Black Men, Fashion, and Gender Roles
I wish that there was more conversation around clothing for black men in media. Looking around online, there's ALWAYS new women's looks circulating around on Pinterest and TikTok. It's pretty rare right now to find anything outside of a suit or those (usually) non black guys who copy the streetwear look from the 90s/2000s (which I love but that's not the point).
The lack of diversity or general creativity in looks is really disappointing, but I do think it stems from fact that men (especially BLACK men) haven't gotten that large scale opportunity to cross gender barriers for clothing way women have. It's pretty normal for women to wear "masculine" clothing nowadays due to the push for gender equality in expression. I desperately want that kind of push for black men as well.
I think Cam'ron is the perfect example. His pink outfit was revolutionary to black male expression in the 2000s. After that appearance at his first New York Fashion Week, there were quite a few well known male artists in Hip hop who wore pink which for a lot of hypermasculine men would've been considered feminine namely Jay-Z, Kanye, Pharrell, Fat Joe, etc)
I think It is so crucial that we have more people like Cam'ron in the mainstream to make the waves black men need to make things generally considered feminine less intimidating. I can't imagine how things would be without these events in fashion history, ESPECIALLY for something so unfortunately redpill as Hip Hop.
Now, outside of pushing the boundaries, I simply crave something VISUALLY interesting. The best example I can think of would have to be Ginuwine's unbuttoned blazer.
Most of Ginuwine's outfit is simple, but the blazer is the main statement. It's a standard men's outfit, at least from the waist down. However, the visual appeal from the styling on top is what makes it stand out. The clothing he's wearing doesn't have to challenge gender roles to be interesting and is a generally well loved look. It's a great example of fashion for black men who lean toward more masculine styles while still having some flair.
Now, does everyone need to wear something like these examples? No. But there's a unique look for everyone I think seeing a mix of these kinds of looks around more in the modern could change the current landscape around fashion for black men on the carpet and even the everyday.
Some random example of black men's fashion looks I like:
