The Borrowers: 9 Hood Trends That Went 'Chic' After Cultural Appropriation
No one should take fashion trends too seriously. It's understood that sartorial crazes tend to come and go as quickly as traffic lights change, but things get interesting when a shiny new phenomenon strikes a culturally familiar chord.
In the past few years, we've watched as daily attire aligned more with house wear while the 'hood ran Fashion Week runways. Rihanna's bobby pins and doobie wrap never caught on like we expected (and for that, we are grateful), but other beloved trends unfortunately crossed over to the other side.
Note: this isn't a swagger-bashing listicle. We're simply acknowledging the communities that sported them long before they were in anyone's lookbook.
From glimmering grills and Timberland boots to overflowing assets and full lips, peep a handful of the hood habits the mainstream fashion world swiped and turned "chic." —Stacy-Ann Ellis (@)
Photo Credit: Jennifer Li
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Baby Hairs
Let's start at the very top. We're sure the whole world wasn't hip to the process of slicking down those wispy edge hairs with gel and a toothbrush to accomplish Chilli's coveted look. Nowadays, baby hairs and zig zag parts are as couture as hairstyles come, as evidenced by the Spring 2015 fashion week shows for DKNY and The Blonds. Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Du-Rags
We never thought that du-rags in all their forehead creasing glory would wind up as some sort of public fashion accessory. Traditionally used to secure the freshly brushed waves of men of color, du-rags were sold plentifully and cheaply in corner and beauty supply stores. Last year, the popular women's web boutique Nasty Gal was also selling black "Nightwalker Vegan Leather" versions of them at just $50 a pop. Huh?? What is vegan leather anyway? The item, which was swiftly removed from digital shelves, inspired a hilarious social media retaliation in the form of #DuragHistoryWeek. Never forget. Photo Credit: YouTube, Nasty Gal
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Grills
From the geisha obsession in 2013 to last year's urban Egyptian paradise in "Dark Horse," Katy Perry has long been under fire for cultural swagger jacking ("I guess I'll just stick to baseball and hot dogs, and that's it"). But to be honest, when she debuted her gaudy grillz in the desert, she was hardly the first outsider to borrow the hip-hop trend. Taking a page out of Nelly's book circa 2005, stars from the Kardashian clan to Miley Cyrus and Madonna have been sporting bejewelled chompers as of late.Photo Credit: YouTube
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Big Butts
Having reached "peak ass" is an almost accurate way to describe 2014, as the masses held a magnifying glass over our biggest stars' backsides. Vogue, the gatekeeper of the fashion world, discovered this year that "the big booty has officially become ubiquitous." In the piece, the writer explains that unlike the past, our icons showing and shaking ass is no longer something to be embarrassed or looked down upon. She even praises Blac Chyna, Kim Kardashian, Jen Selter, Shakira and even Miley Cyrus (!) for their bootyful come-ups this year. Yawn. Let's make one thing clear, big butts have BEEN in. From a "Bootylicious" Bey to J.Lo's "Baby Got Back"-inspiring curves, plump posteriors have always been one of one of our culture's most prized possessions. Photo Credit: Instagram
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Cornrows
Here's another example of a hairstyle some communities didn't expect to read in the same sentence with couture. Since when were cornrows—or cane rows, depending on where you're from—a "hot new trend"? The L.A. Times published a trend piece last September, praising the "comeback of cornrows" in fashion, citing images of Cara Delevingne, Rita Ora and Kristen Stewart, at that. They even pushed their luck by quoting hairstylist Jon Reyman saying, "Cornrows are moving away from urban, hip-hop to more chic and edgy." *Tires screeching* Now, it's true that braids have always been present in style via French braids, milkmaid braids and pigtails. But for a time, cornrows in particular were simply a go-to for casual streetwear looks in urban communities. Or tourists visiting the Bahamas with a thing for beaded braids. At least if you're going to shout out the hairdo, be respectful of its origins and include men and women who are culturally familiar with the deeply rooted style. No pun intended. Photo Credit: Instagram
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Timberland Boots
When Elle magazine erroneously proclaimed Timberland boots as "the new Birkenstocks," the side eyes and eyerolls happening around Black Twitter were simultaneous. In one season, essential winter wear for cities where the word "brick" described the weather was reduced to the equivalent of in-trend Jesus sandals. Whet? Never mind that hip-hop's finest have stomped around streets and stages in those heavy boots for years (Who remembers Cam'ron's pink Timbs?). The backlash for the bold declaration was so loud that Chaédria LaBouvier had to swoop in for the save. She schooled Elle's audience with a think piece on appropriation and the true gritty glam of the urban streetwear staple. Photo Credit: Getty Images, Instagram
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Full Lips
Like it or not, Kylie Jenner has become the poster child for not-so-inherited full lips. Her plump peckers have been the center of attention since early 2014, when the masses started trying to figure out if her originally thin lips blossomed in a makeup chair or a surgeon's office. While Kris Jenner's youngest gets poked at under the social microscope—you know, in addition to the whole Tyga thing—she's just one of many celebs who glorify the fuller pouts that women of various ethnic cultures possess. Photo Credit: Instagram
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Doorknocker Earrings
Raise your hands if you can recall the time in your adolescence when doorknocker earrings were it. They were right up there on the must-have accessory list alongside bejeweled name belts and gaudy gold nameplate earrings, necklaces and rings. We never thought we'd see bamboo jewelry with such a hefty price tag. Now, the traditionally $10 and under hood jewelry staple adds flair to the earlobes of folks who've probably never seen friends sport them in youth or could easily drop four figures on a pair of diamond studs. Photo Credit: YouTube, Instagram
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Chancletas
Flip flops, slippers, athletic sandals, chancletas or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods have never been a "fashion" item, per se. Nike sandals aren't the first thing to come to mind for sartorial purposes or a night out on the town. It's a throw-and-go shoe, worn for a quick errand run or lazy day with socks. Enter Katy Perry, who selected them as her footwear of choice for The Daily Front Row's first annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards. Channeling Cam'ron's all-pink-everything steez, the "Roar" singer ditched heels and capped off her busy bubblegum ensemble with a pair of Jeremy Scott slides.Wore my slides to a FASHUN party tonight because @ITSJEREMYSCOTT pic.twitter.com/xAbP8q5KZn
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) January 23, 2015
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