The eighties movie trope of the jock who wears a letter jacket or gives his class ring to the girl he loves is as old as high school itself. In classic high-school movies like “The Breakfast Club,” “The Goonies,” and “Heathers,” characters wear the colors of their high school more often than not.
But go to a modern high school and look around. Not as many letter jackets are being worn. Sales of class rings have slowed.
“There’s not as many class rings that are sold today as there were 30 years ago,” Jostens chief marketing officer Ann Carr said in a 2018 interview with Fashionista.
Local store Miser’s Sports sells letter jackets for $172 on its website. Then, each patch adds a fee. Owner Daryl Miser said in the end, the jackets typically cost between $200 and $300. A class ring is between $250 and $350, according to Jostens.
“I believe my letter jacket was somewhere in the 200s,” junior Mariska Gifford said. “The ring was closer to $350.”
Letter jackets and class rings are often purchased to showcase achievements and interests by students.
“I bought a letter jacket because I wanted somewhere to put the varsity letters that I had gotten,” Gifford said. “I lettered in theater, DECA, academics and debate.”
Letter jackets are still worn by people as a way to display their varsity letters, but Daryl Miser of Miser’s Sports said most students earn eight-ten letters, barely enough letters to bother purchasing a jacket.
“I wear my letter jacket as my normal winter coat, so I think it’s well worth it,” Gifford said.
Letter jackets used to be used as a status symbol of a “cool kid,” but not necessarily anymore. Now, most letter jackets are worn simply to show off achievements or keep warm in the winter, according to Fastweb. The falling out of popularity in letter jackets is simply a part of life.
“It’s a great way to remember your high school experience, and if you get certain styles, you can put your activities on,” Gifford said.
Though some students choose to get class rings, they rarely wear them outside of high school, according to honorsociety.org.
“I specifically got a style of ring that doesn’t look a lot like a traditional class ring so that way I could wear it outside of high school,” Gifford said.
But whether someone agrees or disagrees, class rings and letter jackets are another part of the high school experience, and can be worn or ignored depending on personal preference.
“I think that if it’s something you want to put your money into, then I would definitely recommend,” Gifford said. “It’s a great way to remember your high-school experience, and it’s a nice conversation starter, too.”
