Fracket

A fracket is a disposable outerwear item that can be discarded at a party.[1] The term was coined by American college students to describe an inexpensive jacket or sweatshirt worn solely to keep warm at fraternity parties, with the understanding that it may get lost.[2][3][4]

History

The term 'fracket' may have originated at Pennsylvania State University.[5] In their study of university campus parties, sociologists Ashley Mears and Heather Mooney observed that the need for frackets arose from the lack of coat rooms at fraternity and final club houses.[6] The challenge of keeping track of one’s jacket at a fraternity party, along with the need to stay warm while traveling to and from the event, led to the concept of frackets.[1] The term 'fracket' is a portmanteau of 'frat jacket,' with 'fraternity' and 'jacket' as the root words.[7][2]

What sets a fracket apart from a jacket is the owner's voluntary suspension of the expectation that the jacket will remain in their custody. This practice essentially allows for the situational social acceptance of theft under the pretense that the original owner expected the property to be stolen.[8][9][3] As a result, wearers do not store anything valuable in the pockets of their fracket when they take it off.[5]

Two key characteristics of the fracket are that it is inexpensive and distinctive.[7] Mears and Mooney noted the care taken in the selection of frackets, as well as the evaluation of potential organizational members based on this selection.[6] In 2023, CNET included a fracket on its list of ten wardrobe essentials to pack for college.[10]

Frackit

In 2014, University of Pennsylvania students Caroline Calle and Melissa Greenblatt created FRACKIT, a company that manufactured and sold waterproof hooded jackets.[11][12] The company's name was derived from 'fracket.'[12] Calle and Greenblatt were members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority at the University of Pennsylvania.[12]

Literary references

Author Anna Caritj mentions a fracket in her 2022 novel, Leda and the Swan.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Lange, Maggie (2014-10-24). "The Best Idea Ever to Come From a Frat Party | The Cut". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  2. ^ a b DiSorbo, Dan; Applebaum, Ben (2013-08-20). The Book of the Party Animal: A Champion's Guide to Party Skills, Pranks, and Mayhem. Chronicle Books. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-4521-2977-8 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Swiatkowski, Megan (2013-02-22). "The Fracket Bible". Onward State. Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  4. ^ Shoket, Ann; Editors of Seventeen Magazine (2014-07-08). Seventeen Ultimate Guide to College: Everything You Need to Know to Walk Onto Campus and Own It!. Running Press. pp. 31 and 159. ISBN 978-0-7624-5193-7.
  5. ^ a b "An Unofficial Guide to the 'Fracket'". Her Campus. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  6. ^ a b Mears, Ashley and Mooney, Heather. "Getting In: Status Stratification and the Pursuit of the Good College Party". Qualitative Sociology, 47, 221–247 (June 2024).
  7. ^ a b Aribindi, Priyanka (September 17, 2014). "5 Party Essentials for Your Year on Greek Row" (PDF). The Vanderbilt Huster. Vanderbilt University. p. 11. JSTOR community.34447057. Retrieved August 8, 2024 – via JSTOR.
  8. ^ Halper, Emma (March 20, 2023). "Frackets and Beaters and Bears, Oh My!". 34st Street Magazine. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  9. ^ Cobb, Emma C.; Rubin-Budick, Sylvie; Steinman, Jill E. (December 5, 2013). "Anatomy of a Fracket". Flyby, The Harvard Crimson. Harvard University. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  10. ^ Maracina, Charlotte (July 21, 2023). "10 College Wardrobe Essentials to Put on Your Packing List for 2023". CNET. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  11. ^ Mathis, Joel (2014-09-23). "Penn Juniors Create "Frat Jacket"". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  12. ^ a b c Husain, Zahra (September 23, 2014). "Designing a frat jacket, from zipper to hood". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  13. ^ Caritj, Anna (2022). Leda and the Swan. Penguin. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-525-54015-1 – via Google Books.