A fracket is a disposable outerwear item that can be discarded at a party. 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.

History

The term 'fracket' may have originated at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. In their study of university campus parties,

sociologists This list of sociologists includes people who have made notable contributions to sociological theory or to research in one or more areas of sociology. A * Peter Abell, British sociologist * Andrew Abbott, American sociologist * Margaret ...

Ashley Mears and Heather Mooney observed that the need for frackets arose from the lack of coat rooms at

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

and

final club Harvard College has several types of social clubs. These are split between coeducational clubs recognized by the college, and unrecognized single-sex clubs which were subject to College sanctions in the past. The Hasty Pudding Club holds claim ...

houses.Mears, Ashley and Mooney, Heather. " Getting In: Status Stratification and the Pursuit of the Good College Party". '' Qualitative Sociology,'' 47, 221–247 (June 2024). 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. The term 'fracket' is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of 'frat jacket,' with 'fraternity' and 'jacket' as the root words. 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 Acceptance in psychology is a person's recognition and assent to the finality of a situation without attempting to change or protest it. This plays out at both the individual and societal level as people experience change. Types of acceptanc ...

of theft under the pretense that the original owner expected the property to be stolen. As a result, wearers do not store anything valuable in the pockets of their fracket when they take it off. Two key characteristics of the fracket are that it is inexpensive and distinctive. 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. In 2023, CNET included a fracket on its list of ten wardrobe essentials to pack for college.

Frackit

In 2014,

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

students Caroline Calle and Melissa Greenblatt created FRACKIT, a company that manufactured and sold waterproof hooded jackets. The company's name was derived from 'fracket.' Calle and Greenblatt were members of the

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international collegiate Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity. It was founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. History File:S ...

sorority at the University of Pennsylvania.

Literary references

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

References

{{reflist

External links

All Frackets Found, ''The Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern,'' Dartmouth College

The Best Places To Get Your Fracket, ''Onward State,'' Penn State

Dude, Where's My Fracket?, ''Jerk Magazine,'' Syracuse University

Fracket Etiquette, ''Odyssey''

“Fracket” has a whole new meaning now, ''The Bucknellian.'' Bucknell University

Frackets: Fashionable or functional, what’s your pick?, ''The Tab''

How to Obtain a Fracket, ''University Girl,'' Syracuse University

Report: Your missing fracket doesn’t want you back, ''The Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern,'' Dartmouth College

Why Everyone Needs a Fracket, ''Odyssey Online''
Jackets Fraternity and sorority culture