Is There Such A Thing As Dressing According To Your Race?
In the latest attempt from the U.S. Government in discovering a better ways to identify United States citizens, the 2010 Census somewhat forces people to breakdown how they identify themselves. In a recent story from the Associated Press (AP), there were 784,764 who marked both white and black when filling out their form 10 years ago.
This is the second U.S. Census form that allows people to check more than one box.
Laura Martin, a 29-year-old biracial woman (the child of a black man and a white woman) says she always checks “black” when filling out forms. According to the AP, Martin was described as someone who grew up “surrounded by a black family and friends, listening to black music and active in black causes.” For that, she’s black.
If that’s how people draw conclusions with regards to their racial identity, is this also the reason for the terms “black” or “white” being used to describe the way people dress? How would a biracial person dress? Is there a way to dress according to our racial make-up? If so, who decides the dress code?
Have you ever heard statements like, “He dresses like a white dude,” or “Why do you dress like a Mexican?” or “She thinks she’s black because she dresses like she’s from the ‘hood”? Think about it. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
Stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and American Eagle are often referred to as “white apparel” and on the opposite end, brands like Apple Bottoms, Girbaud and Sean John represent “black”; and Latinos wear Southpole, Dickies and Ecko. Am I getting the stereotypes correct?
From jewelry to shoes, hairstyles and makeup application, we tend to box ourselves and place stereotypes on one another. So ask yourself: At what point do we stop defining elements to our lives—other than our race—by our race?
Drjays.com Live! wants to hear from you: is there such a thing as dressing according to your race? Why or why not? Let us know what you think.
It’s not about RACE. It’s about CULTURE. It just so happens that cultures are often associated with a certain race, which is what causes the confusion. I think people dress like those they grew up around and hang out with. In homogenous groups, this isn’t really an issue because everyone is used to it. However, when this happens in heterogenous groups it looks strange to outsiders.
NO!!!NOT AT ALL!100% AGREE WITH ”KWAPING”
It’s really just lifestyle brand marketing campaigns that have crept into our subconscious.There are no White,Black,Mexican brands, $78 to $250 jeans need the exclusivity factor to sell. Why else would you pay that much for a garment that can be found anywhere for $16 bucks.
This class warfare and a need to belong to a certain group is what drives their profits. Wrangler makes a better quality pair of jeans compared to any of brands listed in this article.
Lifestyle brands usually have poor quality to begin with. The marketing hype helps you look past that obvious shortcomings of whatever garment the are selling.
Focus on quality not the marketing your clothing will last longer.There will also be more money left in your pockets to go out in those clothes.
I agree with kwaping part way. A lot of it is culture/trend, who you’re around. I rock dickies out of habit from the homies (all races)in daygo. Everyone hood had them. But the area over in la county area you only really saw hispanics rockem. I got looks from mexicans when I went to school. Then when my name was said (yeah I’m black/hispanic). Like all of a sudden it was cool because I have a hispanic name.
It is also race. It depends on where you’re at. A lot of my asian friends don’t get why I or other blacks show up to a club, or out dressed to the tee. I explain it to them every time lol. They’ll say oh ok that’s why you dress white or GQ lol.
WELL TO ME IT MAY BE A NUMBER OF THINGS. IT CAN RANGE FROM THE CUT OF CLOTHING TO MARKETING TO PRICING. FOR EXAMPLE MY HUSBAND IS 265 6 FT 2 AND WHEN HE TRIES ON THE THE EXPRESS FOR MEN, CALVIN KLEIN, OR AMERICAN EAGLE IN A SZ 2 XTRA LARGE, IT DOESNT FIT. THATS A MATTER OF HOW THAT SPECIFIC CLOTH IS CUT. WE ARE ALL DIFFERNT AS FAR AS BODY STRUCTURE IS CONCERNED AND THESE DIFFERNCES MAKE US UNIQUE BUT THEY EXIST AND ITS NOT HORRIBLE TO RECOGNIZE THEM IN A CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS I KNOW THE SIZE THIRTEEN SOUTHPOLE JEANS ARE GONNA FIT ME PERFECTLY. IM 5 FT 9 183 LBS WITH A HIGH BUT AND LONG LEGS…LOL. I ALSO KNOW THAT THOSE JEANS ARE $20-30 LESS THAN THE ONES IN AMERICAN EAGLE….(THANK YOU DR. JAYS LOL) CLOTHING IS AVAILABLE FOR ALL PEOPLE. IF WE ALL SAMPLED A NEW PIECE FROM WHAT WE DEEM ANOTHER RACE OR CULTURE, WE WOULD END UP BLENDING ALL THE STYLES AND QUIETING ALL THIS CLOTHING NONSENSE. AFTER ALL WE HAVE HUNGRY HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AND WARS GOING ON..NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT WE ARE DEPLETING ALL OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTH ON A DAILY. SHOT OUT TO DR. JAYS
nice article. don’t even have much to add, except my two cents: no. there isn’t. but even i may give a funny look to some things i see that seem out of the ordinary. culture and clothes go hand in hand. or at least the did, until TV came about, and people started dressing like the culture that they most related to in TV.
or maybe i’m totally wrong. it’s also about where you grow up. eminem grew up in 8-mile, right around all the black people, and he knows he’s white, but his dress is more urban than the average white guy.
shrug. i just wanted to talk a little bit.
Race pervades all things that it shouldn’t, such as…Well, everything. I would think, in this elightened age, we could live without having to base things on race. But, unfortunately, it seems like things aren’t so blisfully simple.
Its the designers who make clothes exclusive. However, we’re labeled on how we dress. If I wear a suit, shirt and tie, I’m a professional. If I wear jeans and a Tee, I’m urban. And Khaki’s and a button down, I’m casual.