Yesterday a friend shared this link featuring Congolese Sapeurs in a Guinness advertisement, and it is well worth your time.  Full disclosure, it is an ad, so this isn't objective reporting or anything of that nature. There is a not-so-hidden agenda other than just sharing information about the Sapeur culture.

To say I was captivated by the ad and following short documentary would be a gross understatement.  I watched both videos, then watched related videos, then searched for "sapeur congo" and other related terms just to read up on this subculture I had no idea existed a couple of days ago.  I'm really fascinated with so many aspects of the culture: the juxtaposition of the well-dressed men in poverty-stricken towns, the idea that clothes can uplift the spirit, the question of whether the suit makes the man or the man makes the suit.  

I know ultimately, the purpose of clothing is to protect the body from the elements, but in every culture around the world, they symbolize so much more.  Like it or not, you are first judged by other people are superficial.  This really got me thinking about how my choices in appearance represent me.  You better believe I put on some real jeans and a sweater today instead of staying in my men's flannel pajamas, even though I was just working at home.

As always happens when you scour the internet, I found some interesting viewpoints that clashed with my admiration for the Sapeurs.  Wasn't it terrible that these men were spending so much on clothes when they could be making investments, improving their homes, or saving to move to better villages or towns?  Why celebrate this seemingly hedonistic, materialistic culture springing up from the slums of the Congo?  Were these men just succumbing to another attempt of white oppressors trying to erase their national identity?  I suppose these are all valid questions to consider.

Personally, I think of it like this:  these men are living in a place that many people might consider poor, dirty, and lower class, yet they are making conscious efforts to define themselves instead of letting their surroundings, jobs, or the rest of society define them. They take care in their looks and how they present themselves to the rest of the world. They have a code of behavior they try to follow (I'm sure not everyone follows it faithfully or successfully, but what person does?).  I like them.  I'm fascinated by them!  I would love to see more American men in similar fashions.

What do you think about all of this?  Is there really so much symbolism behind fashion and what we choose to put on our bodies?  Tell me in the comments!

Want to learn more about the Sapeurs?  Check out the links below.  You can thank me later:

This article from NPR.org

Solange Knowles features Sapeurs in her music video "Losing You"

A photoessay by Hector Mediavilla, who took the picture above

A blog post from Advaced Style, a blog I like very much

BBC News asks: Just how real is the new Guinness ad?

This article from Portable (another great fashion site)