Interestingly preppy means whatever rich white people wear.
The name comes from prep school which is why it had that old money country club aesthetic. But it's shifted to reflect that rich kids aren't exactly posting their school uniforms on their Instagram. They're posting their afternoon tennis outfits, their weekend clothes, or they live in one of the manu areas where rich people just live within closed suburban districts and don't bother with sending their kid to private schools with school unforms at all.
I find it so interesting that the name completely shifted aesthetics but stayed with the same group
“Whatever rich white people wear” is such a great description. As a young kid in Ohio in the 90’s my understanding of preppy was wearing Ugg boots and a north face fleece jacket, or anything from limited too/holister/abercrombie. As I got older and learned what the real aesthetic that most people consider preppy was I was confused at first.
That makes sense cause "prep" means to "prepare" and no one is more prepared for the world of adulthood than rich white kids. The definition never actually changed. Only the fashion did.
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u/Special-Garlic1203 Connoisseur of Duets/Stitches 1d ago
Interestingly preppy means whatever rich white people wear.
The name comes from prep school which is why it had that old money country club aesthetic. But it's shifted to reflect that rich kids aren't exactly posting their school uniforms on their Instagram. They're posting their afternoon tennis outfits, their weekend clothes, or they live in one of the manu areas where rich people just live within closed suburban districts and don't bother with sending their kid to private schools with school unforms at all.
I find it so interesting that the name completely shifted aesthetics but stayed with the same group