[J.]

As a child of the ’80s I’ve witnessed the clothing of my peers becoming increasingly baggy. Most of young people’s style comes from the hip-hop culture. Hip-hop culture borrows from a lot of different culture, including the prison culture. For instance, felony sneakers were worn by the rappers Run DMC, and all the kids wanted to be like them (growing up, my dad would not let me wear felony sneakers no matter how much I wanted to, thank God). Felony sneakers are a style where sneakers are worn laced up but not tied. The purpose of this style was so that an inmate could be easily apprehended should he try to run. The shoes fall off his feet. Baggy clothes also stop a felon from running. They fall right down to his ankles! Today I do wear some baggy outfits (not to the point where they fall down), but they are quite comfortable, and I’m not so body-conscious when I wear them. Maybe that’s a reason why kids today wear them.

User Detail :  

Name : J., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 24, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Editorial Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[J.]

I think it’s wonderful that you have love like that but to ask, ‘What’s going on?’ I think you should know by now. the issues are really old. In this country, things are still black and white but your black friends may be wondering if you are in a colorless world. Is your marriage to this white man a self deception? have you assimilated yourself into white culture? Please don’t assume that a friend that would shy away from you was never really your friend. You could be very wrong. The issue is bigger than your friendship. If you’re really concerned about it, you’ll try to establish some kind of forum where you and your friends can talk. The black community has been hurt by racism and self hatred. We hate ourselves! Much of our affirmations of Black pride seem more like we’re trying to convince ourselves that we are worthy of pride. I think that you are in the perfect position to show your friends that you have not lost your sense of culture. Do you practice Kwanzaa with your husband? Do you participate in public events geared towards African-Americans? How much does your husband know and understand about your culture? I’m not talking about history, I’m talking about the idiosynchracies of ‘good hair’ and ‘bad hair’ for instance, why women lose their minds when they hear Luther Vandross, why you can’t eat everyone’s potato salad,the origins of ‘The Dozens’ and why a joke about ‘Yo Momma’ will always be funny. These are just examples, there is no handbook on black culture ( there could never be because we’ll always have cultures within cultures to contend with). Bottom line, do yor best to turn this situation around. Forge multicultural frienships with receptive people. You can’t go wrong if you continue to move in positive steps. The answer is never to withdraw, so please don’t. Keep fighting sister!!

User Detail :  

Name : J., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 24, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Editorial Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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