[F21775]

Why is it that black men frequently wear the most ridiculous-looking suits? Bright colors like pink, white and red, with matching hats? Just curious.

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Name : F21775, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, 

[Jackki]

Why do you consider a white outfit with a matching hat to be ridiculous?

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Name : Jackki, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Louisville, State : KY Country : United States, Occupation : Nurse, 

[Moni20309]

Who are the black people you see who wear these outrageous suits, as you call them? Unless they're going to church or dressing up for a special occasion, you don't see too many blacks wearing a suit, let alone 'loud' ones. Most men I see wear conservative colored suits, and that includes black men. It seems to me that whites always think the world should conform to what they view as normal, and anything outside that is weird or even questioned. Get a grip!

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Name : Moni20309, City : Ft. Myers, State : FL Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

I've noticed this myself! When I see it, I just shake my head. Of course, there are plenty of black men who dress in what society would call a normal way. In my opinion, it may be a socio-economic thing. I can't say I know any middle- or upper-class folks who dress this way, just as I don't know any middle- or upper-class white folks who dress 'Goth' or 'punk'. You also should remember that what looks ridiculous to you might look perfectly fine to someone else. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Chandra32229]

I've often wondered that myself. Maybe it has to do with trying to outdo one another: who is the best dressed, who is the most flamboyant, who can catch the most attention. Or maybe they simply don't realize that those types of outfits are not socially accepted outside of the black community (sometimes not even inside the black community). It is my belief that certain styles simply do not look good on everybody; just because a particular style is sold at the local clothing store does not mean it looks good on you or is appropriate for business or other types of social situations. This applies to halter tops, short shorts or skirts, skin-tight pants or whatever. Colors like hot pink or bright red look ridiculous on men, no matter who they are.

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Name : Chandra32229, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 26, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[RhondaOutlaw]

I live in New York and am around black men all the time, and sorry, but I don't see the brightly colored ridiculous-looking suits you claim to see. I do see black men, particularly those in higher-level positions and who work on Wall Street, dressed in business suits. The younger hip-hop crowd wears FUBU or Sean Jean or Tommy Hilfiger.

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Name : RhondaOutlaw, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 41, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Account Representative, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[David W.]

Here are a few answers:
Bright colors offset a dark skin color, so we feel less self-conscious wearing them;
You might think the color is 'ridiculous,' but are you right? At the moment, wearing neutral or dark colors is a norm among the white, European-based culture of the majority in the United States and United Kingdom. Is it the norm among black people? If one's peers dress in bright colors, then one is going to feel compfortable wearing them.
Living in a white-oriented world, many black men don't fit in, anyway, so why conform to dress codes set up by people who do not accept you even when you do conform?
A person who stands out from the crowd often attracts a certain kind of respect as well as ridicule. So when a black man wants to make an impact, whether in business, romance or whatever, he will often do it through his clothes.
Bright colors worn on special occasions are a long-standing part of African culture, and the wearing of them by African Americans and African-Caribbeans has survived beyond slavery as a remnant of this.
Other minorities, numerically or politically, also seem to stand out. White heterosexual women tend to wear brighter colors than white heterosexual men; some gay men display a flambouyant dress sense, and so on.

Thanks for asking.

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Name : David W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/English, Religion : Christian, Age : 46, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Business Consultant, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[M22295]

Because people think that black men are pimps and because of movies, and pimps were bright suits

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Name : M22295, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, 

[Jahny]

I wonder why blacks buy expensive clothes and then complain about economic problems like bad credit. Why do even the poorest blacks dress like ballers? By the way, my high school is majority black. I am white. I'm not trying to be racist, it's just that I don't understand this phenomenon.

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Name : Jahny, City : Chestnut Ridge, State : NY Country : United States, 

[Bill23268]

I had the privilege of attending my son's graduation from Army boot camp at Fort Benning, Ga., last December. In the audience (all races and socioeconomic classes) there were two or three black gentlemen with the type of suite you talk about. The suits reminded me of the 'Zoot suit' of the 40's, very colorful and stylish. They certainly stood out, and being from Vermont, I had little exposure to it. I thought they were cool. It takes a real self-confident man to wear these, and I say...more power to them!

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Name : Bill23268, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 44, City : Burlington, State : VT Country : United States, Occupation : Finance, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Paul S.]

Why is it that White men dress in bland colors befitting their drone status?

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Name : Paul S., City : Southfield, State : MI Country : United States, 

[DJ]

What you've noticed is not exclusive to Black males. Actually it is a look popularized by badly dressed NYC Italians in the 50's. Black males tried the look, improved on it and it is now seen mostly on older Black Men (65 and up). Comes from African heritage. Bright colored clothing, gold jewelry, etc. worn for special occasions, to identify status and attract females. Similar to white males use of cars, money, clothing (white shirts/grey suits/black shoes ... yawn!)is the norm for European men. Whether these clothes are ridiculous are obviously a matter of personal taste, upbringing and ethnic background. The simple answer is, 'It looks good on them because of skin color and features, but it would REALLY look ridiculous on a Causcasian guy'

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Name : DJ, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 32, City : New Orleans, State : LA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Keith26549]

we call them 'convention suits' here. mustard, bright blue, red, green, everything.

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Name : Keith26549, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, City : Easton, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Dianna Wallace]

I personaly think this dates back to the 60's and 70's when everybody had on bright colors and its all about your confedence. I personaly nothing is sexyer than a well dressed big mucular black man is a nice suit weather it be black or purple. but personaly pink can only be pulled off by some men like R Kelly, Snoop Dog, Pimps and most of all Rhon Isly. the rest need to leave it alone.

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Name : Dianna Wallace, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 19, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : college student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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