"Stocking cap" and "[hair-]do rag"' revisited

[Dennis R. Preston]

Wilson,

I am a bald do-rag wearer, and I assure you that it is efficient in
keeping sweat out of your face and eyes. No one has yet accused me of
making a fashion statement, although I leave it to my ADS buddies to
comment on my sartorial elegance.

dInIs



>A while ago, I noticed that the local variety store - or "drugstore," as it
>terms itself - had a shelf of _Murray's Hair Pomade_. Murray's is a hair
>dressing quite popular in the black neighborhoods of my youth. Seeing the
>tubs of Murray's reminded me of something else. In addition to the pomade,
>the company also sold an item that it called the "Murray's Hair-Pressing
>Cap." This item was a professionally-made stocking cap. It looked almost
>exactly like the tight-fitting caps worn by, e.g. black football players,
>except that it was available in only one color: black, like the "T-Model"
>Ford. [Hm! I haven't noticed it till now, but "T-Model" clearly has the same
>structure as "hoppergrass" and "peckerwood."]
>
>WRT to do-rags, I've noticed that black men with shaven heads are now
>wearing them as a fashion statement. It looks pretty lame to me. But what do
>I know? My fashion sense is two generations old. ;-)
>--
>-Wilson Gray


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15-C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036
Phone: (517) 353-4736
Fax: (517) 353-3755
preston at msu.edu