The pride, distinction, and formal wear with personality that you saw at the Met Gala this year is a reminder and manifestation of how Black people take pride in their appearance.
That’s what Associate Professor at Worcester State University, Tanya Mears, opened with as she dived into dandyism and this year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. Mears interests and teachings include true crime involving Black people in New England during the 18th and 19th centuries, hip hop, feminism, and the politics of Black hair.
Being the hair lovers that we are, we couldn’t help but look at this year’s theme through the lens of hair. Black dandyism affects all aspects of your look. and Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity pretty much serves as a guide. The Met Gala theme was based on the book, which is a deep dive into the “cultural history of the black dandy, from his emergence in Enlightenment England to his contemporary incarnations in the cosmopolitan art worlds of London and New York.”
Dandyism and the Met Gala
As was to be expected with this year’s theme and “Tailored For You” dress code, many outfits at the 2025 Met Gala centered on menswear. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was full of attendees dressed in sharp, clean lines and, suited up, first and foremost.
Speaking to The New York Times, Miller said that the term dandyism is a practice that’s not just about clothing, dress, accessories.
“It’s often about the strategic use of those things in particular political moments, around particular cultural nodes,” she said.
Mears said that this is a subject she has dived into during her class. “I was talking to my students about the minstrel scene of the 1830’s and 1840’s, and on the one hand, you have the coon in the blackface minstrel that represents an enslaved person, and this person is wearing rags and they enjoy their enslavement,” she explained. “And, on the other hand you have the Jim Dandy. Jim Dandy represents free Black people, and in the mind of the minstrel scene, which is very warped, a very warped perception of what Black people are like, Black people are going to waste their money on hats and clothes. They’re not going to save their money.”
She adds that this is both problematic and it’s a complete misunderstanding of Black people. “It’s part of Black culture to take pride in your appearance.” But she explained that the term does have a negative connotation, it correlates taking pride in your appearance to bad habits, bad habits that have been associated with a stereotype imposed on Black people.
“Because of that term, Jim Dandy, I’m not really keen on making reference to Black dandyism,” she explained. “It’s rather that Black people are, and I’m just using any old random word, they’re snazzy dressers.”
Mears said this was a big deal because it was the second time the Met concentrated exclusively on menswear. The first time was in 2003 with the exhibition “Men in Skirts,” and she thinks the theme they picked was also clever. “The theme is the Black dandy, but the dress code is not racialized, and I think that’s very wise because people’s lack, or I should say, White people’s lack of knowing where the boundaries are in terms of cultural appropriation could turn that into a disaster.”
But, she explained, all dandyism is, it’s “superfine tailored clothes, very snazzy.”
So, think the same, for hair. During this year’s Met Gala you saw Cardi B’s asymmetrical afro, Megan Thee Stallion’s structural ponytail, Ayo Edebiri’s kiss curls and braids, Bad Bunny’s Prada’s pava, Charlie XCX’s cascading half updo—all structural, interesting, hairstyles that spanned from different eras to different meanings of “snazzy.”
Making a reference to Big Daddy Kane from the ‘90s, Mears said, “He was a rapper that used to keep a barber with him, to get his haircut everyday. What Big Daddy Kane was emphasizing was looking sharp. He kept a barber on staff because he wanted to keep his high top fade looking sharp to look its best.”
“Hair, clothes, accessories, everything goes into it. You can’t be superfine and not have a fresh cut!” Mears explained. “They’re emphasizing the clothes because it’s the Met, but just like any fashion, it’s the make up, the hairstyles; it’s the total package.”
