Chloe Sevigny wonders if the ‘yuppie scum’ will leave NYC post-pandemic

Chloe Sevigny at arrivals for The 72nd A...

I’m going to make a bold suggestion: after the lockdown, maybe FaceTime interviews should stay? I’ve read a few long-read interviews done with celebrities in lockdown, and the interviews are just better and more substantive than regular old celebrity profiles. So it is with this Chloe Sevigny piece for New York Magazine. She’s just weeks away from her due date, and she’s a long-time New Yorker. She wanted to chat about everything that’s happening in New York, and how crazy it is to be pregnant during this time. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

She hates videochatting: “It’s always so terribly unflattering. I have friends who are younger than me, like in their mid-20s, and all they want to do is FaceTim. I’m like, What is wrong with these people? But I guess they’re really young, and they always look beautiful, so it doesn’t matter.”

Worried about possibly not having her mom or her doula there when she gives birth: “I talk to her and my other close friends on the regular, and then my mother. The hardest part has been not seeing her, because she lives only 45 minutes away and we’re quite close. She wants to be here. That’s been hard, and then the day I was told that Siniša, my boyfriend, might not be allowed to come to the delivery. I had a super-panic attack and was crying uncontrollably. I have a doula, and she called me really panicked. She’s supposed to be the calm in the storm, so hearing her really irate made it even more scary.

She’s crushing on Andrew Cuomo: “I’m also one of those crushing-on-Cuomos. I know we’re not supposed to be. I know his history is very spotty. But I will say, tuning in to those press conferences every day has been very calming for me. There’s just something about his perspective, and the way he lays out the facts, and uses some sense of humor and personal anecdotes, I don’t know, I find it very relaxing.

She’s worried about her single friends: “Right now, my heart goes out to all my single girlfriends — not having that outside stimuli, like flirting, or whatever, to help push you through. I keep asking like, “Are you sexting with anyone?” because that can really help as far as the dopamine release.

Whether there should be changes in the fashion industry: “Like my boyfriend works in the art world — do people need to fly to these fairs around the world all the time? Their calendar is worse than the fashion calendar. The nature of both of those businesses is so excessive. Of course, people are tactile and they want to see things and experience things. I’m going to sound like a total a–hole, but going to a show and seeing the garments is very different from going on Vogue.com. I love the escapism of it all. I’m very sold on a story and a lifestyle. I can buy into that very easily, and I think a show is a big part of that. But I also think there’s gotta be an alternative way. Scaling down is necessary and a very positive aspect of what’s happening, in my mind. Maybe people will just reassess how they’re living. Maybe less people need to go to the fashion shows? Maybe there don’t need to be as many? I also just think there’s too much product. There’s too much turnover in terms of people wanting what’s new all the time. I’ve been wearing vintage and consignment my whole life, and I’m so glad it’s become more of a thing.

On the New York economy collapsing: “How does one navigate something like that, especially in New York — a city that’s so expensive? I feel like the rich are just going to get richer off of all of this…. But will this weed certain [negative] aspects out? Maybe they’re overly optimistic. But … Maybe? I had a friend say that he might come back to New York. He was like, “All the yuppie scum might flee.” I’m sticking it out with New York. I’ve been here since ’93, so I’ve seen a lot of things fall by the wayside that I loved and have to mourn. I feel like it’s a constant mourning. But then we celebrate new things.

[From The Cut]

It’s something I haven’t thought about much, the idea that this will mark a major change for how the fashion industry operates. I agree that there can easily be alternative ways to show work, and I also agree that perhaps we can cull the amount of product. Some of those changes will be organic, meaning… there are designers and clothing companies which will go out of business because of this. I remember reading something – maybe on Bloomberg? – at the beginning of the lockdown and the argument was basically that if this lasts as long as people think it will, the shift for major cities will be a lot like “New York in the ‘70s.” Meaning, cheaper housing, more crime, more artists, fewer rich people, more unemployment in the cities. Also, I’m still worried about all of the pregnant ladies giving birth in hospitals during this time.

Pregnant Chloe Sevigny and boyfriend Sinisa Mackovic are all smiles shopping for baby clothes in NYC

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN.

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58 Responses to “Chloe Sevigny wonders if the ‘yuppie scum’ will leave NYC post-pandemic”

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  1. Erinn says:

    I know very little about these two. But he has to have some of the worst style I’ve ever seen. Those dopey sunglasses and that haircut… those jeans. Yikes.

    I guess that’s ~*fashion*~ for you, though.

    • Jenn says:

      I was thinking the same thing! I know I don’t live high fashion, but short pants, white socks and black shoes are not cool in my world lol

    • AnnaKist says:

      I like her verbosity! I agree with her: too many fashion shows, too much product. And I’ve loved the absence of all those bloody awards events!

      Yes, the boyfriend is a bit… He reminds me of a young boy I taught, who has Asperger’s, as does his brother, and I suspect his parents, too. The boy was slim and awkward already, and had a massive growth spurt halfway through Year 5. his trousers were at least six inches too short for the rest of the year. The next year, his last year in primary school, he wore the same short trousers and tatty shoes. He told me his Mum didn’t want to “waste money” on new clothes for this year,since she’d be up for a new uniform for high school the following year. The parents are loaded. He even looks similar to this fella. Anywaaaay…I’m being verbose now.

      Eh, good luck to this pair as well.

  2. Silas says:

    She’s from Darien, CT. Where does she think the yuppies come from?

    • Scollins says:

      Lol

    • Bettyrose says:

      THANK YOU. She is the ultimate rich girl hipster who acts like she’s some kind of bohemian trailblazer.

      • Züri says:

        Couldn’t have put it better myself! She’s always tried to be so edgy and “in,” and I’ve always found her rather insufferable.

      • Redgrl says:

        @bettyrose this x 1000!

      • Jules says:

        Lol, right? Celebrities this week are having a tough time with definitions…

    • Amy says:

      THANK YOU!!!!! I honestly can’t stand her she is so pretentious and thinks she is just so superior to everyone.

      Also New York is going to struggle to come back and that is sad you don’t root for young people to be out of a job because they aren’t in the arts.

      Now as a millennial I do hope we have a housing crash (i know terrible) but the prices are so inflated that they need to come down and I would like to buy. Also I do hope this allows people to negotiate rent

      • Tanya says:

        The problem is that a lot of housing is owned by boomers and seniors who have most of their wealth tied into it. The places that will crash aren’t where you’d want to buy (unless a McMansion in the exurbs is your jam). So those areas will get decimated and the Manhattan will be fine. The economic pain, as always, will not be equitably spread.

      • Amy says:

        Maybe but I think those boomers will just hold on and in cities they will have to drop prices. No one knows but I got my rent down significantly in New York in 08 crash and where people are less likely to be moving to New York and LA now I am hopeful that prices will come down again. Again could not happen but hopeful

      • Jugstore cowboy says:

        My grandma sold her small home in Brooklyn for $120k when she retired in 1995. I just looked And the “zestimate” is over $1.3 million. Crazy and unsustainable!

    • (TheOG) jan90067 says:

      HA! I was going to ask if she was including herself in that quote lol

    • Tanya says:

      Right? She’s like all the other trust fund babies who drove people out of bushwick and now slag on others. Pot. Kettle.

    • Jamie says:

      I was hoping someone came here with the receipts and you did not disappoint. Thank you!

    • Bucky says:

      From Park Slope. Ooops, she lived in a pre-war on Prospect Park West. If you ever find yourself saying “like…my boyfriend works in the art world” while living in a multi-million dollar apartment, the probability that you meet most definitions of Yuppie Scum is high.

  3. Esmom says:

    Interesting read. I also mourn what’s happened to Chicago in the same exact ways but I don’t hold out hope that it will become more affordable or somehow more gritty and independent-business driven like it was in the 80s-90s when I first lived on my own there. If anything, the small, independent businesses that still manage to thrive despite the competition from chains are the ones in the most danger now. My favorite bookstore just did a Go Fund Me, as is a group of local restauranteurs.

    Looks like her boyfriend is still committed to the 90s aesthetic, lol. Cute.

    • bettyrose says:

      I lived in Chicago in the 90s, first as a student, then as a recent grad, and I love that city so much. I still have some very good friends there, which is probably why I still feel so much affection for Chicago, but also the years I lived there (most of the 90s), I felt like there was something undiscovered around every corner. There was so much going on, with a constant energy 24/7, so much theater, art, music, food, but in an affordable, unpretentious way.

      I know natives hate when I say this, but I think Blue Brothers authentically captures how amazing the city is (or was). On recent visits, I have been disheartened to see that so much of the unique flavor has been engulfed by generic mass-produced culture.

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        Same, bettyrose – it was such a wonderful time to be in Chicago. I will always adore that city. I grew up with SF as the city closest to home (still 5 hours away) and it was similar–and has changed so much!

  4. hindulovegod says:

    She moved to New York from Darien, Connecticut and is among the city’s monied class. But she used to hang out with Harmony Korine so I guess she thinks she’s not like those “other” rich people? Tedious.

  5. Natalee says:

    Does she not realize she herself is part of the yuppie scum? Being from Darien doesn’t just disappear because you wear bad clothes and have a terrible haircut.

  6. Miumiiiu says:

    1993! That reminded me of the movie I first heard of her in, kids, and I just learned that Rosario Dawson is in it too.
    She can be from a rich family and still not want the extremely rich people there for whatever reason she has. It would just be nice if she could explain what her problem is with yuppies, it’s not clear. I’m not sure exactly what she means or how yuppies ruin the scene. Is it about access to housing or culture ?

  7. OriginalLala says:

    Talk about the yuppie pot calling the yuppie kettle scum…

  8. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    My metro area is spread the frak out. I can attest to rising crime numbers. All of them. I’m sure there are more burglaries and theft than I’m reading about, but violent crimes are getting the most coverage. Crazy weird stuff. All your normal shootings, but more and a lot of them… stranger. Dad shooting son because he wouldn’t stay inside, sword fighting, illegal game rooms in churches, road rage killing of all things (traffic is lovely during pandemics), a mother was assaulted by her daughter because she was watching you know who on TV. We might as well pray for solar flares at this point to fry the planet….and get some radiation in us lol. I know, not funny. But we’re such a great success story!

  9. grabbyhands says:

    I love how she talks like she isn’t part of the monied class causing the gentrification in NY.

    Her street cred, which was dubious at best anyway, ran out ages ago.

  10. Cassandra says:

    Wealthy people are so hilariously out of touch.

    I had a wealthy woman in her 60’s tell me just last night that she thought all millenials should work in the restaurant industry because they don’t know the value of money because they’re all relying on inheritances from their parents. 😂😂😂😂😂

    Thankfully I had a mask on so she couldn’t see half of my face.

    She went on to chastise her niece for needing help from her parents with a security deposit for an apartment in Chicago while at the same time advising her to “get an apartment with lots of large windows because that’s the only way to live in the city” 🙄🙄🙄

  11. Leducduswaz says:

    How can someone who’s usually a serviceable actor have so little self awareness? Does she actually think she’s NOT yuppie scum herself? Or does she give herself a pass because she’s an artsy yuppie and not a finance yuppie? Once this thing is over, we need to cancel all celebrities and start again with a clean slate. The ones we have now have all used up any goodwill they once had.

  12. Veronica S. says:

    I think “yuppie scum” is actually pointed shade at all of the rich Manhattanites who fled the island during the peak of infection, which wound up spreading it well beyond the borders of NYC itself and into places like New Jersey. It was a legitimate issue being reported there that the wealthy were actively flouting the rules and leaving after quarantine, taking it into communities with far less resources to combat it. Whether she gets to be the one to say it, that’s up to you.

    I’ll give her credit that she actually comes off as pretty wryly humorous and thoughtful in some places in this interview. The standards are low for celebrities, but she put some clear thought into that answer about fashion.

    • Tanya says:

      It spread to NJ mostly because a lot of people who live in NJ work in midtown. The hardest hit areas are in north Jersey.

    • Gah says:

      I live near Chloe on a block where price per square foot ranges from 2k to 4K. The truly wealthy peaced out of nyc weeks before quarantine bc they have 3rd, 4th and 5th homes. Some even have 2 apts on our block!

      I think in general the New Yorkers who left after quarantine were caught off guard By how post apocalyptic manhattan feels now and rented homes in the hamptons and the hudson valley. Our friends with rental properties in both areas have been slammed.

      I realize how classist this sounds but there are distinct striations of wealth in nyc and the ppl making 300k a year w 2 kids are basically Making ends meet whereas that would be 1% in most other places in the US.

      There will for sure be a mass exodus of ppl (Likely families) to northern jersey, westchester and Connecticut after all this if the UES moms Facebook group is any indicator.

      The nyc real estate market will hit a reset and take 2 years to come back. (Go get your apts fellow millennials!!)

      Remember tho: nyc taxes INCOME not PROPERTY as much.

      We need the wealthy ppl to live in the zip codes for the tax base (tho they’re savvy enough to have tax shelter attorneys). It’s the aforementioned families w 300k a year who only get to take home $150k after taxes that are having a tough time trying to work in 800 sf w kids who comments like the “yuppies” one denigrate. Of course they will leave.

      Anyway I digress. Manhattan is a hard place to live in the best of times but also has an amazing core of regular people who are committed to it because of the energy and diversity and sheer excellence all around us.

      Yes it’s been populated by multi national retail but it’s still the place dreams are made of.

      Chloe is annoying and lacks self awareness but I also have her to thank for inspiring me to purchase a black sheer bodysuit to wear w Black bra and jeans
      My husband thanks you. Now go get a compound in Bedford hahaha

  13. Toot says:

    Chole may have grown up in a rich town, but her family wasn’t.

    Also she was in New York before she had her money. That’s why she probably doesn’t consider herself a yuppie.

    • Lightpurple says:

      That’s actually the very definition of “yuppie” Young & Upwardly Mobile.

    • Silas says:

      She went to summer camp and took sailing lessons. She grew up middle class in an upperclass town. That still makes her a yuppie.

      • Bettyrose says:

        I grew up with someone similar. She wasn’t rich rich but her parents put all their resources into her, paid her full college tuition, made some calls to get her first job, & subsidized her Manhattan rent. And she was classic with the “if I can do I, anyone can.” She wasn’t trying to be jerk but she really had no concept of the challenges others face.

  14. Rae says:

    Er, isn’t she basically calling herself here?

  15. Chaine says:

    Yawn. She is always so predictably snotty and unpleasant. Oh, and didn’t move to NYC until 1993, but acts like she was a ragamuffin on the mean streets of the 1970s fighting a yuppie invasion.

  16. NotHeidisGirl says:

    She‘s insufferable. Glad finally more people start seeing it.

  17. Lizzie says:

    Who the f*** does she think she is to call anyone scum? What the f*** has she done lately to pretend to have some sort of moral high ground.

    She comes off as entitled and stupid. As a PR stunt this is a huge fail.

  18. leftcoastal says:

    “Right now, my heart goes out to all my single girlfriends — not having that outside stimuli, like flirting, or whatever, to help push you through.” WTF? Is this the 1950s? “Poor single girls” who need flirting to help them “push through” this terrible time? Also, you know what helps me, as a poor, sad single girlfriend “push through”? Knowing that my immune-compromised dad is still alive and safe. Being thankful that I still have a job and can help my friends who have lost theirs and that I have the ability to donate to organizations that are helping others. She is truly a vapid dick.

  19. Dazed and Confused says:

    I was with her on the video-chat hate, but as a “poor, single girl” I have not felt like I was missing out on anything. Except needlessly exposing others to any possible exposure. I have actually felt pretty lucky. No one is here getting on my nerves on week seven. It’s not like I’m not in touch with my family and friends. She seems to have some incredibly stereotypical ideas about others. What a small world view.

  20. Valiantly Varnished says:

    I will need to read the full interview but I liked her perspective on a lot of these things.

  21. Annabel says:

    As a New Yorker, the thought of the city returning to what it was in the 1970s makes me want to weep. Yes, the housing costs here are untenable, but could we please not trade that problem for soaring rape and murder rates, municipal bankruptcy, and burned-out neighborhoods?

    And as a person whose family includes wealthy Manhattan-based in-laws, those yuppie scum pay a fortune in municipal taxes, employ a lot of people, and raise an enormous amount of money for charity every year.

  22. Mel says:

    The industries that Yuppie scum thrive in are in NYC. They’re not going anywhere.

  23. Amelie says:

    Wasn’t she a yuppie herself when she moved to NYC in 1993? Darien is a pretty affluent community. Even if her parents weren’t super wealthy, they could still afford to live there. It’s possible they didn’t fund her lifestyle when she moved to NYC but the city was a different place back in 1993 and places like the East Village and Soho hadn’t been gentrified yet.

  24. SURFCHICK says:

    Yes get rid of the yuppie scum to make room for the millennials who ruined NYC.

  25. La Rhonda says:

    I wish Kitten was still here to read these comments. 😄

    • Blueskies says:

      I miss Kitten! Did she say she was going to take a break or would no longer be posting? Not to be nosy…

      • La Rhonda says:

        She was door knocking for the Warren campaign late last year and then she just suddenly stopped posting here.

  26. Mina_Esq says:

    Doesn’t “yuppy” stand for young urban professional? Those are people like lawyers, investment bankers, and other professionals that can afford to pay inflated rent and buy $30 cocktails post-work every night. They are not losing their jobs, and I don’t know why you would wish them out of the city when their disposable incomes keep many others employed. Is she saying they will leave because the city will crash and burn and become unappealing as a place to live? And her friend is “sticking it out” because he wants to live in that kind of a city? I don’t get her argument at all. The ones most affected by this crash are non-essential, low and low-middle income people. Not the yuppies.

  27. MugsyInTheCity says:

    This lady’s got real nerve. I’ve been in NYC longer than since ’93 because I was born here. Being stuck in this lockdown has been acutely terrifying (because of a physical disability and severe health issues I haven’t been outside–not once–in 51 days. What I’d give for the tiniest balcony…), but living in the city the last handful of years hasn’t been a walk in the park. Since 2012 there was a sharp, unrelenting increase in cost of living and rent. It was staggering. The bubble just wouldn’t burst again, because there was always a glut of these rich idiots to rent and buy at astronomical prices in an industry that has absolutely no regulation (real estate). Last year that apartment you wanted to rent was $3k? Well this year the owner is feeling kicky, and now its $6,200 (and PS, it was 35% more than what it should have been last year anyway). I blame the billionaires that raised the price per square foot and messed up the comps as much as everyone else does. But you know who really deserves to shoulder this blame? People like her. These actors and fashion “it people” who have been living high on the hog for decades. Just because you dress funny and, um, off beat, doesn’t mean you’re an artist. You’re an actress and a fashion gal. So? That doesn’t mean you get to talk about how much better the city would be without a group of people who you think are the problem. Because from where I am (miniature, grubby apartment that is too expensive to afford, with a terrible building and awful landlord in a newly dangerous area), I think the city would be a lot better without people like her galavanting around like this city is a set of a fashion shoot. This is a real place, with real people. We exist here even when celebrities aren’t swanning around the now-hip Bowery. We have been here for generations and we are struggling because the city is now geared almost exclusively towards rich people like her. So I’d love if that after all this horror shakes out, all the people like her left. Left normal people here. Real artists, bus drivers, teachers, nurses… we could all afford to live in the place where were were born. All that being said I wish her a healthy, easy delivery with her partner in the room, and her doula and her mom at her side, as every woman deserves.