UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s notorious advice that we should all ‘hug a hoodie’ has been much publicised and discussed. After the London riots it has come under scrutiny again. Hoodies, certainly among the older generation, have evolved all sorts of negative connotations. Many young people, however, do not understand why this should be so.
For many totally law-abiding young people, the humble hoodie is a warm, comfortable clothing choice and nothing more. Personalised hoodies have become xxxtentacion revenge hoodie especially popular among the younger generation, being a great way to show your support for a club, team, group or cause. Lots of youngsters get hooded sweatshirts made up as a keepsake from old schools, or fun group holidays. Hoodies are frequently used as a way to remember positive experiences. So why do hoodie-wearers have such a bad reputation?
One possibility is that, although the vast majority of youngsters wear hoodies, the only ones who make it into the media are those that are up to no good. This could lead older people to assume that it is young thugs and criminals alone who wear hoodies. This could mean that all hoodies, even friendly personalised hoodies, get unfairly judged and maligned.
Exposure to perfectly nice youngsters who wear personalised hoodies, or hoodies in general, could help the older generations to realise that the image of the dangerous, out-of-control youngsters in hoodies, is not the norm.
Another element which might make people wary of hoodie wearers, whether they wear personalised hoodies or otherwise, is the physical shape and style of hoodies and promotional hoodies. You will no doubt have seen signs in shop windows which read: ‘NO HOODS IN STORE’. The fact that hoodies have an, eponymous, hood might sound obvious but it is something which can make people nervous because it obscures the faces of wearers.
The images in the media of faceless gangs of youths in hoodies, even in personalised hoodies, can look particularly menacing, simply because their faces are hidden. When you are unable to see the faces of large groups it can seem scary because of the lack of human connection. Mostly, however, this prejudice against the humble hoodie is a media construct, mixed with just a little bit of class snobbery and fear of the young… an unpleasant cocktail when you think about it.
Why not show that personalised hoodies are just as fun, lovable, stylish and friendly as the next item of clothing. Since personalised hoodies are fully customisable you can spread any message you like with them. Use personalised hoodies to demonstrate school pride, university affiliation and club membership. Hoodies! They have a long, somewhat difficult history in the united kingdom. Its history in the uk is similar to what 18 to 24-year olds have to go through with their parents during the long difficult years of teenagers. Hoodies are the symbol of teenage angst and devil-may-care attitude.
What are Hoodies? Hoodies are pieces of versatile and comfortable clothing that are popular with the younger set, especially 18 to 24 years old. They are pullovers with a characteristic hood, thus, the term “hoodies. ” Hoodies often have large frontal pockets and drawstrings to adjust the hood opening.
Hoodies: A history
You might not have noticed it, but hoodies date back to the middle Ages as Catholic monks’ clothing. Look carefully at the monk’s garment and you will see similarities in design to the cowl. Cowls are the decorative hood that Catholic monks wear over their tunics or robes. The hoodie as it looks now were first worn by labourers in New york in the 1930s. These labourers work in frozen warehouses. Claire McCardell, the American fashion designer that introduced casual dressing to Americans, popularised the hoodie by designing entire collections based on the hoodie. The 1970s made the hoodie more popular than ever. The hip hop culture that grew along New york streets loved the hoodie because of the anonymity that the hood brings. High fashion, such as Norma Kamali’s collections glamorised the hood-ie. Movies, such as Rocky, added to the popularity of the hoodi-e.
Hoodies and its Popularity in the uk
Hoodies came to the shores of the UK when the hip hop culture started to go mainstream. The hoodies’ popularity with 18 to 24 year olds was unmistakable because of its promise of mystery, anonymity, and anxiety. A professor at Goldsmiths College in the uk, Angela McRobbie, said that the hoodie is part of the distancing of the 18 to 24 year olds to the school uniform and the office suit. She said that the hoodie is a symbol of rebellion and works the same way as the leather jacket and bondage trousers in the past youth cultures. In May 2005, the hoodie gained notoriety when a Kent shopping centre, Bluewater, banned hoodie wearers from their premises. When Prime Minister Tony Blair supported the anti-hoodie call, the public was outraged. Lady Sovereign, a London-based rapper, wrote the song “Hoodie” in protest. People joined the “Save the Hoodie” campaign especially since the cold winters of 2009 to 2010 forced people to wear hoodies to keep warm from the freezing temperatures.