Are You Veronica Lodge or Betty Cooper?

If you haven’t been living under a rock the last few days, you would know that Archie Comics is being rebooted and the first issue is out to remarkable reviews. For decades, Archie Andrews, the freckled redhead has been America’s favourite teenager living in a town steeped in the warm, fuzzy nostalgia of mid-century Americana. Archie is the head honcho at Riverdale High School and the man ladies vie for. Nonetheless, we all know who the true Alphas are – Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper.

Archie Comics introduced us to an epic love triangle, and gave us our first exposure to catfights, and girl-on-girl scuffles in high school. Girls can identify, as we all have that one friend that we are besties with yet contending for the same boy, thus introducing the well-acquainted term ‘frenemies’. Betty Cooper couldn’t be more different from her bestie Veronica Lodge. Cooper is the All-American, funny, sweet girl next door while Lodge is rich, spoiled and sassy and she knows how to rock a sexy dress or a preppy outfit. Veronica looks great in shoulder pads, ties, pantsuits and miniskirts while Betty naturally shines in a pair of denim jeans, a t-shirt and maybe a varsity jacket thrown over.

Both girls are unquestionably different, so the real question is, “Which girl are you?”

Veronica Lodge

The only child of the richest man in Riverdale, she is tall, slim and attractive usually favouring expensive, up-to-the-minute fashion. She can be found at the mall spending daddy’s unlimited supply of cash and is pretty much the epitome of a shopaholic. She can be snobbish as in her eyes, the rules of common society don’t apply to her simply because she is wealthy. In the words of Veronica, “I am rich, beautiful and ruthless!”

In the style department, Veronica is definitely more daring choosing to wear statement pieces that appear to have been pulled out from the pages of fashion magazines or direct from the runways of Paris or Milan. She frequently dons mod looks, berets, patterned tights, shoulder pads and glitzy red carpet-worthy ensembles. If you are more of a Veronica, you will spend a day at the mall just looking for a specific shade of blue shoe to go with that dress you plan to wear to a VIP, invite-only party. You are the girl who most girls envy and your solution to a problem would be retail therapy!

Betty Cooper

Betty, on the other hand, is known as the smart, nice and tomboyish girl with blonde hair. Worlds apart from her flashy friend and rival, Veronica, Betty is very dependable (which could also mean “kind of dull”). You could say that Betty would most likely win the hearts of the masses, with her kindness and her concern with environmental and social issues. She is sporty, fun and can be found skiing, car-racing and even scuba diving which means she could hang with one of the boys.

In terms of style, Betty is definitely more modest in her dressing and fancies androgynous, laid-back outfits like a good t-shirt or a pair of trousers. She is flexible and opts for comfort over style. Although she isn’t as flashy and glamorous as her sultry friend, she does have a certain charm with her slightly lower maintenance wardrobe and boyish ensembles. So if you are more of a Betty, you favour Converse high tops, skinny jeans and a tank top – tomboyish with a sweet, girly twist.

MAC Cosmetics even had a collection focusing on the Archie Comics beauts and frenemies! Inspired by blonde babe Betty’s spring dresses and welcoming look, while they turned to Veronica’s fashionable lifestyle and created royal purples and corvette reds – colours you would wear to accompany your man-eater outfit.

So are you the easily-agitated brunette with a flair for fashion or the sweet, loveable Betty? But then again, who said you can’t be a little bit of both?

by: Adeline Tan