Many black men dress up to avoid being seen negatively. Every day, we are dressing for survival.
Charlotte Gomez For BuzzFeed
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.
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.
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.
Pedro Fequiere for BuzzFeed