24_Hoodies

The cultural and historical significance of the hoodie

“Hoodies are good because they make you look anonymous”

“the hoodie represents all that is wrong about youth culture today.”

David Cameron, 2006

17 year old, 2005

• How is a hoodie a defensive item of clothing?

• How is a hoodie an offensive item of clothing?

• What is the appeal of the hoodie?• Why is a hoodie threatening?

anonymityconflict with adult culture

solemnityuniformity

monks

religion

mystery

at ease

lethargic

lazylaidback

hip-hop culture

casual self-expression

sport

disguise defensive

boxing

danger

darkness

skate culture

team spirit

threat

chav

menace

urban culture

The hoodie represents all that

is wrong about youth culture today.

Hoodie as generational signifier

Adult culturevs

Youth culture

• the hoodie has become a signifier of disgruntled, malevolent youth, scowling and indolent. The hoodie is the uniform of the troublemaker

• Hoodies are just other type of youth subculture, like the all-black attire of goth kids, the vintage accessories of hipsters, the leather jackets of mods, the piercings and spikings of punks, and even the pompadour of rockabilly kids. All these youth stereotypes have thrived on the fringes of society and most have sparked moral panics among society at some point in history.

Angela McRobbie

• British cultural theorist• Specialist area: Youth

culture; Cultural theory and Politics; Gender

• Key studies: Rave culture; Punk; teen girl magazines; Fashion, youth and politics

Angela McRobbie, professor of communications at Goldsmiths College

"The point of origin is obviously black American hip-hop culture, now thoroughly mainstream and a key part of the

global economy of music through Eminem and others. Leisure- and sportswear adopted for everyday wear suggests a

distance from the world of office [suit] or school [uniform]. Rap culture celebrates defiance, as it narrates the

experience of social exclusion. Musically and stylistically, it projects menace and danger as well as anger and rage.

[The hooded top] is one in a long line of garments chosen by young people, usually boys, and inscribed with meanings

suggesting that they are 'up to no good'. In the past, such appropriation was usually restricted to membership of

specific youth cultures - leather jackets, bondage trousers - but nowadays it is the norm among young people to flag

up their music and cultural preferences in this way, hence the adoption of the hoodie by boys across the boundaries of

age, ethnicity and class.“

McRobbie says reactions to the hooded top only increase its popularity. "Moral panics of this type have only ever made

the item, and its cultural environment, all the more attractive to those who prefer to disidentify with establishment

figures and assorted 'moral guardians' and who enjoy the outlaw status of 'folk devil'."

Write a discussion of the significance of the hoodie. Write this is in the style

of a clothing advert

Presenting the all new hoodie from SealSignifiers. Embroidered with the signifiers of sports culture and boxing, the hoodie is a great expression of…