Now, as a 14-year-old girl, I wasn't one to start confrontations or who had any intentions of being something I wasn't. However, it seemed that I wasn't aware of something that others were: the clothing I worse meant something, and did more than cover my skin. I guess I knew that Fubu was a "black brand" (folks had said it meant "For Us By Us"), but I didn't see why I couldn't wear them. They were cool, for God's sake.
As we have talked about in class, certain clothing (and brand names) and other products have become, and have always been, racialized. Why do you think that is? For a company like FUBU, it must have something to do with what the owners envisioned (giving back to the African-American community). But what about more generalized things? Like grape drank in Dave Chappelle's video? Is it mostly stereotype, or does it have some other roots? My simple answer is to narrow it down factors like cost and availability in certain stores, but I'd like to hear you guys's ideas and thoughts about it.
You know, that's a really good question. We have been talking about HOW clothing and other items become racialized but not exactly WHY. When it came down to skin color, abilities, etc., we racialize groups based on the notion of biology (as we have seen to be false). But with clothing items, accessories, etc. this is much more difficult because I don't think people tie clothing items to biology. They make an associate between them, obviously, but I hardly think people think, "That person NEEDS to wear this because they are black."
ReplyDeleteSo as bad as this sounds (and I'm in no way, shape, or form intending to come off as racist), I think stereotypes just happen to pop up over time as fads go in and out of the population and certain things become popular for so long they just become associated with a person or group. I was talking with a friend just a bit ago about this question, and he thinks that black people may have a tendency to wear FUBU because of it's urban style - something that seems to be popular to a lot of black people. Just like something may go in and out of style, maybe the FUBU brand was popular for so long (and reinforced by "Made for us BY us") that it came to be associated with the group. The same with "grape drank." I don't know how long this notion has been around - but maybe the drink was popular with the black population (make because of price and availability) and over time just came to be associated with them. It only takes one person to make a joke and spread to make something stick. I believe we all know of the ability of exaggerated jokes/gossip/etc. to spread, and in these cases they just become a part of a particular group. Just like white men can't jump, Jews run money making businesses, and black people smoke Black n Milds. Obviously this isn't true for every person in that group - and may no LONGER be a part of the reality of the group. But once people have made the association to that group and it sticks, it really seems to STICK!
I think you brought up a great question Johanna. I think fads, gossips, and jokes answer some part of the question like Chris suggested, but I still feel like something is missing. At my work place, a child daycare, I notice that almost all of the African American female workers have long pedicured nails. I know white women get pedicure too, but I have never seen any white woman with those really long, squarish ones, if you get what I mean, and I wonder how that came about. How did the black and white cultures general sense of beauty come to differ so much?
ReplyDeleteThen I notice something. The fashion that is favorable to African American women includes a lot of bold colors and designs such as big hoop earrings, animal patterns, beads, oversize bracelets, and very solid colors. In contrast, white women typically are more attracted to pastel colors and relatively simpler designs. This difference in the sense of taste may be connected to the differences in skin tone and body shape. Because African Americans are darker and are typically more shapely than white women, the solid colors and big jewels compliment their figures more. On the other hand, while some white women may like the fashion sense of African Americans, they feel like they personally may not be able to "pull it off."
I know this doesn't answer everything, but I think it answers a part of your question.
I just asked a couple of women that I work with both black) what they think when they see people of different races where baby phat and fubu. One said that she really doesn't think much of it, and the other said that she would assume that they have black friends. The second woman also mentioned that she does not see it very often probably because white people are more supportive of white people/brands. I asked what they think their other black friends would say, and they said that they haven't known anyone who would freak out over it. I know that these are just two opinions, but in my experience the only people I have known to actually care about what a person is wearing (brand-wise) are white.
ReplyDeleteBut if something is branded "for us, by us" with the understanding that it is actually for black people, by black people...then isn't that clearly telling white people not to wear it? Can we not be supportive of these brands? Is this a mode of self-segregation? I don't really have any answers in mind on any of these questions...but it is something to toss around in the ol' brain...
Honestly it is partly the brand but also the style that is interesting here. People are interested in appearing how they want people to see them. We take clothes and make them represent ourselves. I can see how a certain group of people would be confused if someone they had stereotypical ideas about act opposite of these ideas. It was a shock to see you wearing clothes that where stereotypically for black individuals. It is however interesting to try to understand why certain appearances or clothing brands are associated with black individuals or white individuals. Perhaps it is that these brands are not well known in diverse groups rather just one particular group if people. They may then claim that look or brand as their own because they were the first to see the style in it. It is like any new fad people like to be trent setters, individuals.
ReplyDelete