gen alpha doesn't use words the way we do

preppy nation—how young people use the word preppy

word schism: preppy

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Last week, I released a timeline tracing the genealogy of prep. A comment from a subscriber alerted me to a new usage of the word among Gen Alpha—a new term now used for middle schoolers and younger. (I've already written that I’m not convinced our current generational schematic is correct—but let's go with it for the sake of this post.)

I asked Claude about the new Gen Alpha usage of the word and it replied with a cache of TikToks from the last two or three years: befuddled Gen X parents, middle school teachers, and memeologists all detailing Preppy Nation. The aesthetic is neon pink, frilly, features ubiquitous smiley faces and has a fascination with Stanley cups. It's counter-positioned to emo, which does feel in line with preppy's original meaning. In the eighties, preppiness was juxtaposed to punk and goth. In the nineties and 2000s, the same dichotomy prevailed but in a more productized suburban setting: Hot Topic vs. Abercrombie & Fitch.

If I were to add Preppy Nation to the chart, it would descend from Lilly Pulitzer and Abercrombie & Fitch, with a dose of Golden Goose and Love Shack Fancy—the tacky post–Gossip Girl brands that dominated the tween wardrobes of Upper East Side private girls some years back.

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The tension between tacky and tasteful has always defined preppiness.

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