An explanation of my fascination with preppies

I am fascinated by preppy folk. Not only because I was brought up in their world without even knowing it until adulthood, but also because they are rather unique among our nation's various subcultures in a couple of key areas: 1. membership is usually by birthright, not by emulation, and 2. members make no conscious effort to signal to one another or to outsiders that they are members of this particular subculture. I shall elaborate on those key points later on.

"But, Improbable Cause," you may object, "you have stated before that you were excluded from this group. How can you now claim to be a part of it?" I was socialized from birth with preppy kids, but never really took them on as friends. I was too independent, intellectual, and never developed a liking or ability for athletic activities, which were a huge part of the preppy socialization process. In accordance with the cruel, primitive nature of all children, I was treated as an untrustworthy outsider for my unintentional self-exclusion. However, by virtue of my birth into a family who raised me with the same values and even partook in similar pastimes as other preps (albeit in a more economical manner), while I wasn't really treated as a prep by the rest of prepdom, I was and remain nevertheless a member by birthright.

I must take a moment to define preppy. Although rooted in the word "preparatory," referring to private schools where students were prepared to attend universities, rather than to go on to learn trades, the correct modern definition no longer requires prep school attendance. However, membership does require the full embrace of a particular set of values, among them, elegance without ostentation, comfort without sloth, individuality without alienating people (where I fell short as a child), an understanding of the relationship between cost and worth, quality over quantity, staying power over novelty, resistance to change, and respect for tradition and heritage.

Many people have corrupted the term, using it to label individuals who purchase expensive items with the primary intent being to display wealth. These same persons were not raised in an environment that instilled a value of sensible frugality, and therefore do not qualify as true preps. True preps feel no need to display their discretionary income with huge logos and items that will be passé in a year. Their accessories may be costly but turn out to be economically sound in the long run when their $80 trousers outlast three pairs of cheap slacks from Old Navy.

Certain misconceptions about true preppies also pervade the general public's consciousness. True preppies do not view themselves as superior to others, but instead wish that the rest of society could be blessed with their good taste and joie de vivre. True preppies are not all idle people of leisure who live off of dividends and inherited wealth. A lucky few are, but most work hard at day jobs that pay well but they don't necessarily love. A fortunate number of preppies such as myself earn more modest incomes, but have well-to-do families who provide fine furnishings and clothing as gifts. It can't be denied that sufficient financial means are an integral part of preppy status, but membership cannot be bought.

And now to elaborate on point #1. Entry into most subcultures can be gained at any point in life (unless dominated by a particular age group) with the acquisition of that group's visual hallmarks and the adoption, or at least profession, of that group's philosophy and values system. The preppy group deviates from this norm in that members are groomed from birth. Preps beget preps, and are socialized with other preps before they learn to walk. For that reason, this subculture is not even aware that it's a subculture because it's all they have ever known. Membership cannot be gained simply by mimicking their outward appearance, accessories, and domiciles, because in their world there is nothing distinctive about them, and they won't know you from Adam.

Regardless of his resources, emulating the preppy style will be surprisingly challenging to the outsider, who will either be unable to put aside stereotypes and snap up all the Hollister gear he can afford, or will try too hard and look metrosexual, slovenly, nouveau-riche, or just snobby. It requires a careful balance of elements that give off an overall effortless elegance, as if the wearer threw everything on in 5 minutes and could be ready in 60 seconds for a jaunt on his boat or an impromptu shag contest.

To elaborate on point #2: So many other subcultures consciously seek to broadcast membership via overt visual cues. From deerhunter camouflage to Louis Vuitton (real or fake), most members of subcultures broadcast their sense of identity to the world and know it, and actively seek out other members whom they have not yet met, often striking up conversation with total strangers based on their adherence to the group's standard of appearance. Preppies, on the other hand, seem oblivious that they are members of any group at all, because it's all they've ever known. When they spot another member, they do not even recognize that person as a member; rather, he goes completely unnoticed. I am a rare breed of preppy, in that I can spot them immediately due to a unique life experience in which I strayed from the preppy flock and observed them from the outside, and only after gaining an outsider's insight did I come back to embrace, and accept, my birthright. Preppiness is in my blood, dear reader; I have fought it off for years, but, good or bad, it's an inseparable part of what has come to define who I am.