Introduction
heneedtofitin,tofinda placeamongpeers,is universal.Yetatcertainti.mesthisyearningtakeson exaggeratedimportance; adolescenceandyoungadulthoodaresuch times. Emotionally vulnerable, youths struggle withquestionsofWhoamI?andWhodoI wanttobe?The answers maybeuncertain,butclearly thepathtodiscoveryrestswithpeers,notparents. Goingawaytocollegehascometosymbolizebreakingawayfromparents.Insulatedfromtheeconomic consequencesoftheadultworld,undergraduatesenjoy theluxuryofa four-yeartransitionalcocoon.College studentscreateayouth-orientedsubcultureinwhich themembersareunitedbyattitudesandcircumstances. Intheflushoftheirnewfoundindependence, collegiansworkatinventingalife-style.Unconcerned withthecomplexityofself-realization,theyseizeupon thefashions andfadsthat promiseinstanttransformationandacceptance. Theimperativeoffittingin magnifieseventhesmallestfashiondetail.
Throughoutthesefouryearsofself-consciousexploration,thegazeofpeersactsasthecriticalmirror.As students wonder, HowdoIlook?,theyconstantly measurethemselves againstthisreflectedimage. The group, inturn,measuresthemwithademandingeye. Thetribalcollegecommunityjudgesindividualstosee whoratesandwhodoesnot.Peerssortthemselvesout withbreathtakingspeed,oftenrelyingonclothingas thecriticalpredictor. Lettersweatersandplastic pocketprotectorsforeverseparatethejocksfromthe nerds. Thesartorialchasmbetweenthesocialbutterflyandthegrindisequallypronounced. Campusprioritiesandpressuresshapeboththe FittingIn exhibitionandcatalogue.Theirintentionis totellthestoryoffourgenerationsofcollegelifefrom thestudent'sperspective.Examinationsandclassroom lecturesarenoticeablyabsent;instead,collegians'experiencesreveal the lifestudentscreatedforthemselves.
