Swag vs. Class (And the True Definition of Swagger)

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Good afternoon world! I know I been gone for a while, I sincerely apologize. I would promise to never do it again, but I’ve done that before and I never keep that promise. But I promise to try to do better. Enough with the contrition, let’s get into today’s topic…

Swag Is For Boys, Class Is For Men

The above picture is right. Swag is for boys, and class is for men. A lot of people don’t realize this, but there’s a difference between being classy and having “swag.” Most people believe that the difference between swag and class have to do with the way a man dresses. The truth is neither one of them are completely dependent upon a man’s age or his sense of style. You can instill a basic sense of style in a person of any age, you can teach a person how to coordinate their clothes and dress themselves properly. But class is something that a man naturally has, its something he’s born with, its not something that can be learned or copied. Swag is something that the legions of classless bastards and ignorant ass rappers came up with to sell records and perpetrate like they have something that they don’t. You can copy swag from another person. They are NOT, I repeat, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING!

I think Jay-Z is probably one of the classier people I can think of right now and definitely the classiest rapper in the game. There’s something about him that gives you a feeling that even if he wasn’t rich and famous, he would carry himself as if he was rich and famous. No matter what he’s wearing, he looks like he’s worth a million dollars. The outfit he has on in this picture could cost less than $300 (even though I highly doubt it) but you would never know. He carries himself in a way that separates and elevates him from those around him. He projects CLASS.

Conversely, SWAG is what these mentally and physically little boys try to pull off in the attempt to portray what a grown man naturally has. They bite off the style of another. They’re overwrought with labels and name brands because that’s what’s important to them. They dress themselves to impress the world around them instead of to make themselves feel good.

Before anybody says it, I’m not taking a shot at Lil’ Wayne as an artist. While I might not be the biggest fan of his, I think the dude is incredibly talented and I like his music. I’m purely using him as an example of what swag is. That’s not to say that Wayne isn’t a stylish individual, because he is. But his style aesthetic is on a different level. No matter what he’s wearing, he still looks like the average nigga from the hood. He could spend thousands of dollars on what he’s wearing (and he probably does), but he would still look like the average nigga from the hood. That might be the look he’s going for, but that’s not what class is.

Now, Kanye West is the one person that I can think of that walks on both sides of this line. The guy is my style icon. There are times, like in this picture, that he just exudes class. Then there are other times that he looks like he turned his swag up to “one hundred thousand trillion” and he almost looks tacky. The leather skirt he wore on the Watch the Throne tour comes to mind. Those are the times when I wonder why Kanye West is my style icon.

I also think a lot of people are confusing SWAGGER for SWAG. They’re 2 completely different things. I’m a grown man and, no matter what I’m wearing, I carry myself accordingly. I exude confidence, class, charisma and intellect at all times. I have a style aesthetic that enhances and accentuates what I think are my best qualities. That’s the SWAGGER of a grown man. Swagger and class go hand in hand, one complements and enhances the other.

All of this not to say that a young boy that’s “dripping with swag” can’t become a man that’s “covered in class.” When/if it happens for us, it happens at different times. But its also something that has to be nurtured. I was blessed to have a classy man as a father that pushed me in the direction to develop into a gentleman with class. But before somebody can guide you down the right path, you have to choose it. Or it has to choose you. Same difference…

I’ll close by reiterating that its not what you’re wearing, but how you wear it. I can dress down in shirt and some jeans and look better than one of these young dummies would in a suit. Its all in how you carry yourself. Remember, its not the clothes that make the man, but the man that makes the clothes…

DISCLAMIER: This was written from the point of view of a man, because that’s what I am. I am in no way saying that women can’t have class. I know quite a few women that have class, but I can’t speak on what defines class for a woman because I’m not a woman. That’s all I got for today. So until next time, peace and love…

27 thoughts on “Swag vs. Class (And the True Definition of Swagger)”

  1. Pingback: How to be more Classy « The Black Hole Of The Internet

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  5. you know, personally I think Lil Wayne looks like a complete idiot. I myself do wear high tops, graphic tees and sometimes a fitted or snapback hats, BUT I don’t walk around telling people to look at my swag. As soon as you proclaim you have “swag” or your shirt says the word “swag”, you have no swag at all. I myself don’t think I have swag because that seems too high schoolish, (not that I would think I had swag back in High School days) but I just dress to be ME. Lil Wayne dresses to be a little girl heh As for Class Vs Swag, I consider myself to have class even when I’m wearing all the hightops and fitted clothing because for one reason, I don’t show my damn boxers and have my ass sticking out of my jeans. Fun Fact: The style of having your ass sticking out of your pants came from Jail where people who wanted to be “taken” from behind would pull down their pants to tell the other inmates. That’s a fact I stayed away from when this new style came out.

    Anyways, great stuff good sir. I’ll follow you!

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    • First off, sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve had a really crazy couple of months. Just like you, I’m good for wearing graphic tees and high tops. I’m not a big fan of snapbacks, though. I used to wear them when I was a kid and I hated them, so I refuse to wear them as an adult. The point I was trying to get across with this was there is a huge difference between swag and class and that difference doesn’t really have anything to do with what you’re wearing, moreso with how you wear it and how you carry yourself. Anybody can put on clothes, not everybody can wear them. And even less people can wear them well…

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    • In all honesty, you can’t have swag and class. They’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. Its almost like saying white is the same thing as black. That’s completely wrong. And I am one of those people that says you can’t have swag and class. I think you can have “swag” and grow into having class, but that’s neither here nor there. In my opinion, swag is the immature baby brother of class. That’s not meant to be an insult to anybody that feels they have swag, its just how I feel.

      But I think people that subscribe to the same school of though as you do on this topic believe that swag and swagger are the same thing. They’re not. Every man has a swagger about himself, something in the way he carries himself that draws people to him. Swag and class deal more with the way he presents himself to the world and the type of people he draws in…

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  7. Please help!! I’m 38, my husband is 30. I do not like the way he dresses. He only dresses decent for church. During the week, it’s embarrassing. He will constantly wear black socks with tennis shoes… I bought him white socks and they got lost in the laundry??? I’m at a list as to what to do. I dress nice daily because its my style. I’m very girly and wear my natural relaxed hair along with tasteful and not overdone makeup. We’ve been married 5 yrs and while dating it was not this bad, it is unbearable!! I have said to him that you will not go anywhere with me with those black socks and white tennis shoes on!!!! What should I do??? Help!!!

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  8. I’ve never been a fan of people shopping for their significant others. But if its really that bad, that might be the best (and only) route you can take. You might have to throw out all those black socks and force him to wear what you buy…

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  11. i truly agree with you and what you explained about the difference in class and swag. I wear class to school and people tell me i dress up to impress others. I dont honestly, its something i invest and i think its worth dressing like a gentlemen because nowadays, employers judges you on your sense of fashion and style. Class is for men who are ready for women not like swag boys are only with girls.

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  12. Im german and i also live in germany and it seems that ‘swag’ just happened to be ‘cool’ over here. I keep telling my girls to keep it ‘classy’ because thats what i think a woman should do when theyre around the age of 25. They tried to tell me that Kim kardashian has swag and they think swag is so cool,… i dont think she does have swag at all. She’s got class, or at least does she have a stylist with a classy taste. Do you agree with me or am i totally misinformed? Im just using Kim as an example right now. Im not a fan of her, just of her classy style.

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    • Kim Kardashian used to dress really tacky, which is hard to imagine for a person that has money. But she has become a little more classy in her style of dress, but that’s because Kanye West dresses her now.

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  13. Well do you think its just their personal preference how they dress up not because its trendy or something. Though I prefer wearing casual smart because it looks more mature looking and it gives people the impressions of maturity and you’re a well mannered person.

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