I love New York’s new Mayor, Eric Adams, for two simple reasons. First, he is walking and talking the right things. He is saying what others whisper. Out loud, he says it is all about the dress and crime.
An article in the New York Times by fashion editor Vanessa Friedman caught my eye. The report was reprinted in The Chicago Tribune, Sunday, November 26. “Everything about you must say power.” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/style/eric-adams-style.html
Black men are judged by a different standard than their white counterparts. Dressing matters. Adams says, “When you play where the big boys and the big girls play, everything you do, people watch.” “People look at your presentation before they take you seriously.” Amen, brother, Amen.
Another excellent quote is, “You can raise your level of respect if you raise your pants.” He likes white shirts. He says I am the Mayor of the Capital of Fashion. I will represent the city well. He says your dress talks. He suggests, “The first indicator that your child is having problems is the dress code.” All of this may sound old school, even trivia to some. But it still very much rings true. Dress matters.
I hate that our kids are so casual with jeans, t-shirts, and pants hanging and caps backward and now sometimes worn in church. I went to church at the urgency of friends once, saying that it was a come as you are service. I wore jeans and felt so out of place and guilty. That Sunday evening haunted me.
Our Kids Need to Dress Up…
A shirt and tie are for school because it prepares you for the world of work. Well, maybe not a tie but indeed a shirt tucked into your slacks. I suggested this once to educators and mothers, and I was told it was not affordable. I asked how much did the kid’s gym shoes cost? And what about the phones? And what about the games? They are far more than the shirt, tie and dress slacks. Pull the pants up is a campaign for Adams, and he has signs placed on billboards and plans to lead by example.
Schools should adopt a dress code uniformly and universally for boys and girls. I have a friend, male, Black, a millionaire who refuses jeans and sweatsuits. He says his skin is too dark and fears being stopped by the police only to be misidentified. So his best casual is crisp khaki slacks with a sweater and loafers. I would call him chic.
I interviewed a Black doctor once. He worked at Northwestern and wore scrubs. When it was time to take the picture, I suggested a suit or a white doctor’s smock. He refused. He was a brain surgeon. He said,” I would only take the picture with my scrubs from head to toe.” “Why I asked.”
He said I drive from Northwestern to Highland Park every day. I am a brain surgeon. Do you think, if the police, casually dressed, stop me, and they asked for my id, do you think they believe me when I tell them I am a brain surgeon? I don’t know? He said scrubs with tags on could save my life. He pointed out, at the very least, I get the respect I deserve. I am not going to put my life in jeopardy wearing jeans. The police could hurt my hands. He was a very tall, muscular basketball-type guy.
He and I talked about the stereotypes that still exist with the look of the Black male. We photographed him in his scrubs. The story behind him being a neurosurgeon was wearing scrubs all of the time as he drove to work and back home.
I have been a behind the scene, publicist, and stylist for many on the stage. Once when I was with a “star.” I said you have to take the du-rag off your head, get some clothes that fit, and let your audience see you before they hear you. She resented the frankness. She became a dresser. I hate going to concerts to see the entertainers dressed in jeans on stage. I want you to at least dress for this expensive ticket I just bought. Tuxedos work.
I saw Mayor Adams on television after the primaries, and the questions were polite and typical for a winning politician. Adams dominated all talk shows with only one question, saying there was only one thing to conquer. He said, “it’s all about crime in the city.” He said I hope to change the crime. I hope to lead the nation with solutions. He points out he is a former policeman and knows the street as a black boy falsely accused of police status, and now I am the Mayor. He says he knows the ropes. But, he says, If I don’t solve the crime problem, nothing else matters.”
Well said, Mayor Adams. I want to meet Mayor Adams. So many cities could take his lead. He sounds like a serious politician ready for “now.”
