#12. Plaid

Once only reserved for grandfathers, Scots, and lumberjacks, plaid is back in style, and not surprisingly, all the rage at Nipissing. Perhaps as a tribute to our "northern status", or maybe just because of a general lack of other wardrobe options, plaid has become the new pink at Nipissing.

Important to note however, is that there is an inherent hierarchy in plaid wearers. All plaid wearers at the university fall into one of three categories:

• At the top of the list are the "genuine" plaid wearers. These people typically spend their summers camping or tree planting, and their families have a winter hunt camp over 10 hours north of civilization. Genuine plaid wearers have been wearing plaid for years, and may consider all other plaid wearers as "fake". All farmers are also considered in this category, and all farmer's children, but just living in the country or next to a farm doesn't immediately qualify you as a "genuine" plaid wearer. Also, those of Scottish background can be counted in this category, especially if they still have a Scottish accent.
• After genuine plaid wearers are wearers of genuine plaid. Although this may sound similar to genuine plaid wearers, wearers of genuine plaid aren't necessarily outdoors people or hunters, but have somehow come to inherit a "real" plaid shirt--most likely from a father or agricultural fair. Wearers of genuine plaid typically have an interesting story behind their shirt, so ask them about it to make conversation.
• Next on the hierarchical scale are all other plaid wearers. In general, these people have no legit excuse for wearing plaid except that it is in style (or they are in a band/love indie music). You will notice that when plaid fades in popularity, these people will fade too, and move on to the next big fashion trend (unless they are in a band/love indie music). People in the "all other plaid wearers" category generally purchase their plaid at American Eagle or Old Navy, and although there is nothing wrong with this, may be weirded out if you ask them about the International Plowing Match.

The important thing to know about this hierarchy is that identifying plaid wearers is easy, but identifying their category may be difficult. Typically, any plaid with neons, purples, or pinks immediately places the wearer in the "all other plaid wearers". However, identifying genuine plaid is made more difficult by the abundance of plaid available on the market. Just know that if you spark a conversation with someone about their plaid shirt, you may not always get a crazy story about getting chased by a bear in the wild or driving tractors when they were only 2 years old. You may just get a lengthy story about finding a plaid sale at Campus Crew after hours and hours of looking for the perfect shirt.