How to Be a Popular Preppy Girl

Co-authored by Joanne Gruber

Last Updated: March 26, 2024

Popularity is a rare but admired thing to possess. You want to be like the popular, preppy girls but it's a fickle thing to achieve. To get there takes effort and good moves, and some of those moves are explained here. Just realize that results may vary, depending on who you are, where you are and how you perceive popularity.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Presenting Yourself

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1
Wear preppy clothes. One important thing about looking preppy is the look. Wear the latest styles, but try to add your own twist. Here are some basic suggestions:
- Shirts: Wear good quality shirts, in preppy colors. You can also wear brightly colored shirts, but try to team these with a pastel.
- Pants: Own about two pairs of dark wash skinny jeans and jean shorts (depending on the weather). Have at least one pair of khakis and a few patterned pants in stripes, plaid, etc.
- Shoes: Own a pair of brown riding style boots, Toms, Uggs, loafers, topsiders, canvas shoes, flats, or fuzzy boots - any of these shoes will be great. Have one pair of good quality tennis shoes too.
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2
Accessorize. Accessories are the fun part and they can be very stylish. Try pearl earrings in your ears, which can look quite preppy. Always carry around a purse with you. Wear a watch, colorful or showy––a FitBit wouldn't go astray these days. Have a classy piece of jewelry other than the pearls, such as a charm bracelet or necklace. Some preppy charms for a charm bracelet are a tiara and a tennis racket. Get studs, a silver necklace, and small hoop earrings.
- Don't forget the hair. Have pretty hair bows in pink, green, and/or navy blue, use these to tie your hair up in a high ponytail or pigtails. It is also cool to get bows in your school/team colors.
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Shampoo and conditioner every day, and blow dry after, if that is your thing. Do a high ponytail with an adorable hair bow added to it. You can also put your hair in a bun, put it in pigtails, or in a French braid. The perfect haircut has long layers, side bangs, and is straight. Wear your hair in curls on special occasions.
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Some sheer gloss is really all you need. If you have bad skin, use facial cleaning products. Don't cake on the foundation but do apply mascara and blush. A thin line of eyeliner looks classy. Use concealer to cover blemishes. Cleanse your face at the end of the day so that the makeup is gone.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Fine Tuning Your Popularity Style

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To be a popular girl, you can't be overwhelmed with all the girls asking you questions. You must be able to to answer quickly and snappily, clearly and well. Give off an aura of being in control and always sound like an authority on the relevant subject.
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Be classy, pleasant and smile frequently. Have a bubbly, peppy and outgoing persona. Avoid using words that everyone else overuses––have an excellent grasp of the finer words in the English language.
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3
Get involved and find a hobby. You have to have at least one preppy activity. Choose from horseback riding, polo, tennis, squash, track and field or lacrosse. You can also do ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, cheerleading, basketball, softball, soccer, or volleyball. As long as you do one preppy activity, you can do one non preppy activity.
- Join lots of school clubs.
- Run for school president or for other officers.
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4
Care about your studies. Get good grades and make good choices. Try to get A's, or a B+ average at the least. The studies come before any extracurriculars.
- Speak a language. Consider taking French at school and learning Italian, German, or Spanish in your free time. Learning any other language is good too. Latin helps as well. Take Chinese and ace it.
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Exercise daily. Preppy girls are never unfit. Eat healthily. Drink herbal tea and have plenty of water.
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Decorate the room as you'd like it to be but ensure that it is up-to-date and hip, as well as a cool place to hang out in.

Community Q&A

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What if I'm ugly and fat and everyone else is gorgeous and skinny?

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How you look has nothing to do with how preppy you can be! Many girls, big and small, are preppy. Putting effort into your appearance with a little skincare will help as well, bit it's really all about the confidence. That being said, be sure all your clothes fit right. Shops like Torrid sell clothes designed for a larger figure.

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Tips

Be athletic and sporty. If you want to be popular, join in several sports.

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If you have braces, pink and green are good preppy colors. Light blue or pale pink can also work.

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Make sure to take great care of your teeth.

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Find inspiration in someone else's style and mix it with more neutral/pastel colors to create a perfectly preppy style that fits your personality.
Try to be nice to everyone and include a variety of people you like in your friend group.

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