A bopea (bohemian peasantry) is a member of a British upper class socio-economic group who adopt aspects of a rural life. The group blend bohemian values of creativity and non-conformism with a more traditional "neo-peasant" worldview that values nature, community, and craft.

History

British society magazine ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

'' wrote in 2023 that the term characterised the rapid re-emergence of various traditional practices and hobbies following the

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

. Louis Elton contrasts them against earlier, similar social groups of bobos and

yuppies Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

, saying that bopeas wish to "flourish holistically"'. Writing in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', Phoebe Luckhurst describes bopeas having a variety of hobbies: ''Tatler'' identified

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

as key inspiration for the group. The magazine also named James Middleton,

Merlin Sheldrake Merlin Sheldrake (born 1987) is a British mycologist and writer known for his work on mycorrhiza. Early life and education Merlin Sheldrake was born in 1987 in London to Rupert Sheldrake, an English author and parapsychology researcher, and ...

, and

Ben Goldsmith Benjamin James Goldsmith (born 28 October 1980) is an English financier and environmentalist. The son of financier James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Goldsmith, he is founder and CEO of London-listed investment firm Menhaden, which focuses on en ...

as examples of the lifestyle. ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' highlighted

Carrie Johnson Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson (' Symonds; born 17 March 1988) is an English media consultant and is married to Boris Johnson. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of ''The Independent.'' Symonds worked as a Conservative Party m ...

— the wife of former Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

— as "the nation's Bopea

tradwife A tradwife (a neologism for traditional wife or traditional housewife) is a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles and marriages. Some may choose to take a homemaking role within their marriage, and others leave Career woman ...

References

{{reflist Bohemianism Social class subcultures Upper class culture in Europe 2020s neologisms

History

See also

References