This word originated in the 80’s when the
urban clothing style (long, tall ski caps, bright colors, baggy style, backwards baseball cap, etc) was made popular by
gang members. People who wanted to look
cool began to copy this style even though they were not in a gang. These people were given the name ‘wannabes’ for wanting to look
like they were in a gang. Now this term is used do describe many people in varies groups who want to look a certain way b/c of its appeal, not because it reflect who they truly are.
gang member 1: hey man look at
those guys over there
gang member 2: this
ain't their hood
gang member 1: he dresses like it
gang member 2: nah, they are wanabees