Here’s the full text of the article he talked about
A Black Man Wore Different Kinds Of Clothing To See If People Treated Him Differently
A Black Man Wore Different Kinds Of Clothing To See If People Treated Him Differently
Many black men dress up to avoid being seen negatively. Every day, we are
dressing for survival.
by Pedro Fequiere
BuzzFeed Junior Staff Writer
What's up, y'all? I'm Pedro. I'm 24 years old, and like most black men my age I have to be extremely careful with what I choose to wear.
Every day, we are essentially
dressing for survival.
Throughout my life, I've experienced a collection of microaggressions — from employees following me in stores to women gripping their purses at the sight of me. At 13 years old, I was detained by the cops on suspicion of something I didn't do. Just the other day, a woman grabbed her child and hurried into a store to get away from me when I was walking around the block. I don't want to be another statistic and have my appearance be the blame for it. But I won't conform and change my appearance just to make people feel more comfortable around me. I dress myself exclusively to fit my mood, which is often "laid-back/something I can skate in" chic, or whatever. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'm curious to see how much of an effect my wardrobe choices have on my life as a young black man in Los Angeles.
So to find out, I decided to dress up for a week and then dress down for a week to see how people treated me.
Pedro Fequiere for BuzzFeed
1. I must perform the same activities in both weeks.
2. While dressing up, I must have my shirt tucked in and wear a tie and/or blazer.
3. While dressed down, all outfits must be something I can comfortably sleep in.
4. I will not expose my tattoos in either weeks.
5. I will not change my typical behaviors or act differently than I normally would.
Tyler Dunlavy for BuzzFeed
Thoughts while dressing up: I felt pretentious, uncomfortable, and embarrassed, especially because of the blazer. A certain Kanye West line came to mind when he says, "So I don't listen to the suits behind the desk no more / You n****s wear suits 'cause you can't dress no more" on "Last Call." I softened my walk to mute the piercing click-clack of my shoes, my belt had to be constantly adjusted, and on top of it, these pants were giving me a slight wedgie.
Experiences: The woman who worked at 7-Eleven greeted me with a smile and instantly asked, "What is THIS for? Meeting or interview?" "It's for work," I said, as I grabbed my change for the bus. She raised her eyebrows and subtly nodded her head. This was within the first 10 minutes of my day, and I thought to myself, Damn, this is going to be an eventful two weeks. My bus pass had insufficient funds, but before I could use the change I got at 7-Eleven, the driver told me it was OK. That was pretty tight. I got to save my change.
For lunch, I headed to BLD, a kind of upscale-ish lunch spot. The service was cool — the server seated me at the front of the restaurant and I received my order ahead of two gentlemen who were there before me. I walked over to Chase Bank and the security guard not only opened the door for me but also gave me a heads-up about signing a waitlist to be assisted by a teller. On my way out after I asked him where the ATM was he chased me down to inform me about the available parking, assuming that I drove, but I had walked.
Tyler Dunlavy for BuzzFeed
Thoughts while dressing down: I felt much more comfortable in my hoodie and sweats. I didn’t have to worry about the click-clack of the dress shoes or if my belt was in its proper place. An anti-suit ’04 Kanye West would be proud.
Experiences: I saw the same woman at 7-Eleven and she only asked me if I wanted a receipt. My bus pass, again, had insufficient funds, and the driver didn't move the bus until I put a quarter in and began to pay the fare. It was then she told me I was OK to go. So I still got to save my change, but it was slightly different this time.
I went to BLD for lunch again, and was greeted by the same server. This time he looked toward the back of the restaurant for a place to seat me. He ended up seating me in the front, coincidentally by the cash register. I received my food fairly fast and he asked me if I needed hot sauce, paused, then added salt and pepper. I caught him looking at me in his peripheral during my meal. At Chase, the same security guard only greeted me with a head nod. Nobody assisted me as I walked in, and after sitting there for several minutes, I remembered to sign the waitlist. The teller who helped me last week was walking a client out and after passing me a couple times, he finally approached me.
Tyler Dunlavy for BuzzFeed
Thoughts while dressing up: I was much more confident in what I was wearing. I was relieved without the blazer because I felt like I was giving off Secret Service or press conference vibes, and without it I was just some corporate dude doing adult stuff. That comfort was shattered as soon as the click-clack of my shoes announced my arrival. I prefer to be seen and not heard. Although now I have a newfound respect for galloping horses.
Experiences: I went to the gym, punched in my phone number, signed in with my thumbprint, and was greeted with a "Have a great workout, Pedro." At CVS, the cashier said, "How are you doing, boss?" and I got a "good evening" from the greeter at The Last Bookstore downtown. As my man Ice Cube would say, "
Today was a good day."
Tyler Dunlavy for BuzzFeed
Thoughts while dressing down: I made sure I wore this outfit the day I drove to work because of the red flannel. I'm conscious of where I'm going and the colors I wear, because I can be mistaken for a gang member. My legs were cold and my slippers' lack of traction made me self-conscious.
Experiences: I wasn't treated any differently at the gym, but people aren't usually in their Sunday best anyway. The cashier at CVS was looking at me in the corner of his eyes but didn't say anything. I crossed the street, and a man in a shirt and tie rolled his windows down and turned his music up. He was playing Future and made sure that it caught my attention. Even though I've had Dirty Sprite 2 on constant rotation, it weirded me out having this man actively seek my attention with it. At the bookstore, I got standard hellos and goodbyes from the employees.