The evolution of fashion through the ages has been gradual, bringing significant and notable changes in some areas, such as those related to clothing, jewelry, makeup and hairstyles, which characterize certain strata or social groups. who find in the so-called looks the way to identify themselves and stand out from the crowd.
This evolution has marked specific times and decades, such as the sixties when the miniskirt was imposed, or the eighties when wide jackets and/or dresses with the remembered shoulder pads were worn, and women used to curl their hair to show it tousled.
This is how groups generally of young people have emerged, who have imposed characteristic styles of dress that have distinguished them, which not only implies the way they dress or show themselves, but also involves their lifestyle, their customs and preferences, ways of speaking, move and behave.
These groups live mostly in urban areas and are visible in public places, standing out from the crowd for their clothing, accessories and hairstyles; They are young people who seek novelty and difference, rejecting the conventional, in order to reaffirm themselves with the approval and company of their peers, of those who share their style, even creating their own languages and typical modes of expression adapted to their needs, which in some cases they find great acceptance and in others they tend to provoke rejection from part of society.
Within these groups are, for example, reggaeton, geeks, hiphoppas, dreadlocks, punks, rudeboys, emos, hipsters, Colombians, metalheads, neo-fascists, anti-fascists, darks, goths, tribal people, cholos, rockers, rockabileros, skinheads, among many. others, with a large number of variants and/or hybridizations according to the socio-cultural context of the country or region where they live.
In this context, some of these groups of young people tend to show a marked rejection of the customs, styles and behaviors of the preceding generations, which generally also reject their lifestyles, and do not accept the new values that they bring with them. However, in some cases there is a process of understanding and acceptance, or styles end up merging, as can be seen in music, or the resurgence of past trends that are updated and adapted by the new bearers, until they become part of them. themselves.
But the existence of these youth movements or groups has an effect that goes far beyond the inevitable generation gap, because these young people seek their own exclusive identity, as well as establish a sense of belonging that sets the guidelines through the musical affinities, lifestyles, ways of dressing, ways of speaking and behaving, to make striking differences not only with previous generations but also with other contemporary groups.
According to the French sociologist Michel Maffesoli, these groups are colloquially known as urban tribes, a term that he used to identify them and that has had a wide expansion globally, also ensuring that the end of the modern era has arrived, to give way to a process where the human being will radically change his lifestyle, where social networks play a determining role.
Now, within the aforementioned groups, reggaetoneros have imposed a style that has spread throughout the world, despite the fact that it also has many detractors, who do not support their music, much less their clothing and ways of speaking. Reggaeton, Like many other urban tribes, it marked its beginnings as a trend in the musical field, coming from reggae and with influences from hip hop, it is a style that could well be defined as a mix between these two trends.
Therefore, reggaetoneros are represented by lovers of this musical genre, which musical specialists link not only with hip hop, but also affirm that it is nothing more than a fusion of reggae, rap and various Caribbean rhythms and had Puerto Rico as its commercial epicenter, framed in a symbology that includes basic lyrics that do not expose great feelings or ideas, with explicit sexual allusions, even many are limited to a few expressions repeated ad nauseam, finding the main attraction in catchy dance rhythms, although there are exceptions through cheesier styles than they invite romance and feeling.
However, it is also said that reggaeton emerged in Panama from reggae in Spanish with masters of the so-called «flow» such as El General, who knew how to combine the movement of the body through catchy songs with simple lyrics such as «You boom boom”which was imposed in many countries, giving him fame and causing his characteristic style to be quickly imitated by millions of young people, who wanted to wear the classic military jackets that were influenced by the eighties pop style of the moment.
Later, when the music of “El General” expanded to Puerto Rico, the real reggaetonera explosion took place, producing less sophisticated and more urban changes in terms of clothing and accessories used to combine
In Puerto Rico the reggaeton it was cooked up in an underground scene fueled by rhyming battles commanded by talent scouts better known as Dj Negro and Dj Playero. The evidence of these encounters shows a good handful of young Puerto Ricans highly influenced by the New York hip-hop scene, dressed in the typical baggy t-shirts and drained rapper pants, Basques with scarves and simple chains, very much in the Big Boy style.
It was only when the new millennium arrived with the spread of the reggaeton virus at an international level for blingbling to establish itself with all its power to sophisticate the image of the representatives of the scene. Thus we saw Ivy Queen and the girls from the Factoría reborn, replicating the feminine fashion of the new decade with platinum shadows, metallic clothing and streaks of color in their hair.
We also saw Hector the Bambino singing school love with a “good boy” look, with a well-pressed zebra shirt and pants, classic “Transition” type glasses accompanied by the share of bad boys of that collaboration: Don Omar with his iconic braids and Tito with his New York rapper look.
he worldwide explosion of DaddyYankee fueled by his Gasoline and his Fine neighborhood in 2004, he consolidated the image of the quintessential reggaeton player. bomber jackets over hooded jackets; flat brim caps preferably with the New York Yankees logo; squeaky glitter accessories; gold and diamond on ears, neck and wrist; basketball tennis; tattoos up to the neck and almost always surrounded by half-naked women.
Today the PrettyBoy of reggaeton, better known as Malumahas had the luxury of conquering the scene with his impeccable image and his “dandyboy” looks, very close to the style of pitbull. The paisa walks with great poise and elegance thanks to suits that make him look irresistible either with his formal looks or in his fresher and more relaxed «dirtyboy» version.
If we refer to the clothing of the reggaetoneros, we must point out that this is similar to that of the classic hiphoppa who wears extravagant and wide clothes, but they are less loose, even in some cases it is quite tight, especially when they wear sports pants and / or t-shirts. In addition, they usually wear short hair almost cropped, with skull designs that simulate different shapes and plucked eyebrows, ready to dance the famous reggaeton to the rhythm of the typical «perreo» that distinguishes this musical style.
For this reason, reggaeton combines music and clothing to create a lifestyle, and through the famous «perreo» they perform a simulation of the sexual act in which the woman takes the initiative with very suggestive movements, which has been the cause of drastic criticism from the most conventional, who see in this dance an anti-value that has generated changes in the behavior of young people, which in many cases go beyond inappropriate behavior, bringing negative consequences in the family and/or Social.
Despite the rejection of some sectors of society, the great influence it has achieved in the music and nightlife industry cannot be denied, which has had a direct impact on both male and female fashion, creating a great movement that includes jewelry and all kinds of of accessories such as glasses, shoes, scarves, haircuts, which marketing knows how to take advantage of enormously to impose trends that bring with them millionaire profits not only to famous artists who impose their style, but also to companies that manufacture a large number of garments and objects intended for to satisfy the broad market of reggaeton lovers.