Clothing Essay, Research Paper

URBAN YOUTH CLOTHING

People always wonder why urban youth dress the way they do. The baggy clothes, the bright clothes, and the expensive name brands, the hundred dollar boots, sneakers and symbols. Maybe it is the financial status or the urban areas, or could it be the influence that Hip Hop artists perceive to the youth that listen to their music.

When baggy clothing first started, it was not a fashion trend. It was a way of knowing who just came out of jail. In jail the inmates receive clothing that in many cases are too big for them, and in jail the inmates are not allowed to have belts. Therefore their pants sagged and were too big. When the inmates are released they are comfortable with the big clothing and continued to wear their clothing in sizes that were too big for them.

Finance plays one of the biggest roles in what the urban youth wear. Not everyone has money, and these clothing are very pricey. Simple things such as shoes are highly expensive, especially when you have big feet. The bigger your feet, the more you have to pay. Such boots such as Timberland can cost the average tinged boy a hundred and seventy dollars. Phat Farm denim pant and jacket outfit can start at the jacket costing a hundred and twenty dollars and the pants are a hundred fifty dollars. If you add that up, that is one hundred and seventy dollars for one outfit. How are tinged urban youth supposed to afford these type of clothing however, if they do not wear these name brands, then they are ridiculed for not being up to date. The reasons that these clothes are so expensive is that they are in great demand and everyone wants to be seen in name brands.

Nobody wants to be the oddball. Another reason are that these clothes cost so much is the quality of the clothing. In most cases expensive clothing last longer than cheap clothing. It can withstand wash after wash and years later still be worn sometimes still looking new. Sometimes spending the extra money is a good investment.

Often, different parts of town or different cities dress differently. For example if anyone were to go to the South Bronx, I would see people wearing name-brand clothing such as Nike, Timberland, Fubu, Karl Kani, and others of that nature because this is the way that the urban youth dress. Now if I were to go to Plainville, CT, I would see the suburban youth wearing clothing such as Abercombia and Fitch. There are exceptions to the rules, but nine times out of ten the rule holds true. I probably would not be walking through an urban area and and see one of them wearing Abercombie and Fitch and that in same situation if a youth was in a suburban area I doubt that you would see a youth wearing Fubu. This is true to the fact the clothing urban people wear is sold on the street while the clothing of suburban people is sold most likely at the mall. So clothing styles usually reflect the area where the wearer are from, and that is why we buy the clothes. Remember it is the clothes that make the man.

One of the largest influences in urban fashion is their music. Hip Hop artists are among the biggest tread setters. We constantly see these people, and we want to be like them, and sometimes one of the easiest ways to resemble them is to dress like them. Whenever you see a new artist wearing something new, no matter what it is, people are going to try to imitate it. I am not saying that Hip Hop started the whole baggy jeans scenario but that what ever Hip Hop artists wear, we wear. Now the artists are wearing

designer clothing such as Fendi and Versace, and the urban youth are following their lead. We feel that these people set the fashion that we must follow, true to the fact that people imitate what they see and hear.

Urban youth dress freely. Yes, they are heavily influenced, and in many cases this is unfair to them and their care providers. Maybe the clothing that the urban youth are wearing is highly expensive. They feel that they have to fit in so you find a way to make the money to pay for the clothing. In this society everyone wants you to feel like everyone must fit in. This is what the youth are doing by clothing they like. But who ever decided that fitting in meant that the person had to dress a certain way. Why can’t we dress the way we choose and not be harrassed about the price or styles of the clothing. As long as we can afford the clothes and we not going against morals and laws and are paying our bills. Urban youths should be free to wear what they feel comfortable in even though it is expensive.