I am a 22-year-old black male. My hair is locked. I wear earrings, a goatee, sneakers and low riding pants. Some of my peers don similar styles of dress. We may turn heads, but our approaches to fashion reflect the styles worn by our own critics — teachers, bosses, and yes our parents “back in the day.” Our fashion statements are nothing more than recycled styles from decades ago.
In the 1950’s the so-called rebellious youth wore tight jeans, black leather jackets with turned up collars, and wore a hair cut known as the “ducktail” — men would grease their hair to make it point upwards. Some of the more mature men during that time, preferred to wear crew cuts, pullover sweaters, dress slacks and penny loafers.
The 1960’s paved the way for many men to wear their long hair (sometimes covering their eyes). In response, African Americans also wore their hair long and bushy (afros and naturals). The clothing options introduced included bell-bottoms, tie-dye, skinny jeans, platform shoes and of course mini-skirts.
The defiant punk and disco styles of the 1970’s featured women wearing shorter hairstyles. Popular culture icons such as the Sex Pistols embraced punk styles like torn denim, nose piercing, dyed hair, Mohawks and stressed leather.
In the 1980’s men felt comfortable wearing 5 o’clock shadows, earrings, suit jackets with casual t-shirts underneath and loafers. Socks were optional. Madonna pushed boundaries wearing short skirts, fishnet stockings and leggings. Teenage girls and young women imitate her style to this day. And you can believe that Madonna’s controversial style was no creation of her own — who once said she was influenced by Marilyn Monroe, Nancy Sinatra [These Boots Are Made for Walkin song], and The Supremes.
Michael Jackson wore tight pants, white socks, leather aviator jackets and sunglasses day and night. Men and women are still sporting the “Thriller” look.
A pair of sneakers like Air Jordan ‘s once banned in the NBA have become a fashion accessory for both sexes.
Skateboarding itself has a rebellious undertone, and popular skaters such as Terry Kennedy, Paul Rodriguez and Ryan Sheckler are often seen wearing baseball caps and slim fitting low riding pants.
As of late, locks have become a popular hairstyle. Locks are worn across a wide spectrum of people from hip-hop singer Lil Wayne to baseball player Manny Ramirez and many NFL players.
Perhaps my hair has been inspired by Bob Marley or maybe even the Beatles.
Maybe I wear earrings because of their popularity in the 70’s that accompanied the punk movement and became mainstream during the 80’s. Or maybe I like to “sag” because of its popularity among skateboard and 90’s hip-hop culture. Or I like Nike’s because Jordan wore them. Or Adidas because Run D.M.C. said it was ok to wear “My Adidas.”
The fashion trends of every generation are unique and provide an insight of that time. If we were to restrict dress, we would erase our generation’s individuality and ultimately our legacy.
My point is this: Some of us may have to renounce our attire and replace it with a dress shirt and tie. But that does not mean we should downplay their significance in our culture because when it comes to fashion and style we all have more rebellious similarities than we think.