The First Fad

Fad [fad]

noun

a temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.

Related forms

fad·like, adjective

Synonyms

craze, vogue, rage.

My stomach was in knots as my mother handed me the telephone, urging me to talk to the Holy Child sixth-grader who was going to speak with me about what to expect for my upcoming shadow visit the following day. Being a fifth-grader coming from a public school, and completely unaware of anything that has to do with private schools, I did not even know what a “shadow visit” was, or what it would entail. For those of you who are just as uninformed as I was, a “shadow” is a student who spends an entire school day following around another student who attends a school that you are interested in. In my case, I knew nothing about Holy Child other than the fact that my mom told me I could (and not so subtly, should) go there for middle school. My shadow, Caitlyn, told me that since the school I was currently attending didn’t have a uniform, I had to wear khakis, a white polo, and sneakers.

Um, what? I didn’t own a polo… no one at public school wore polo’s…

So there I was, an awkwardly skinny fifth-grader with her older sister’s oversized polo from Aeropostale, standing in the doorway of Mrs. Kahan’s sixth grade classroom. I stuck out like a sore thumb. People were staring. I was the only girl in the classroom not wearing a uniform, and the outfit I had on wasn’t doing me any favors, either. This was going to be a great day.

I’ve always been a fairly observant person. I pay attention to people and their actions; I take some things way too personally, and I notice what people wear. As I followed these girls around this school, I couldn’t help but be in awe at the plethora of colorful ribbons that seemed to take over. That, along with the fact that every single girl was wearing a pair of heinous, chunky, uncomfortable-looking brown shoes, were two trends that I remember distinctly. But it was the shoe trend that really got to me. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that these people all had the same shoe, let alone that they chose to wear them… they simply were not attractive. I asked Caitlyn what they were called, and she told me they were called Doc Martens. Okay, I thought, note to self: tell mom to get me a pair of Doc Martens for next year.

I know what you’re thinking. Why would you buy a pair if you think they’re so ugly? Well, I’ll tell you why. Clearly, these so called “Doc Martens” were the latest fashion, the most popular choice of shoe. And yes, I decided I was going to purchase a pair and wear them five days a week for nine months at school. I would just have to get used to them. After all, they were going to be in style next year, too, right? Wrong.

Little did I know, Doc Martens would fall under the category of what we call a ‘fad’. A fad is, in fact, a current fashion, something that is popular and in style. I was right to assume that the shoes were so. However, fads are temporary. They don’t usually last until the next school year. I was wrong in thinking that this would be the case for Doc Martens… continue reading to see how the story ends.

Well, it turns out that I got lucky this time. At first, when the saleslady at Nordstrom’s told us that all Doc Martens were sold out, I nearly burst into tears. I instantly pictured myself walking into Mrs. Kahan’s classroom—this time as one of her students—sticking out like a sore thumb, once again. My mom and I left the mall with a pair of shoes by the brand name Sperry. I was convinced I was going to be the only girl in the entire school wearing these shoes, and I was dreading the moment when I would have to model them for the first time. The time came within a week. Bracing myself to relive one of the most scarring moments of my fifth-grade career, I walked into the classroom. The first thing I observed? Eleven pairs of Sperry Top-Siders on the feet of each girl.

This was going to be a great day.