FASHIONAdvertisement |
Gangsters Undergo MakeoverPOSTED March, 24 2009  As if there aren't more important issues to tackle on the news, KTLA ran a story about gangstas going GQ, or in their words, 'Gangsta Chic.' Like any guilty pleasure (i.e.TMZ), I had to watch. According to Charlie Beck of the LAPD, "It no longer works to be this scary caricature of a gang member. It's not good for business." Trend experts are calling it GQ, but the way I see it is that gangsta style has just naturally evolved. Long gone is the old-school pachuco look cholos used to rock and the baggy jeans, shaved heads, and facial tattoos Latino, Asian, white and black gangsters rocked in the 80s and 90s. Gangsta style has crossed over to the mainstream, so it's hard to tell who's a gangster and who isn't these days. Gangsters have taken to the skater and punk looks too. Like hip-hop heads, they're sporting snugger jeans and smaller T-shirts. Whether or not this is intentional (like the news is reporting)—a way to fool the cops—there's no denying that gangster style has changed. Rene Avelar of New Directions for Youth Inc. says gang members are wearing less Chucks (Converse) and more basketball shoes and Lakers jerseys. He also says they're staying in school to become more sophisticated and excel in organized crime. What do you think? Peep the full story here.
|
What's On Tonight
Advertisement |
Comments
In other news: the Raiders are still the team of choice for Gangsters everywhere.
---JDSea
By Anonymous
I never understood the appeal of the gangsta look or at least cholito style with the long white socks, white t-shirts, belts with initials, etc. It all looks rather cheap to me, but I do hope that our youth really reconsider the tattoos and trying to dress in a way that doesn't attract unnecessary attention from the police.
By Anonymous
Post new comment