preppy

Preppy is a lifestyle, not just a way of dressing. I am a southern prep myself, and this is how I would describe myself and my friends: We're friendly, polite, and laid-back people. When it comes to fashion, we go for classics: polos, chinos, boat shoes, etc. We like Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and J. Crew (a huge personal favorite of mine because of their extremely cute cardigans), but we can also shop at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch and American Eagle. However, when we shop at those places, we pass over the trendy, revealing clothing items and find our good old classics. Our closets are full of bright colors that we like and are easy to mix together. We don't wear makeup and our hair is simple, but pretty. We've been raised to enjoy the outdoors and sports such as tennis, golf, and lacrosse (mostly for the boys). True preps do not walk around with tights clothes and tons of mascara while ridiculing their peers; we preps are way above that, and instead like to try to reach out to everyone and never mind making new friends. A prep has a ready smile (not because we're brainless, but because we're kind and know how good a smile can make someone feel) and is always willing to discuss intelligent matters. (Keep in mind, there are exclusions to the rule. Yes, there are mean preps, and unintelligent preps, but on the whole, we are a good set of people.) True preps do not brag about tacky things like money. We don't feel the need to always have the absolute newest outfit (that's the whole idea of having a wardrobe filled with classics) and we don't over-accessorize, though we do like a simple string of pearls and a headband or ribbon. We wear our clothes for a very long time (until they wear out) and then we are very likely to replace them with something identical, or almost identical. We like to pop our collars, but we can also wear them folded and down. We are upper-middle class or upper class, but it's not a big deal. Those of you that say preps are mean, slutty people have obviously never met a real prep, and I'm sorry that you have such a negative, skewed image of us. We're really just all-americans, after all.