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Culture & Religion

Having Class Sans Money

“The sequel to the 30-year-old ‘The Official Preppy Handbook’ reminds us that you don’t necessarily need to have money to have class.” Columnist Megham Daum on her favorite book.
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“To dig beneath the surface of this thing that’s been labeled ‘prep’ is to arrive at a surprising and perhaps even counterintuitive theory about the whole gestalt.Perhaps preppiness is less about demographics and style than it is about living decently in an often indecent world. As stuffy and elitist as its preoccupations can be, preppiness at its core is ultimately about self-respect. It’s about pulling your pants up. It’s about being able to come up with an acceptable answer when asked what book changed your life. It’s about knowing that you don’t necessarily need to have money to have class. And what better time to be reminded of all this than now?”

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