Museum of Resistance and Resilience Main MenuPraxis #1: Curation and Annotation (Group Project)details of Praxis #1 assignmentPraxis #1.1 War, Memory, And Identity: Beyond Victims and Voice Museum of Resistance and ResilienceProfessor Marjory Wentworth Honor's Class at College of CharlestonPraxis #2 Media Intervention, Multimedia Essay (Individual Project)Entry 2 in our Museum of Resistance and ResiliencePraxis #3 Manifesto of Future Resistance and ResilienceMedia Intervention/Media PostsFinal Course Reflection - A Letter to the FutureDue November 18Vicki Callahanf68c37bed83f129872c0216fae5c9d063d9e11baLisa Müller-Tredecc71af55f5122020f2b95396300e25feb73b6995
What Did These Suits Symbolize?
12020-09-23T00:21:27-07:00Annie Zheng06f73f1d4eed923be34aff2d2892e21670204942377843plain2020-09-23T23:06:24-07:00Annie Zheng06f73f1d4eed923be34aff2d2892e21670204942Although this is considered the first riot over fashion, it was not the actual garments that caused racial tensions, it was what they represented. These suits were a sign of disobedience, an open rejection of the moral codes created and upheld by affluent, middle-class, white Americans. The flamboyant style of the suit made it impossible for others not to notice, acting as a hyper-visible reminder to both society and the LAPD that despite efforts to suffocate Mexican pride, these youths continued to be committed to expressing their identity and occupying space meaningfully on their own terms; none of these suits had any cultural elements that would be considered Mexican, rather it was the act of demanding to be seen and refusing to conform that was viewed as “un-American”, as a threat (O’Shaughnessy, 2017). They protested every day through resistance, through clothing that symbolized a rejection of cultural behavioral norms, daring to be different, and persevering through the consequences. Despite efforts to stifle Latino and African American communities during this time, pachuco culture still thrives today and men continue to wear zoot suits to boldly celebrate their pride in paving their own identity and sexuality on their own terms (Great Big Story, 2018).
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1media/Zoot Suit Aftermath_thumb.jpg2020-09-23T00:13:15-07:00Annie Zheng06f73f1d4eed923be34aff2d2892e21670204942Teens in Zoot Suits5On the right, an image of a teenager in a zoot suit, circa 1943. On the left, a photograph of two zoot suit wearers post-riot, with their suits torn by rioters. SOURCE: Getty Images, 2015. Sourced from History.commedia/Zoot Suit Aftermath.jpgplain2020-09-23T15:14:48-07:00Annie Zheng06f73f1d4eed923be34aff2d2892e21670204942