As a freckled person, I can testify to the accuracy of **Scylla’**s encyclopedic grasp of the subtle interplay between complexion and clothing. I am told I “clean up” fairly well, if given careful guidance, but still, wearing a suit I tend to look like a superannuated Opie playing dress up, my fashion sense is limited to buying socks by the bag at K-Mart.
In a lesser man, I might suspect that he had committed a minor racial faux pas, accidentally revealing a trivial, but real, racial perspective, and was unwilling to own up to it, and attempted to skate away under cover of an elaborate rationalization.
In a lesser man, that is. But** Scylla **has demonstrated oh! so many times!..a vast and encompassing universe of expertise most of us cannot even dream of, much less claim! I wouldn’t even ask for a citation about black people wearing green, I haven’t the slightest doubt it is based on an authoritative source, which he simply has at his fingertips, as is so often the case with a polymath.
We lesser minds should simply tug our forelocks in respect, and take notes.
I do believe Scylla thinks his comments about how many ways a black guy can look like a threatening, sinister servant are not made in any kind of racial bias. I do believe he does not personally harbor any conscious racism. I think he’s provided us with an excellent example of how sneaky these deeply-programmed biases can be. This has been demonstrated over and over in scientific studies, yet most people will hotly deny they’re not “colorblind” in every way. Humans are very good at rationalizing – so good we often persuade ourselves. This is why the problem of racism is so much more complex than it’s usually handled here, which is basically that only somebody who openly admits to being racist can be called racist. It’s not about what you feel towards other races or consciously think of them – it’s about the feedback loop of associations and assumptions still cluttering up the cultural landscape because it just hasn’t been very long since we decided black people were human beings too.
You know, on further reflection, would it really be that bad to have a guy in the White House who puts people in mind of Darth Vader? I mean, apart from anything else, the *Imperial March *is way cooler than Hail to the Chief.
Anyway, the real question is: what color would Darth Obama’s lightsaber be?
Not on my part. However, if you put a very Italian looking man into a shiny doublebreasted silk suit and slick back his hair you’re creating a look with cultural connotations. Those are an additional factor to consider beyond simply what matches and what doesn’t.
Those connotations exist for black men, too. My opinion is that if one does not wish to cultivate those connotations, one shouldn’t dress in such a way that does.
Well thank you so much. :rolleyes:
That’s nice, but you’re making my point for me. These connotations exist. Part of dressing up is presenting the image you want to present. A smart dresser is going to choose colors and styles that look good on his body type, complexion, hair, etc. From a cultural standpoint he will select elements that go with the image that he is trying to cultivate and eliminate, avoid, or deemphasize those that do not not.
A black man in more formal wear is going to want to avoid connotations that make him look like a waiter or servant, and those that make him look like a gangsta. Bill Clinton wants to avoid looking like a televangelist. Dubya wants to avoid looking like a cracker.
He looks good. He dresses well. Because of his race, his complexion, and his angular body he has a tendency to look overly formal, but he does a good job of mitigating this with his smile. When he’s supposed to look serious he usually deformalizes his appearance a step or two by removing his jacket or rolling up his sleeves, which works for him.
He looks less good in a black or navy suit (though he can pull them off with a grey tie.) He looks downright bad in a light grey or brown suit, but a dark grey or charcoal suit is his best look. He often wears bright white shirts which are not the best choice for him both because of his complexion (makes him look grey) and because he’s very lean. They tend to billow out of his pants.
Had you read my post intelligently you wouldn’t think I was directing this specifically at Obama, for whom it’s less of an issue, but rather at black men in general for whom, if they darker skin it may be more of an issue.
In terms of the stereotypes to avoid, Obama does not have the sinister issue, or the Gangster issue, but he does have the waiter issue. The easy choices for avoiding this clash with his complexion, but he does well by projecting commanding informality both in his demeanor and dress.
I don’t think catering to remnants of bigoted thinking is the best way to obliterate them.
And you know what, even if that weren’t true, has the man not paid his fucking dues? How much further away from the image of a fucking waiter does he have to be before he can wear the same suit a white man can without connotations of servitude?
::Shrug:: Part of it is his youth and build. Give him 25 pounds and some grey hair and it’s not an issue.
Dealing with these things is part of the game. Most every body type/complexion has positive and negative connotations that can be emphasized or deemphasized by how you dress.
Style is all about doing it successfully. Ultimately Obama does.
Who, by the way, happened to be at the Inauguration! He had sucky seats though, stuck back behind Jessica Alba even.
You know, Scylla and I don’t agree on much. Next to nothing, probably, but I read his post and thought, yeah, I can see that, and that, and yeah, that too. I can’t even begin to imagine how dorky a white man would look in a green suit, but in my mind’s eye I could a picture a black man pulling it off with a lot of style. I have nothing against white bald men, many are quite sexy and it’s all better than toupees or combovers, but I personally would have to agree that the black bald men I’ve seen are pretty good looking that way and have an edge for some reason. And so on. I didn’t read anything overtly racist in his post, or his posts about how Obama looks. I don’t think I’m a racist, and I think Scylla’s being given a harder time than he deserves.
I’m bald. You should trust me on this. With a white pasty shiny head, every bit of scalp oil, every imperfection and vein shows up in broad relief. The little bits of stubble on the side look like shit if I haven’t shaved the side in the last half hour. If I go out in the sunlight and turn my head, I can reflect light back at you and blind you. Under artificial lighting my head looks like a fish that was dragged up from the bottom of the sea.
During the summer when it’s tannish, it’s less of an issue.
If I was black, stubble and imperfections wouldn’t show, scalp oil wouldn’t make it so shiny, etc etc.
Obligatory “I can’t stand Bush” and “Obama is a swell guy” disclaimer right up front but…
I think Dubya looked pretty good in a suit. On Obama many suits hang rather oddly on his slim frame. BUT, I think Obama actually looks better–almost dressier even–when he goes sans tie and has either a sports-coat or no jacket at all. THEN he looks far better than Bushie ever did.
