To this point, we have only been able to gather that the cool kids sometimes used their flesh as parchment to write about the deep things affecting and sometimes afflicting them. However, it remains unclear how and why particular black males use their bodies as texts, for example, to capture the range of meanings found in their lives.
Kirkland and Jackson (p. 295)

This quote in particular struck me as one of the more meaningful ones in this reading because I can apply it to my own life. Even though I was in private school wearing a uniform from Kindergarten up until I finished high school, there were still “cool kids” who made or broke the trends. The difference is not as pronounced, but it is still there. For example, in high school the “cool girls” would make statements by rolling up their skirts, wearing stylish knee socks, or having a stylish purse. The “cool guys” would have their shirts untucked and unbuttoned at the top. In my school, this sent a “cool” vibe because these were things that not only made you look “better” but these were also things you could get into trouble for.
I think adolescents who partake in these acts are trying to make up for something missing in their lives. I know that I was a very insecure person in high school, so even though I was not considered a “cool girl,” I would still be one of the girls who rolled up her skirt a lot higher than it should have been. This applies to the reading – these guys who set the trend are probably trying to make up for this sense of insecurity by dressing like a “cool guy.”