“Why We Need the Black Dandy Now”
This week, I critiqued the glorification of Black dandyism during a time of White nationalist acceleration for Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
Some excerpts:
“…the Black Dandy’s style of dress was a social practice of sartorial discipline rather than unruliness. The emphasis on tailored fashion and refined style reflected a preoccupation with crafting a positive, pristine image of Blackness.”
“The trend of global fashion of the past three decades has been that of White brands using Black cultural aesthetics to re-make themselves and expand their global profit margins. This tradition of Black style has been a more pronounced contemporary cultural phenomenon than the Black appropriation of dandyism.”
“The Black Dandy is alluring at this particular moment in time because it represents how this resurgent conservatism can be managed. It insinuates that, if the presentation is correct, there can be a measure of self-determination within a regime of repression. Black dandyism is inspirational because it is not merely a photonegative of White dandyism. The Black Dandy signifies that the most regressive forms of traditionalism are no match for those who are insistent upon their right to be defiant in the name of dignity. But there is a difference between defiance performed through assimilation and defiance performed through departure. There is a difference between wanting a seat at the table and making a new table altogether. Black dandyism is unapologetically the former.”
“Dr. Miller argues that Black dandyism is both an aesthetic and political construct. Selecting the Black dandy as the cultural figure worthy of praise in this moment is, too, a deliberate aesthetic and political choice. Honoring the Black dandy’s decision to fashion itself in European influences and connections speaks to the kind of Black subject deemed most respectable in these uniquely chaotic times.”
Follow the link for the full essay - https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a64673856/black-dandy-now/
And, as always, thank you for reading A BLACK CRITIQUE!
ALL OF THIS. Thank you for writing this critique. While the Black dandy made European style their own, the aesthetics also reeked of respectability politics and assimilationist survivalism. The choice of the Black dandy by white institutions, which would have been more powerful statement if all the fashion designers, attendees, and models had been Black and the monies shared with Black design organizations, meant that we were just the spectacle of the event to avoid Hunger Games criticism and public protests. I hate how we as a people keep allowing ourselves to be used in this way.