student asking question

Can I understand "popular in the first place" here as the same meaning as "the most popular brand"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Not quite. The phrase "in the first place" means in or at the beginning of a series of events. The word "popular" means to be liked or supported by many people. Forever 21 is popular, but it doesn't mean that it is the most popular clothing store. The entire phrase "popular in the first place" means that having fast fashion model made many people like and support Forever 21 since the store first started. Ex: In the first place, popularity doesn't even matter. Ex: He is such a nerd. He was never popular in the first place.

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