Stereotypes: do they hold true?

Many students can walk through campus and immediately begin to identify the different cliques here at Sam Houston State University by simply looking at what they are wearing. This leads many people to assume that in order to fit in to a certain group of people you have to wear what they wear, but here at SHSU this may not be the case.

On your way to class you might pass through the mall area to find the fraternity members representing their letters and sporting a polo with pastel pants and boat shoes. Then you could be run over by the skater. You might even run into a group of girls that look like they just stepped out of a New York fashion magazine, but it might surprise you to learn that just because they are dressed to fit a certain stereotype doesn’t always mean they fit the description.

Some common stereotypes here at SHSU are ones like the “Frat Daddy”, which describes someone who wears polo’s with shorts above the knees, boat shoes and a backwards hat.  

“Yea we are in a fraternity but not everyone in a fraternity wears polo’s, Sperry’s, and croakies but it is just a better appearance on campus and helps me stand and be who I am,” fraternity member John Pham said. “It also helps me look professional and give a good representation of my fraternity”.  

Skaters, is another commonly used title and by Urban Dictionary definition, “Some skaters wear tight jeans and a pair of Emericas, but a lot of them just dress ‘normally’.” Reagan Terrell a senior here at SHSU, would, by some standards, fall under the skater category but to him it is more about purpose and comfort then anything,
“I wear these shoes because they help me skate and I wear tie-dye because I like it,” Terrell said.

When it comes to accessorizing and big jewelry, the “country girl” stereotype has that covered, though that should be no surprise since we are in the state of Texas. Big hair, big jewelry and boots are the words that could describe a “country girl”, and for Lexus Baggett that’s exactly how she feels.

“I like the big jewelry, the blingy stuff, I like my jewelry noticeable, and I feel like it really makes the outfit.” Baggett said.

There are many stereotypes or cliques here at SHSU, but don’t let those deceive you because what they wear doesn’t always define their personality.  What may be a “frat daddy” look to someone may be a professional statement to another and just because someone looks like a skater doesn’t mean they are, it could be for the simple reason that it helps them in what they love to do.  Everyone has a different style and dresses for there own purpose. It’s not because they have to wear it to fit into a certain group or because that’s what everyone else is wearing, they wear it because it’s what they like.