<p>Living in a very southern city as an 18 yr old, I’ll just give my interpretation of the prep culture. Here, there is definitely a Southern/Delta prep vibe among the majority of middle to upper class families. Young people from middle, and upper class families wear a lot of Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern Proper, Over Under, Sperries, Tory Burch, Patagonia, Southern Shirt Co, and some Ralph Lauren, etc. Only upper middle, or upper class adults dress in a southern prep clothes. It definitely speaks of a culture (albeit a sometimes shallow, materialistic one) and seem to say that one is popular, wealthy, works hard, and “perfect.” Guys who dress this way are normally aspiring or current business majors, popular, frat-types. Girls who dress this way are normally popular, conformist, pearl girls who fit the Vandy stereotype to a T (smart, fit, socialites, etc.). They are normally politically conservative and do sports such as lacrosse, football, volleyball, etc. Boys go boating, mudding, fishing, and other outdoor activities, and the girls…go shopping. Economically, it’s pretty much split into two groups; kids who come from truly wealthy old money families, and kids who wish they came from truly wealthy old money families and are trying to fit in with the former. </p>
<p>The clothes are definitely worn to send a message of some sorts to peers and potential connections.I know one highschool senior whose single mother works extremely hard in her nursing job to be able to afford to buy him southern prep clothes. Before he had the clothes, he was a nerdy pianist, afterwards, you can see his facebook page take a dramatic turn…suddenly he’s a popular socialite with JFK hair and 2000 fb “friends.” The clothes either seem to speak of success, or send the message that that person is ready to move up and become successful. At highschools, the southern prep kids are normally the popular kids, and the clothes almost serve as a “pass” to be accepted into the group. I personally am homeschooled, but this is coming from multiple school going friends, both in the southern prep group and not.The kid I mentioned before wants to become a doctor, the attitude seems to be that by dressing the way wealthy southern preps dress, he’s showing that he’s socially capable, a hard worker, and ready to join their circles in the future…it’s hard to explain. I guess it’s equivalent to employees in a corporation dressing one step up to show they’re ready to move up the corporate ladder. </p>
<p>For many insecure highschoolers, it’s also just a way to fit in and conform. Even lower-class and minority kids will try and at least get “the look” with a mix of the aforementioned brands and off brands. The “uniform” for guys seems to be southern prep t-shirt with chubbies shorts, and sperries. For girls it’s much more varied, but they all wear the same outfit combinations. I come from a solid middle/upper middle class family. My dad came from Baltimore, MD, and my mom’s an Asian immigrant, we could afford the clothes, but personally, my parents won’t even let me wear Vineyard Vines and a few other brands because they hate conformity and materialism and say that only extremely wealthy people or people trying to “look” wealthy wear those brands. Kind of a pity, as I’m not one to conform, but I do genuinely like some of the Vineyard Vines t-shirts. Point being, here, the clothes are a big part of southern prep and definitely make a public statement indicating a certain lifestyle and socioeconomic status. Sorry for the mini novel.</p>