Gangsta or gay?
Far be it for me, a middle-aged, straight, white guy who prizes roominess over style, to comment on fashion of the young, but this article has a central point that I never thought about. I wonder how a lot of tough, ass-showing gangsta wannabes who think they’re saying f__ you to white culture would feel if they knew what gays who dominate the fashion world think of their ‘fashion statement.’
But, as he passes by and I am treated to the rear view, I realise that I have entered a whole new world. His belt is below the buttocks. At the front, the belt appears to be resting on his penis. From there it slopes downwards and is pulled taut against the backs of his thighs. Allow me to clarify, this is the outfit: neck to waist, T-shirt; waist to genitalia, underpants; genitalia to ankles, jeans.
These were not, I am sure, gay men. Though the clothes were screaming “Look at my arse!”, the manner and face of both men were saying, defiantly, “What do you think you’re looking at?”
Straight fear of gayness allowed gay men to dictate straight fashions. If gay men started growing moustaches, straight men sprinted for their razors. When gay men wore tight trousers, straight men adopted a baggier style. Since the early 1990s, heterosexual men have avoided tight trousers. Now urban black culture is fighting back and reclaiming buttocks from the gays.
I can’t help but laugh evertime I see one of these tool boxes walking around with his ass hanging out. I’m always waiting for them to trip due to the fact that there crotch is hanging around his knees. Add to that a hat on sidways or better yet a visor on backwards and upside down. Even funnier is when white kids attempt this look. Talk about bafoons!
All they need is oversized shoes and a red nose, and the clown outfit is complete.
Remember when gays wore an earring in their right ear to signal gayness? The clueless picked the fashion statement up, and straights ignorant to the meaning started proclaiming “I’m gay!” while trying to look cool. Now I look at any of these ‘men’ with an earring in either (or both) ears, and wonder what kind of stetement they are making… “I’m straight and a rebel but too dumb to know that I’m a slave to fashion”, or “I’m gay”, or “I’m bisexual”. So I just laugh inside and try to keep a straight face while talking to them.
Does this guy eat?
I’m pretty sure there is a way to discuss this look without mentioning “gay” as a pejorative. Right now it is 46 degrees and raining in Seattle. The only place we’re going to see this outfit is in a pic in John’s blog.
I don’t think gay is being used in a pejoritive way here. It’s one culture controlling and changing another’s without the other’s realizing it. What makes it ironic is that the straight people who take up these styles are often homophobic and would be appalled if they realized their lifestyle is being manipulated by the ones they fear and hate. It’s a way to get back at those who think of gay as being negative.
FYI, I guess I wasn’t clear in the heading for the post, so John changed it.
There is no doubt in my mind that the dude that posed for this picture is 100% gay or at the very least bi.
I used to work with a gay (not that there’s anything wrong with it) guy. He was under the belief that all non-gay fashion was derived from gay culture. Once we were watching a guns n roses video and Axle Rose was wearing leather chaps.
My co-worker said, “He (axle) probably doesn’t even realize that those chaps came from gay culture. White breeders always steal from us.”
I said, “Oh really. I can think of two non-gay groups that wore chaps WAY before gays started wearing them.”
He said, “Yeah right, like who.”
I replied, “Cowboys and bikers.”
He shut up for a long time after that. Sometimes you can so into your own culture that you become blind to what’s outside of it. He certainly was.
Does this mean that plumbers have always been ahead of their time and now are cool and trendy?
Honestly though, I would think that most women would assume a guy dressed like that to be gay. Pure heterosexual men just aren’t that flamboyant with the exception of a modeling shoot. Heck, would another guy even dare to “pal” around with a guy who was dressed like that walking down the street? I know I wouldn’t and I wouldn’t consider myself homophobic as I can appreciate any good body and the work it takes to get one but gratuitous sexual flaunting by a male just smacks of an emotionally /attention needy girlish like attitude.
You guys don’t get it….it’s supposed to be a sexy look….with his pants so low that with one good step, something else will come to view. It’s no different than the zillions and zillions of photos of slutty girls with their breasts stuffed into one size too small shirts, bazzons bursting, nipples almost viewable…. (Like anyone really does that, “really” and those that do, aren’t taken seriously by anyone, and they’re usually insecure, pathetic wreaks of humans….ditto for the boys with their pants at half mast).
As for visuaL QUASI-porn…I say RUN MORE OF IT DVORAK!!! Especially the airbrushed to perfection, too good looking, impossibly muscled romance novel cover boys!!!
See more of what? Lice?