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Zoot Suit Riots

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Before the Zoot Suit Era emerged, in 1941, there were many Mexican’s that immigrated to California, Texas and Arizona but Los Angeles had the highest concentration of Mexican Americans. Whites and Mexican Americans soon enough separated into their own areas and with unfair employment between them, the tension between the two began to rise. The Los Angeles Times also helped in the tension, as they portrayed a negative messages about Mexican Americans and often times referred to them as “Pachucos” according to Wikipedia Article “Zoot Suit Riots”. Since the start of World War II, the nation decided to cut back on certain manufacturing products to help fund and support the war efforts, such as the 26% cut-back in fabrics, which in result, forbade the manufacturing of the Zoot Suit, since they required excessive fabrics. Servicemen, Military Personnel and White American’s saw the fashion of the Zoot Suiters as “unpatriotic” and “extravagant” and traditional Mexican families feared their children would …show more content…
Women’s fashion played a big role in the Zoot Suit Era. Mexican American women traded in the traditional look for heavy cosmetics and beauty advice. Cosmetics for women was promoted during the war times to maintain femininity while doing man’s work but in a delicate and discrete way. The Women Zoot Suiters didn't want to carry this look, so they adopted the heavy makeup and dark red lipstick, as they also rejected their traditional bun hairstyles and traded in for updos which created a flashy style, as Mexican American women also wore large earrings and rolled their skirts up above the knee. Mexican parents feared that their children would adopt the American values and identity and abandon their own traditional values, which was thought to bring disgrace on their

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