Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Deejay Zumjay shows off his pants with pink graphics as well as his handkerchief.
PINK IS in and it has managed to work its way across gender lines. Every shade of pink ever imaginable, from those that are dusky to those that are baby-like in hue, is unapologetically, unabashedly in. Once considered the girliest of girly shades, the ultimate marker of femininity, pink is now attempting to be manly.
Or, at least, many men are wearing it.
For some, a man dressed in pink, especially a man dressed in matching pink shirt (with baby pink flowers no less), a pink belt and pink Timberlands is sufficient to inspire the shudders. For others, it is the hottest and latest fashion - and nothing but fashion counts.
The pink explosion is coupled with a tightening of men's clothing. Shirts and pants alike have developed a fondness for a man's frame and they seem to get tighter and tighter each day.
Like most fashion trends, the pink revolution was heralded by the entertainment industry. As the leading men in popular music, be it pop, R&B or reggae, appeared on various talk or awards shows wearing pink, the colour's fate as the new 'it' was cemented.
The arrival of tighter clothing also coincides with fashion's retro impulse, as pop fashions have taken on a 1970's flair and back then tighter-fitting clothing, for both men and women, were in. Indeed, the return to the 1970s can be seen clearly when one watches films such as Roll Bounce which, though based on the 1970s, coincides perfectly with contemporary trends, so that for the most part it does not even feel like a period piece.
CLOTHING SHRINKAGE
Despite the fashion-related impetus, the clothing shrinkage appears to be an anomaly, because a few years ago it would seem that tight clothing was the antithesis of the macho Jamaican man, at least, as was espoused by your average DJ. Then, wearing tight clothing, and coupling it with pink, would certainly have brought about questions of one's masculinity.
A slew of songs has declared exactly the kind of manhood that is acceptable in dancehall culture, at least, if you want to accept the description 'bad man'. The main mantra of that particular discourse has been that 'bad man nuh dress like girl' and though it was never explicitly said, one would also assume that it also meant that bad man nuh wear pink.
As the years passed, the descriptions had to change. The lines 'wi nuh bleach face/and wi nuh bore nose/and wi nuh wear drop curl' do not seem to apply anymore. Finally, it came down to what must have been a desperate attempt to redefine masculinity and the last bastion of 'badmanship' was to declare that 'bad man nuh bade wid im baby madda rag' (though it was not explained whether bathing with the rag of any other female would be acceptable and it was only the babymother's rag which would rob a man of his masculinity).
At a discussion on reggae
and Jamaican identity at the University of Technology last week, Donna Hope, a reggae academic, noted that there is a trend toward the feminising of men in contemporary dancehall. She used the profusion of pink, along with the tightening of pants (pointing out that some men now buy their pants in the women's section to ensure the right level of tightness), as a part of this.
Hope also referred to the fact that man have also been vying for "the video light" as they take over the dance floor and, in doing so, are taking over the feminine space. Hope's assessment points to the fact that a few years ago a man in a tight pants would have been automatically accused of homosexuality because, 'bad man nuh wear tight pants'.
While some remain of that view, the prevalence of tight pants for men and on men, suggests that tight fitting clothing is no longer considered generally deviant. As Hope noted, the clothing trend speaks to the belief of "fashion over style", quoting the late Bogle. The statement is by no means strange and it echoes Buju's words "style a style and style cyaa spwile".
Style has always taken precedence over all else in Jamaican popular culture and it has always seemed particularly true of dancehall culture, which is synonymous with the culture of the masses. As such, during the 1980s' turtle necks were quite popular in the middle of the day at the height of summer. It seemed that good sense had been
sacrificed on the altar of style. Good sense has again been sacrificed more recently with the number of boots, some thigh high, that have clung to women's legs. They may not be practical, but they look great.
Furthermore, there has never been anything ordinary about the ordinary dancehall patron and so dancehall fashion has for a long time tended toward the transgressive and the excessive. Not so long ago it was popular for men to comb their hair in styles usually worn by little girls. So hardened men, with no fear of their sexuality being questioned, were seen sporting their hair neatly plaited in two or three, held in place by huge 'bubbles'.
DJS ABOVE QUESTION
Yet, when one takes a closer look, the fashion has never been more questionable than on the DJs themselves, who can wear clothing that may have been deemed feminised because their hyper-macho stance rises them above question. And whether it is fantastically bleached hair or a sparkly scarf, it is all about making a show.
Indeed, dancehall fashion has always been the ultimate paradox, providing a space where one can dress to impress while being extra-naked. Sequins need not fear the sunlight and often the brighter the better. So men have now donned tight pants with the same ease that they pulled on the baggy pants of a decade earlier. The former just takes longer to get into.
It is a style, which though it seems to be in opposition to the hyper-heterosexuality of the Jamaican male, has found a comfortable fit. The rest us can merely sit back and wait for a DJ to pen the right lyrics so once again we may know that "bad man nuh?" Of course, as styles
continue to change, that blank is getting harder and harder to fill.
