When it comes to being "preppy," I have heard it all. Coming from a rural high school, such styles and appearances are quite rare. I have heard comments saying the said preps should burn their clothes, that they are always way overdressed for school, and that they look stupid and should have looked at themselves in the mirror before heading out. Harsh. I have also been on the receiving end of many of these comments. This is not for any form of sympathy, for I know that these comments were genuinely made out of ignorance. People simply do not know the truths about the lifestyle of a "prep."
Of course, we can all have our own definitions about what we view as preppy. Traditionally a "prep" is a student of a prep school who dresses in those cunning navy blazers, pleated skirts and stockings; You know the kind, we've all seen them in the movies. In contrast, our modern-day society has altered this description to Ralph Lauren button down shirts, chino shorts, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and Sperry's. (Lots of Sperry's.) But when did this appearance turn into a negative term? Why did this newfound disgust and overall repugnance toward preps become a new trend? A simple misconception is evident today, and to clear things up we are going to go through this MythBusters-style.
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1. "Preps spend too much money on clothes."
Verdict: Myth
"Quality is more important than quantity" - Steve Jobs
Despite the common convention that money is thrown on many articles of clothing, preps actually spend their money frugally. They look at the pieces they buy as investments. The extra bit of cash spent on a button down shirt from say, Brooks Brothers, is looked at as a better saving than buying the discounted button down shirt from Forever 21. The quality of the materials and the overall way each are made are significantly different, where as the shirt from Forever 21 may not last and various purchases of the same shirt would have to be made to keep up the appearance, the quality of the Brooks Brothers shirt would prove to serve its' owner for many years to come, making it just the right price.
2. "Preps are stuck-up."
Verdict: Inconclusive
Preps are people just like everyone else. Clothing, socioeconomic standing, and popularity do NOT make up a person's personality. Regardless of what stereotypes surround the lifestyle, everyone has their own individual story and background and if a prep is mean or stuck up then perhaps instead of quickly drawing conclusions, we should all, myself included, ask why and how did they become that way and what are they going through in their life right now that may make them bitter. People can surprise us everyday, Even Cher (featured above), just wants to make something out of herself and make her father proud.
3. "Preppy people are always so overdressed."
Verdict: Fact
Of course preps are overdressed, they are well-aware of this. They actually embrace this with the logic of always dressing to impress and going by the old motto of dressing for the job one wants not the job one has. There is no shame in caring about the way you look, the way one presents themselves always speaks before words are even said.
Everyone is both different and special in their own way, if we can all learn to see past what we wear, we can truly live in harmony, preps and non-preps alike.
