What do greasers wear in The Outsiders?

Greasers in The Outsiders typically wear their hair long and slicked with oil, and they dress in jeans and leather jackets.

Their hair is the most important part of the greaser look. It marks them as members of the East Side group, both to themselves and to the Socs. When Bob insults Ponyboy and Johnny in the park, he defines greasers as "White trash with long hair." This insult shows how the Socs reduce the greasers to appearance and class. Later, when Ponyboy thinks about telling the greasers’ story, he wants people to stop judging boys by "the amount of hair oil he wore."

The greaser style also includes leather jackets and jeans, which make them look tough to outsiders. Ponyboy recognizes that his and Johnny’s appearance can make them seem like "hoods," even when they are frightened, sensitive, or trying to do the right thing. Before the rumble, the Curtis brothers put on nicer clothes and slick their hair, strengthening their shared greaser identity before the fight.

In The Outsiders, clothing and hair are part of the divide between greasers and Socs. The greasers’ long, oiled hair contrasts with the Socs’ cleaner, preppy look, including madras shirts and fancy cars. But Ponyboy gradually learns that those outward differences hide more complicated individual lives.