When someone(usually a woman)
trades his/her current situation, spouse and overall lifestyle for a better, more extravangant one. It is similar to gold digger, but normally the ones who are "
Trading Up" can live on their own and already have money, but want more along with the fairy-tale love
aspect of life.
The model from Candace
Bushnell's book, "
Trading Up" traded up her life as a
model whore, to be the wife of a Film Company executive, but in turn traded up her life as a wife, to try and become a movie executive, herself.