The hoodie is one of the most commonplace and divisive outfits. Depending on who is wearing it, it may be something put on for a sober walk to the local store, a representation of corporate dominance during the Zuckerberg age, or Why the Hoodie Is the Banal but Garment in Fashion
the subject of several inquiries over discrimination based on race, class, and other factors. A new show called The Hoodie, Ahegao Hoodie
which debuts on December 1 at the Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, explores the cultural background around
this commonplace article of clothing via the use of artworks, photography, found items, cinematography, and, course, the actual hoodie.
The exhibition aims to utilize the hoodie as a tool for examining the issues surrounding it rather than providing a comprehensive history of it. The curator of the show, Lou Stoppard, claims that in the UK, in Why the Hoodie Is the Banal but Garment in Fashion
the hoodie is closely associated with youth and class. “I had a brief internship at Sky News before I began working in the fashion industry, and Why the Hoodie Is the Banal but Garment in Fashion
I was there during the London riots. There was always a young man in a hoodie whenever a video editor chose a still for their report. I was a child during the “hug a hoodie” craze.
Hoodie style
While David Cameron never really said it, the expression “hug a hoodie” has become one of the most memorable symbols of his leadership.
The term originated as a parody of a speech by Cameron from 2006, in which he sought to dispel the myth that Conservatives were callously harsh on youthful offenders:
“We, the ones in suits, frequently perceive hoodies as hostile, the garb of a young gangster rebel army. Hoodies,
however, are frequently more defensive than offensive for young people. They allow you to blend in on the street.
The best course of action in a risky situation is to keep your head down, blend in, and avoid standing out.
Hoodie Fashion
Although the Conservatives didn’t do anything in line with this appeal to empathy when they ultimately came to power, it wasn’t altogether inaccurate. Cameron visited the Benchill estate in Manchester
the following year, where a young guy in a hoodie impersonated shooting him with his fingers. This resulted in several arrogant “Still want to hug a hoodie, Dave?” tabloid headlines as well as one of the most memorable political images of the decade.
The incident is depicted in a movie that is part of the exhibition that combines various media representations of the hoodie.
It’s simple to forget that the hoodie was the focus of a full-blown moral panic
that lasted for years in the middle of the 2000s. The Archbishop of York, for instance, once delivered a speech at a secondary school
while sporting a hoodie and adding the helpful interjection that “99% of those who wear hoodies are law-abiding citizens,”