This document summarizes the evolution of Mexican-American fashion over decades from the 1940s to the 2010s. It describes the key styles that emerged during each decade, such as the zoot suits and pork pie hats of the 1940s, the Boulevard Queen look of the 1950s inspired by rockabilly music, the loose oversized clothing of the 1960s Chicano movement, the influence of hip hop and gang culture on the Chola look of the 1980s, and the tighter feminine styles that became popular for women in the 2000s and 2010s alongside a cultural shift toward body positivity. Video examples of some of these historical fashion styles are provided.

1. SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE
Submitted By:
Abhijeet- BD/19/3039
Abhishek Patil- BFT/19/N975
Aditya Raj – BFT/19/48
Arsheen Kaur- BFT/19/47
Nishant Kumar- BFT/19/84

2. INTRODUCTION
Mexican-American fashion combines native
and European elements. The fibers of choice
across the country are cotton, bark and as
well as wool and silk.
However, Mexican-American fashion has
seen a lot of changes all these years,
especially in 1940s-2000s
Let’s explore the evolution of fashion
through decades and the causes behind the
changes.

3. 1940s
• After World War II, where many
Mexican-Americans enlisted and
fought abroad, Mexican-American men
and women began to develop a style all
their own.
• The Pachuko look consisted of
flamboyant zoot suits, pork pie hats
and long watch chains.

4. 1950s
• In 1950s Mexican-
Americans were reveling in
Americana culture
• Rockabilly music and
fashion swept which
inspired the Boulevard
Queen look with its
signature curled horns and
polka-dot dresses.

5. 1960s
• The Chicano movement, which
cemented the Mexican-American
identity and gave it its own name,
grew out of the Civil Rights
Movements of the 1950s and
1960s.
• Chicano look had become
famous.This look consisted of lose
and oversized clothing especially
jackets, trousers dresses and
skirts and the influence can be
seen even in today’s fashion.
• Chicano is now a subculture. It
summarizes a cultural style and
identity of the people who are
dependents of the regions originally
belonging to Mexico which are now
Texas, Arizona, New Mexico,
Colorado, Utah and California.

6. 1980s • The Chola look of the
1980s was influenced heavily
by hip-hop, Pachuco fashion
and somewhat by gang
culture.
• It came largely out of the
resourcefulness of
impoverished Mexican-
American women who shared
clothes with their brothers
and bought workwear labels
at local supermarkets.
• Dark lip-liner, oversized
flannel shirts buttoned to
the top and hair AquaNetted
into the perfect bump all are
key components of the Chola
aesthetic.

7. 2000s
• Fashion in the 2000s moved away from
the minimalist approach, incorporating
the fusion of trends from several
different styles. By the early 2000s,
designers began incorporating more
color and pattern into their clothing,
using inspiration from vintage clothing
of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
• Women’s fashion took a more feminine
turn as women began wearing denim
miniskirts and jackets, halter tops,
belly shirts, low-rise jeans, and capri
pants. During the mid 2000s, the tunic
dress gained popularity among young
women and teenagers, often paired with
a thin belt at the waist.
• By 2007, ballet flats had become a
staple in women’s fashion, along with
sweater dresses and long button-down
shirts.

8. 2010s
• In this decade the “tight-fitting”
clothing came into trend. This is
exemplified by American rapper and pop
culture icon Jay-Z, who was vehemently
anti-skinny jean in 2009. Jay reversed
his opinion just a few years later, in
2012, reflecting a trend towards tight
cuts for men.
• Fashion of the 2010s coincided with a
cultural shift towards “body positivity”.
People identifying as women felt
confident enough to “challenge dominant
ideals of feminine beauty, including the
demands to adhere to body size norms.”
This resulted in tight-fitting clothes on
curvier body types.

9. Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoFpb24R-xU&feature=youtu.be