The fop is a male character from 17th- and 18th-century English literature obsessed with fashion and personal appearance. He is often mocked and treated with derision, but can win the girl in the end. The term “fop” originally meant foolish person and was used to describe individuals obsessed with fashion. Fops were regularly mocked on stage and in novels during this period.
A fop is a stock character appearing in 17th- and 18th-century English literature. While saccharine characters appear in more modern literature, they are usually not explicitly identified as “fops,” though they are treated with the same scorn and derision heaped on historical fops. The fop concept has also translated into other mediums, such as film and television, and people with dimwitted traits may be referred to as “fops” in popular parlance in some regions of the world.
The fop is always male and obsessed with his personal appearance. He is perfectly dressed in the latest fashions and has his fingers on the pulse of all the major fashion trends, from new hairstyles to a different cut of pants. The fop’s obsession with fashion makes him somewhat suspicious in the eyes of other men, and he is often referred to as a fool or rather vain. He also tends to be slightly effeminate, but somehow manages to win the girl over in the end, often successfully defeating a male character with more traditionally masculine traits.
Many fops are given a variety of mannerisms and quirks. They tend to have rather affected and pompous speech and are known to put on airs. Other characters may mock the fop behind his back for his self-absorbed attitude and attempts at wit, with his jokes often failing. Even the fop is usually rich and his family can treat him with particular leniency; instead of working in his father’s business, for example, he might be allowed to float on the social scene.
The term “fop” entered the English language from German in the 1400s. It was originally used to describe any kind of foolish person, and in the 1600s it acquired the specific sense of a foolish and vain person obsessed with fashion. Other colorful terms from this period to describe goofy individuals include words like popinjay, ninny, and fashion horse.
The fop was regularly mocked on the English stage in the 17th and 18th centuries, with actors wearing ludicrously exaggerated costumes and chubby accents to show the idea that the character was a figure of ridicule. Fops were also present in many English novels, especially by satirical authors. During this period, any smartly dressed young gentleman was in danger of being called a fop, and particular scorn was reserved for older men who adopted saccharine fashions in an effort to feel young again.
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