What is a Zoot Suit
During the mid 1930’s and 1940’s a colorful style of suiting that became very popular were the Zoot suit. Since its origination it was very much popular among the lower class of Americans, the examples of the minority groups with which it was associated was the Chicanos and the Africans and the Americans. The Zoot suits had also become very popular among the people of the youth culture and also among the people of the jazz music.
Hence it has become very obvious for people to think about jazz music and the swing culture when they hear about Zoot suits. The Zoot suit is an oversized suit with wide legs pants which are gathered at the ankles or the tramas. The Zoot suit consists of a long jacket which consists of huge shoulder pads which are called as carlango. Another distinguishing feature of the Zoot suit is the excess amount of fabric which is used to make the Zoot suit; this feature constitutes the style a sign of ostentation.
The Zoot suit typically caters to the need of the formal occasions and the Zoot suit is often accessorized with a long watch across the pants, pointed shoes and very interestingly a large felt hat with feather.
The Zoot suit was first originated in the African American jazz culture in Harlem, New York, and this soon became very popular and hence it was adopted by the minority communities in the different American cities like the Los Angeles. The term Zoot was derived from a Mexican American slang pronunciation of suit. There are some female versions of the Zoot suit present but they are rarely seen these days.These suits consist of knee length skirts instead of the trousers. The style of wearing Zoot suit became restrictive after the suits became banned in the year 1942 as per the regulation of the federal war production board which deemed the suits wasteful of fabrics.
In 1943 finally the Zoot suit riots erupted wherein the style of Zoot suit was considered to be very destructive. There was a situation where the soldiers started beating the people who were dressed in the Zoot suit in the East Los Angeles, the heart of the Latino suit, they also started ripping of the suit and burning the clothes in the streets.
Inspite of the fact that the Zoot suitors’ suffered most of the violence, there were about hundreds of arrests. Nine of the people were arrested where in all were arrested and released without fine. In a sense Zoot suit riots enhanced the popularity of fashion as a symbol of cultural pride and a stand against racism
Hence it has become very obvious for people to think about jazz music and the swing culture when they hear about Zoot suits. The Zoot suit is an oversized suit with wide legs pants which are gathered at the ankles or the tramas. The Zoot suit consists of a long jacket which consists of huge shoulder pads which are called as carlango. Another distinguishing feature of the Zoot suit is the excess amount of fabric which is used to make the Zoot suit; this feature constitutes the style a sign of ostentation.
The Zoot suit typically caters to the need of the formal occasions and the Zoot suit is often accessorized with a long watch across the pants, pointed shoes and very interestingly a large felt hat with feather.
The Zoot suit was first originated in the African American jazz culture in Harlem, New York, and this soon became very popular and hence it was adopted by the minority communities in the different American cities like the Los Angeles. The term Zoot was derived from a Mexican American slang pronunciation of suit. There are some female versions of the Zoot suit present but they are rarely seen these days.These suits consist of knee length skirts instead of the trousers. The style of wearing Zoot suit became restrictive after the suits became banned in the year 1942 as per the regulation of the federal war production board which deemed the suits wasteful of fabrics.
In 1943 finally the Zoot suit riots erupted wherein the style of Zoot suit was considered to be very destructive. There was a situation where the soldiers started beating the people who were dressed in the Zoot suit in the East Los Angeles, the heart of the Latino suit, they also started ripping of the suit and burning the clothes in the streets.
Inspite of the fact that the Zoot suitors’ suffered most of the violence, there were about hundreds of arrests. Nine of the people were arrested where in all were arrested and released without fine. In a sense Zoot suit riots enhanced the popularity of fashion as a symbol of cultural pride and a stand against racism
By: Joe Thomas
Zoot Suit Info
The riots began in Los Angeles, amidst a period of rising tensions between American servicemen stationed in southern California and Los Angeles' Chicano community. Many of the tensions between the Chicano community and the sailors existed because the servicemen walked through a Chicano neighborhood on the way back to their barracks after nights of drinking. The discrimination against the Chicano minority community was compounded by robberies and fights during these drunken interactions. In July 1942, a group of Hispanic youth fought back against police who attempted to break up a street corner gambling game. In October 1942, over 600 Chicano youth were arrested, and dozens charged, in the killing of Jose Diaz in a supposed gang brawl at the Sleepy Lagoon reservoir. This led to a court trial whose convictions were later overturned. During the case, sensationalist press account inflamed hostility towards young Chicanos.
The following year, clashes between white servicemen and Hispanic youth increased. In May 1943, sailors claimed that "zoot suiters" stabbed a sailor, and they retaliated by beating young Hispanics leaving a local dance.[1] On May 31, 1943, a group of white sailors on leave clashed with a group of young Hispanics in the downtown area. One sailor, Joe Dacy Coleman, was badly injured. In response, 50 white sailors gathered and headed out to downtown and East Los Angeles, which was the center of the Hispanic community. They attacked young people, especially targeting males in "zoot suits." In many instances, the police intervened by arresting Hispanic youths for disturbing the peace. They left the sailors to the military justice system. The violence escalated over the ensuing days. Thousands of servicemen joined the attack. Many African Americans[2] assisted the Chicano community by providing vehicles and weapons to fight back against the Caucasian sailors. Several hundred pachucos (as the young Hispanic men were known) and nine sailors were arrested as a result of the fighting that occurred over the next few days.
An eyewitness to the attacks, journalist Carey McWilliams, described the scene as follows:
Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a mob of several thousand soldiers, sailors, and civilians, proceeded to beat up every zoot suiter they could find. Pushing its way into the important motion picture theaters, the mob ordered the management to turn on the house lights and then ran up and down the aisles dragging Mexicans out of their seats. Streetcars were halted while Mexicans, and some Filipinos and Negroes, were jerked off their seats, pushed into the streets and beaten with a sadistic frenzy[3]
The local press lauded the attacks by the servicemen, describing the assaults as having a "cleansing effect" that were ridding Los Angeles of "miscreants" and "hoodlums."[4] The violence only subsided when military authorities intervened on June 7. They declared that Los Angeles would be off-limits to all military personnel. Of the nine sailors that were arrested, eight were released with no charges and one had to pay a small fine.
A week later, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt characterized the riots, which the local press had largely attributed to criminal actions by the Mexican American community, as in fact being "race riots" rooted in long-term discrimination against Mexican-Americans. This led to an outraged response by the Los Angeles Times, which in an editorial the following day accused Mrs. Roosevelt of stirring "race discord."[5]
The following year, clashes between white servicemen and Hispanic youth increased. In May 1943, sailors claimed that "zoot suiters" stabbed a sailor, and they retaliated by beating young Hispanics leaving a local dance.[1] On May 31, 1943, a group of white sailors on leave clashed with a group of young Hispanics in the downtown area. One sailor, Joe Dacy Coleman, was badly injured. In response, 50 white sailors gathered and headed out to downtown and East Los Angeles, which was the center of the Hispanic community. They attacked young people, especially targeting males in "zoot suits." In many instances, the police intervened by arresting Hispanic youths for disturbing the peace. They left the sailors to the military justice system. The violence escalated over the ensuing days. Thousands of servicemen joined the attack. Many African Americans[2] assisted the Chicano community by providing vehicles and weapons to fight back against the Caucasian sailors. Several hundred pachucos (as the young Hispanic men were known) and nine sailors were arrested as a result of the fighting that occurred over the next few days.
An eyewitness to the attacks, journalist Carey McWilliams, described the scene as follows:
Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a mob of several thousand soldiers, sailors, and civilians, proceeded to beat up every zoot suiter they could find. Pushing its way into the important motion picture theaters, the mob ordered the management to turn on the house lights and then ran up and down the aisles dragging Mexicans out of their seats. Streetcars were halted while Mexicans, and some Filipinos and Negroes, were jerked off their seats, pushed into the streets and beaten with a sadistic frenzy[3]
The local press lauded the attacks by the servicemen, describing the assaults as having a "cleansing effect" that were ridding Los Angeles of "miscreants" and "hoodlums."[4] The violence only subsided when military authorities intervened on June 7. They declared that Los Angeles would be off-limits to all military personnel. Of the nine sailors that were arrested, eight were released with no charges and one had to pay a small fine.
A week later, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt characterized the riots, which the local press had largely attributed to criminal actions by the Mexican American community, as in fact being "race riots" rooted in long-term discrimination against Mexican-Americans. This led to an outraged response by the Los Angeles Times, which in an editorial the following day accused Mrs. Roosevelt of stirring "race discord."[5]
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