Essay On Zoot Suit

Words: 396
Pages: 2

Zoot Suits were very popular but also very controversial. It was one of the early signs of race and equality, but also unfair treatment to people of color. The zoot suit was one part of the jazz world that visually defied the norms of segregation. Furthermore, unwritten rules demanded that people of color remain unseen and unheard in public spaces, but the zoot suit, with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and ballooned pants, was loud and bold. For one, the people that wore these did not know the consequences that they would have and how people with zoot suits were dealt with.
Next, the most common allegation about the zoot suit was that young men who were not old enough at the end of the Second World War to go to war wore it to attract attention to themselves at a time when men in uniform got most of the attention of young women. It was also alleged that members of teenage gangs wore zoot suits which explains why the service men went after them. However, as the sumptuary laws of the middle ages showed, banning clothing styles is a waste of time. The Zoot Suit Riots were fights between zoot suiters and sailors and marines in Los Angeles, California. Sailors and marines were constantly beating up Mexican American
…show more content…
To say that zoot suits were the cite of all of this trouble says a lot to what race and skin color influenced how these civilians were unfairly treated most recently in are world today. Many people did not know the consequences that the zoot suits would hold and even though the servicemen were wrong the civilians and the rebels could have avoided this by stepping down. It was suppose to symbolize being free in clothing but many innocent people got beat to death and that was really wrong. This shows that even back then there was major racial equality and some seen it as a good thing when it was really seen as a big deal that no one spoke up