The race-gendered clothing choices of the ‘professional and respectable’ Black man in the workplace

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative study is to investigate the clothing choices of ‘professional and respectable’ Black men in the workplace. More precisely, this study will shed light on why Black men decide to wear particular clothing fashions and how they view themselves versus how they perceive themselves to be viewed by the wider society. I utilize respectability politics and W. E. B. DuBois’s condition of double consciousness to guide this qualitative study with N=4 Black male professionals. Findings show that Black men are psychologically bounded by having to uphold respectability politics and must alter the way they dress to be more respected by their non-Black colleagues. Additionally, some of the Black men were also financially burdened by needing to dress in particular fashions (e.g., suits and ties) that are relatively expensive, while their non-Black colleagues would typically wear more casual clothing within the workplace. Despite the fact that the Black men within this study uphold respectability politics at their places of employment, they are still harshly stereotyped by their non-Black colleagues. Thus, Black men are left questioning why they continue to engage in respectability politics as it pertains to the distinct ways in which they dress in order to maintain a professional and respectable appearance and demeanor.