Glencoe: The 2nd Most Fashionable Town in the U.S.

Apparently I live in the second most fashionable town in the entire United States. My sister texted me today saying that Glencoe was ranked the second most fashionable town in America.  I was aware of the fact that Glencoe, Illinois was one of the wealthiest towns in America, but this still came as a shock considering that while talking to kids and parents in Glencoe most labeled themselves "upper middle class". Maybe they are right and they really are upper middle class, or maybe they are unwilling to label themselves as upper class or even lower class. Recently in my American studies class we have been learning about how people identify themselves based on class, and how skewed people are. In a documentary we were watching, one person said "everyone considers themselves middle class". But why? 

I believe that the term middle class connotes something very American-- working hard and moving up. In my opinion, if you are in the upper middle class it is more likely that you have had to work for your money than if you are in the lower upper class or upper class. Upper class people have probably inherited money and have been given a little bit of a financial cushion making it more likely for them to remain in the upper class. These people are not quite fondly called "old money". Glencoe is a mix of old money and new money. The general consensus would be that it is marginally more "new money". I have a theory on why Glencoeans identify as upper middle class even though research would argue otherwise. Growing up, most of my parents generation was middle class. They got by fine but did not have a surplus of money. So, these people consider themselves middle class because that is what they are used to being. I believe it is hard to change classes, and these people know. Undoubtedly though, they have gained more wealth, which is shown in the amount per household spent on clothing. Still, it was hard for them to believe that they managed to believe that they had moved up but still acknowledged a little. Upper middle class became for them the compromise between being middle class and being upper class, and middle class still connotes that they had to work to get to where they are, it was not handed over. 

If my generation moves back to Glencoe, I expect Glencoe to shift to being a predominantly "old money" town. We would be "old money" because we grew up wealthy with such amenities as dressing nicely, and a college education to name a few. I think then, we may be willing to identify as upper class because having money will no longer be a foreign idea to our generation. 

(Note: the article can be found by clicking on this link)