Ugh! I have to rant today, sorry.
Being as this is a rant, I'm sure there are some logical holes and I just may offend someone, though certain steps will be taken to prevent that... anyway...
There's been a lot of talk about "Black Fashion" recently. Black Fashion, which is almost always associated with "hip-hop fashion," is largely derived from urban youth... and its is everywhere these days. The Museum of the City of New York's current exhibition "Black Style Now" is drawing attention to this phenomenon (check out Ms. Givhan's take in her blog) and the gold-toothed-grillz that have been around in the hip-hop community since the early 1980s (made popular in the 90's by Southern hip-hop artists like Master P and the Cash Money Crew) adorned skinny blond models in Kimora Lee Simmons' Spring 2007 Baby Phat Collection . . .
Ironically, many of the trends created by urban youth originated out of necessity and circumstance... for instance the saggy pant trend is said to have originated in prison... not as a so-called "advertisement for sex" (which is a common misconception) but because belts are not allowed in prison and many of the inmates were given pant sizes that were too big (there's a lot of speculation about this one, but as far as I know, the ill-fitting pants story is the truth). Those in prison, forced to wear the baggy pants are often viewed as "hardended thugs," thus, those who want to emulate them can easily achieve the look with the baggy pants.
The "white-tee trend" has been tied to gang activity all over the country. "The trend's origin is murky. Some say it began at basketball courts in New York, where white tees, [once] devoid of gang colors, became de rigueur..." others point to the fact that the tees, which usually sell for around $5 a shirt are cheap and accessible. (I'm just waiting for the "designer" $50 white-tees with like, platinum stitching, to hit the market...)
Anyway, the point of my rant is, the disturbing thing about this emphasis on "Black Fashion" is two-fold. One, "Black Fashion" is getting pigeonholed into "hip-hop" fashion. I love hip-hop style, don't get me wrong, but there are so many wonderful Black designers/ styles out there. Though hip- hop style is aesthetically pleasing and globally relevant, its not the only fashion movement in the Black community and people need to be aware of that.
Second, and most disturbing to me, is that "Black Fashion" which is clearly a style taken from the young Black community, is being successfully re-marketed to that same group of people. . . for huge profits (its a 1 billion dollar a year industry). Just turn on your local commercial station... ur... I mean, rap video music station like BET. Like it or not, music videos set an acceptable social standard among America's youth (of all races... just check out Brooke Hogan).
In large part through these videos (full of disgustingly overt product placement and a striking emphasis on materialism) marketers have outdone themselves:
They have taken a style, repackaged it, created a lifestyle out of it, and resold it to the very group from which they took it from in the first place.
It's (evil) genius on their part . . . but very frustrating to watch from the sidelines . . .
I don't really know the point of this rant except to point out what I believe is a disturbing trend . . . I guess the baby phat show got me all riled up.
I should also point out a little tip... like leggings, no one should wear grillz . . . ever.
Unless you're a part of Cash Money (is Juvenile still a part of Cash Money? I can never keep up), because really, Juvie isn't Juvie without a platinum smile.
