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Preps and goths are all the same
Contributed by: mollie rolf on 10/9/2007

The world is getting more diverse with every new generation, and the struggle to stand out and show the world one's individualism becomes more and more difficult as time goes on.

And to me, when I look into crowds of people nowadays, for example at a mall, all I see is sheep; Teenagers embracing their stereotypes.

It looks as if people have given up all together in the attempt to be themselves. Who is to blame in this tragic situation? Is it the clothing retailors, or the teenagers shopping there?

In the year 2001, Abercrombie & Fitch got fed up with the millions they were raking in every year when they realized that a majority of their sales came from older, wealthier men and women. Ergo, Hollister was born and spread across the United States via shopping malls.

Named after the city in California, their clothes try to express the easygoing atmosphere of their hometown. If you aren't familiar with this trendy teenager trap, Robert Berner of Businessweek said it best in 2002, when he wrote "The new chain, an offshoot of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. that opened last year, is geared to the wanna-be surfer-and-skateboarder teens."

In my own words, I would describe a Hollister girl as follows: straightened hair, big sunglasses, colored polo with a lace undershirt, khakis, and slides that are a direct knock-off of Birkenstocks. Is it fair that I make such an assumption?

There are exceptions, as there always are, but by merely taking in my surroundings, I am able to name products that a store sells, when I have never, in fact, ever been inside one.

I was walking through a mall the other day, and amused myself by counting the number of "UGG" type boots walking across the polished tile floors. In the course of one and a half hours, I counted twenty seven pairs of boots.

It sounds harmless enough, but when really taken into consideration, what do these new fasion obsessions represent? An unnamed student once confided in me that she "hates it when people wear UGG knock-offs." because it's "so gay, and it's not like no one can tell."

For the record, the boots referenced earlier can cost anywhere between one hundred twenty to four hundred dollars. Yes, I can see why people whose parents don't make bank are "so gay" for wearing shoes that look identical to others that are hundreds of dollars more.

Apparently some people, like the unnamed student above, believe that since they own the real name brands, that they have the ranking authority to judge others, and also that their own clothes make them better than others. But what about those teenagers left behind that can't wear those clothes, for some reason or another?

There are numerous discussion forums online dedicated to these "posers" who feel like they aren't good enough to wear preppy clothing, such as Hollister. In the Courier Press, Christine Franklin, 16, wrote saying "maybe it's the longer-rather-than-wider clothing sizes at stores such as Hollister".

Also on the Campaign for Real Beauty, numerous girls confess that they feel inferior to girls that can fit into clothes from popular clothing stores today, Hollister and Abercrombie among them.

When asked to define what Hollister Co. is, one entry in the Urban Dictionary, written by a certain Jeremy (no last name) said "Hollister Co. is just like Abercrombie & Fitch but a some what cheaper price. It's really for people who are some what popular and preppy.

In other words like me. People who talk down about this clothing store are just insecure about themselves and trying to find a reason to be mean. Goths mostly. But I don't care what anybody says about Hollister Co., Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle are the best stores!!!"

Perhaps this one interpretation of Hollister-esque stores isn't what those chains are all about, but the truth is that those are the kind of teenagers spreading the word of their fashion, or in other words, saying that only a certain kind of people (popular and preppy) have been granted permission to wear t-shirts bearing the Hollister name. Not only that, but there is also an opposing force. These "preps" clash greatly with those they call the "goths".

It's common knowlege that the stereotypical goths shop at Hot Topic. Hot Topic's "mission statement", if you will, says "Everything About the Music". While trying to appeal to the "rocker type" teens, they also have their own line of clothes, "Morbid" which they like to say expresses individuality. I only say that because they sell the well known "You laugh at me because I'm different..." shirts and buttons.

Unfortunately, when all of these rebellious and unique individuals shop at one place, the result is similar to the Aberzombies, or Hollizombies, mentioned before; one large group of kids wearing the same exact clothes. If one was trying to rebel, in a fashion sense, they should think twice about supporting a multi-million dollar clothing chain.

So would it be safe to say that in a sense, preps and goths are all the same? They are a rank in sociey that people find in their clothes, rather than themselves. Girls feel pressured to fit into sizes that the "popular and preppy" girls wear, and the musicly inclined or rejected teenagers flock to stores like Hot Topic.

Since when is someone expected to portray themselves on the outside? If you think that's a false accusation, look at teenage cliques. More often than not, friends dress alike, and also to match their social statuses.

Who is to blame for the lack of individualism in our teenage culture today? There are the corporations that sell an identity to those that shop there, but who are the ones sporting the "Californians do it better" t-shirts? Who are the ones purchasing the studded belts?

Society can only influence young adults, and the teenagers themselves have to remember to think for themselves. Otherwise, rather than wearing a shirt that says "Californians do it better", they might as well wear a shirt that says "I give into peer pressure."


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

mollie rolf

Denver , CO

mollie rolf has posted 2 stories and 0 comments since joining on 4/24/2007. mollie rolf 's average story rating is 5.
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