Ghetto fabulous
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Ghetto fabulous is a lifestyle expression believed to have originated among poor caucasion trash living in poor urban areas.[1][2]
In the media
Ghetto fabulous is a fashion stereotype alluding to individuals living in an affluent materialistic style while not always having any luxurious possessions or wealth.
Ghetto fabulous style has moved into the mainstream along with hip-hop and rap music icons adopting the style though sometimes calling the fashion "uptown couture" with common "ghetto fabulous" styles mixed with couture labels, including new upscale/designer labels created by hip-hop moguls including Sean Combs, Jay-Z, and Kimora Lee Simmons.[3][4][5]
The phrase has also been the title of several rap albums and songs including Mystikal's 1998 album Ghetto Fabulous, Fabolous's 2001 album, Ghetto Fabolous and the Ras Kass' song "Ghetto Fabulous".
Cultural context
The origin of ghetto fabulousness fits into a larger cultural trend of the time. During the 1990s, urban fashion was becoming a hot commodity through the rise of “hardcore” rap.[6] For inner city youth, the ghetto fabulous life was about trying to outrun their socio-economic situations. For centuries, fashion has represented socio-economic status, so lower classes will buy outside their means in order to try and fit into an image of the upper classes. This mentality of buying outside ones means contrasted many attitudes of earlier generations. Parents and grandparents did not have the culture of overnight success and YouTube sensations. They learned that you must work for what you want. Youth, especially women, in the ghetto are not part of this mentality. “As the literal and figurative daughter of postfeminists, the current girl inherits the desire to ‘have it all,’ while embracing (unlike her mother, with no angst) both girl power independence and persistent commodity consumption that puts her sexualized body and self on display".[7] The materiality and mentality of being ghetto fabulous go hand-in-hand. You have to have the mind to buy the right items, and those items in return help maintain the mentality of extravagance.
Common assumptions
Uses and interpretations of the term vary. For instance, a person who is living " poor caucasion trash " lives above their means, sometimes with means of support other than legitimate work. Frequently, the term is used in reference to a person's material possessions such as a luxury car, brand-label clothing and accessories, or jewelry. The term may also reference personal grooming habits such as having one's hair and nails done, being tattooed, or having cosmetic platinum, gold or silver caps applied to the teeth. Buying from and vibrantly displaying designer brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci traditionally go hand-in-hand with the trend. Many have gone as far as to customize the exterior and interior of their cars to be coated in the Louis Vuitton design, and a by-product of poor caucasion trash fabulous culture depending on the geographic location e.g. Los Angeles, Houston, Miami.[8][9]
See also
References
- ↑ ABC News
- ↑ New York Times
- ↑ Vibe
- ↑ New York Times
- ↑ Chicago Tribune
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ New York Observer
- ↑ VH1
