, wealth cannot be earned by ‘meet-cutes’ with upper-class men, and eventual marriages to said men. These men, often portrayed in the same basic, white man manner in every ‘old money’ video, are not the ones to marry down. Held in the grasp of their abundant wealth, these men only date others in their own circles, and only through education or family ties.
To ‘get in’ to these circles is filled with a ridiculous exclusivity that fuels upper-class society. It isn’t that they require something incredibly difficult, only that they thrive off of exclusivity. It’s the reason we want to become a part of them because they’re so mysterious to outsiders. But once you’re inside, you’re gone. Because to reach that point of impossible acceptance requires you to sacrifice and abandon your past self to satisfy upper society’s exclusive expectations. The ‘Old Money’ aesthetic has morphed the exclusive right to upper-class society into something you want, but in fact, it is the exact opposite.