The hipster & the prep.

Everyone knows that Vineyard Vines is one of the most shamelessly preppy labels out there, & I love it. What I do not love is when someone comes along in their American Apparel hoodie and Doc Marten boots to tell me that I am "too much". So what if I like to have a pink whale on my zip up? I think that it is just fabulous. It felt quite unfair, seeing as I like the Doc Marten look, however, I know I would never be able to pull it off. So what is the deal?

Living in San Diego & Austin for the second half of my life, I have come to know & admire the hipsters. They have an arrogance & pedestaled perception of themselves that I would never be able to carry & I am not saying this in a patronizing manner. They wear clothes that hug all of their curves that I have fought my entire adolescence, they listen to hip rap & techno that I will never understand & they have managed to take the all-American prep look & turned it into a warped version of 60's Greenwich, CT & grunge Los Angles, CA circa 90's. Their ability to look so individual while dressing the same is an epidemic that I cannot understand, but I respect. There has not been a movement like this since Madonna decided to simulate masturbation on stage, then suddenly everyone was  liberated sexually.

 It is times like this when you really have to sit back & recognize when something special is happening. What people do not realize is that majority of the hipster style is either the prep style sized down or sized up. Ironically, the "prep" is exactly the opposite of what hipsters are trying to emulate... Or maybe they are just trying to be ironic (however, I feel that this particular witty hipster is about 10%  of the population as a whole). Think about it... They wear Ray-Bans (or a cheaper version with the same style in mind), their staple shoe is Oxfords, they either wear a crop top or a collared button up. Hell, American Apparel gave the impression that they were revolutionizing hair accessories with the over-sized bow, when preps have been sticking that shit in their hair since they could say "polo". I have nothing against the hipster, just don't poo-poo on my parade while you think you are a enlightened & über trendy, when really hipster is just another style evolved from its fashion predecessors.  It is not just hipsters. Preps, like myself, are known to be arrogant as all hades and believe they are above the rest, but I feel most people are informed on this topic so I will skip ahead to my point.

Everyone feels that they have it right. That their look, their style is the right one. A lot of the times we fail to acknowledge that while we like what we see in the mirror, someone else may find it utterly heinous. I am aware of this fact, seeing as my style traveled through 4 different genres throughout high school. Freshman year I was indy in maxi skirts & old rocker tees, sophomore year I collected Lacoste polos & designer jeans, junior year I mainly wore sweats to school because I had crew practice after & senior year I dug through my friends' closets to see what I could find. However, every year I thought I looked marvelous & with each look I moved on because it wasn't me. What we need to realize is everyone is going or has gone through this desperate journey to find the image they want to convey to the world. When I put a big pink flower in my hair I don't think "This look is fabulous & and anyone who thinks otherwise, I hate," because I know that my style is mine & theirs is theirs. I sincerely feel we should stop judging & recognize that one person's hot is someone else's not. I like Vineyard Vines, the girl in Doc Martens obviously did not.

As the very wise doctor once said, "Today you are you. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you" - Dr. Seuss

Yours,
DB