Mark Zuckerberg's Hoodie

January 29, 2013 10:07 AM

It is June 2, 2010 and Mark Zuckerberg is sweating. He’s wearing his hoodie—he’s always wearing his hoodie—and he’s on stage and either the lights or the questions are too hot. … “Do you want to take off the hoodie?” asks Kara Swisher.
“I never take off the hoodie.”

The varied cultural resonances of an unassuming garment.
posted by the mad poster! (157 comments total)

The hoodie has got to be the least attractive garment ever made. Nothing says "I don't give a fuck" quite like a hoodie.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:15 AM on January 29 [15 favorites]

Pullover hoodie >>> zip-up.

Big pockets rule.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:16 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

Boys wear hoodies. Men wear shawl collar cardigans.
posted by dhammond at 10:17 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

Needs more Darth Hoodie - first punk-rock pro football coach.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:19 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Nah, I like the zip ups better; pullovers only have 2 settings, on and off. Zip up has on & closed, on & open, and off. FAR SUPERIOR.
posted by elizardbits at 10:24 AM on January 29 [54 favorites]

Maybe he needed a hug.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:26 AM on January 29

My wife and I met on Match.com. After a few messages back and forth, she insisted we meet that night. I was on my way out the door to a dive bar (Fred's Music Lounge, RIP) before they started charging a cover for the band (I always bought a CD instead). So I suggested we meet there.

Jeans and a grey hoodie. Both of us.
posted by notsnot at 10:28 AM on January 29 [11 favorites]

When did 'hoodies' become 'hoodies'?

I hadn't heard the term until maybe 10 years ago when they became ubiquitous outside the teenager realm, having always heard them referred to as 'sweatshirts' before then.

Is this a new thing(in the last generation), or simply one of those coke/soda/pop deals?
posted by madajb at 10:29 AM on January 29 [6 favorites]

I'm wearing a hoodie today. From Blogger. I am so feeling like a late 20th/early 21st century icon.

But though I don't think it is necessarily unattractive, it is totally my "I don't give a fuck" outfit.

However, by wearing your "I don't give a fuck" outfit every day, it becomes your "I give too much of a fuck about appearing not to give a fuck" outfit.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:29 AM on January 29 [10 favorites]

Nah, I like the zip ups better; pullovers only have 2 settings, on and off. Zip up has on & closed, on & open, and off. FAR SUPERIOR.

Also, pullovers fuck up your hair.

“I never take off the hoodie.”

I know that feel.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 10:30 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

Humm. I'm not sure I really agree with the article. If anything, in the last year or so there's been a sort of reinvention of the hoodie. It seems to becoming a more-decent, less-sloppy, basically more respectable garment. The ones from American Giant, subject to a lot of discussion on the Internet in the pre-Christmas season, and increasingly ones from more standard brands like American Apparel and Gap, are pretty closely tailored. Yeah, you can still get the Zuckerberg-style baggy hoodies that are basically unchanged from their locker-room origins, but the direction seems to be thinner fabric and a closer, neater fit.

Within a couple of years they're going to become unbearably preppy and then the counterculture kids will have to find something else to wear, and the cycle will restart anew.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:30 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

So....that was a really awesome piece of critical analysis which deconstructs the symbol of the hoodie and its relation to the security state. That was drop the mike good. Damn.
posted by Diablevert at 10:31 AM on January 29 [7 favorites]

In Saskatchewan, they call hoodies "bunny hugs". I find that hilarious.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 10:31 AM on January 29 [18 favorites]

I prefer Bunny Hug. Regional colour aside, it really is the most charming way I've ever heard to take that street-edge off of a piece of clothing.

Anyone that's not had the pleasure of living in Saskatchewan should go look it up.
posted by Stagger Lee at 10:31 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

I can't stand the word "hoodie".
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:32 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

Also, this will still be hilarious 10,000 years from now when my consciousness has been uploaded to a robotic dinosaur:

Later, Randi Zuckerberg posted advice on how to behave. “Digital etiquette: always ask permission before posting a friend’s photo publicly. It’s not about privacy settings, it’s about human decency.”

Digital etiquette: maybe don't obfuscate the settings of your user interface such that your own family can't figure out how to use them?
posted by elizardbits at 10:33 AM on January 29 [28 favorites]

I can't stand the word "hoodie".

BUNNY HUG
posted by Stagger Lee at 10:34 AM on January 29 [7 favorites]

I hadn't heard the term until maybe 10 years ago

Same here. Still seems vaguely weird to me - I've started saying it too, but only because everyone else seems to; in my dialect they are "sweatshirts".
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:36 AM on January 29 [5 favorites]

The one I don't understand is the blazer and hoodie combo. Is it supposed to be dressy, like you are still rocking your hoodie but now that shit is fancy. Is it supposed be like it was cold as shit out and you were ill prepared, owning only a hoodie and a blazer? Is it some kind of junky chic, like you wear only clothes you can swipe from a lost and found?

Hoodie sub-genus is also a determining factor in cultural resonance and import. Hoodies with thermal lining mean something much different than those without and Carhartt thermal lined hoodies share the hoodie form but none of the signifiers.

There are also those new tiny yoga/Pilates hoodies, made of some sort of super lightweight t-shirt material. I don't know what purpose they serve but to inform that the wearer does yoga. The omnipresent bag containing yoga mat is simply not enough.

If you are the type to rock the pullover you may want to stay out of certain areas of Brooklyn and confine yourself to the jogging track around the reservoir, which is the only place they are truely acceptable.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:36 AM on January 29 [5 favorites]

Where do hooded shirts (with buttons and cuffs) come into this? Because that'll all I've been wearing for months now.

Well, trousers too...
posted by pipeski at 10:37 AM on January 29

I overheard someone in a store saying to a friend, who was trying on a beigeish hoodie, "you look like a giant clitoris, take that thing off." Periodically I see people wearing really ill-advised ones and can't get that thought out of my head.

I was mostly impressed that they used the word "clitoris" in a sentence correctly, but it was a town with a notable women's college so I don't think it's necessarily representative of youth culture or the state of sexual education in the US, unfortunately.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:37 AM on January 29 [15 favorites]

I hadn't heard the term until maybe 10 years ago when they became ubiquitous outside the teenager realm, having always heard them referred to as 'sweatshirts' before then.

I first heard it hanging out with hippies in the mid '90s. I'm guessing, like "aggro", it's kind of a west coast-ism.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:40 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

The hoodie has got to be the least attractive garment ever made. Nothing says "I don't give a fuck" quite like a hoodie.

For some women checking out guys, your second sentence doesn't match up with the first. I hope.
posted by colie at 10:40 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Of course Zuckerberg would never take it off. If he did, you would see that his torso is actually just a writhing mass of centipedes.
posted by "Elbows" O'Donoghue at 10:43 AM on January 29 [45 favorites]

in my dialect they are "sweatshirts".

But there are hoodless sweatshirts, no? And there are "hoodies" made of very obviously non-sweatshirt material. So it seems a useful enough word. Though not as awesome as "bunny hug," obviously.
posted by yoink at 10:43 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I was mostly impressed that they used the word "clitoris" in a sentence correctly,

...how could it be used incorrectly, other than describing an object that is not the clitoris?
posted by jaduncan at 10:44 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I hadn't heard the term until maybe 10 years ago when they became ubiquitous outside the teenager realm, having always heard them referred to as 'sweatshirts' before then.

Seriously. I first heard it about the same time and thought it was some kind of baby clothes. People just a couple years younger than me thought I was joking. There must have been a handout the day I left school.
posted by DU at 10:44 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

Nothing says "I don't give a fuck" quite like a hoodie.


Which is exactly what attracts some people to it. A lot of masculinity is tied up in aggression and casualness.
You can wear it to look street or tough, or your can wear it, like Zuckerberg, to look like you're just another guy and not some stuffed shirt businessman.

Fashion isn't as simple as looking classy or looking dumpy, there's a lot going on there.
posted by Stagger Lee at 10:44 AM on January 29 [8 favorites]

My mother's Hyacinth Bucket tendencies would never allow her to be seen with me out in public while wearing a hoodie. This explains its attractiveness.
posted by arcticseal at 10:45 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

This feels vaguely like a circumcision thread.
posted by srboisvert at 10:45 AM on January 29 [8 favorites]

in my dialect they are "sweatshirts".

But there are hoodless sweatshirts, no?

In MY dialect, they could alternately be called jackets or coats in addition to sweatshirts.
posted by DU at 10:45 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Hoodies with thermal lining

I wear these, but without the hood because I'm uncool. After a while you realise the hood is just a big lump of fabric hanging there doing nothing.
posted by colie at 10:46 AM on January 29

Of course Zuckerberg would never take it off. If he did, you would see that his torso is actually just a writhing mass of centipedes.

If you read the article, you find out what's under the hoodie is much worse: an Illuminati-like illustration of Facebook's company mission.
posted by zsazsa at 10:47 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

Where do hooded shirts (with buttons and cuffs) come into this?

Under the "embarrassing shit I used to wear that even the thrift shop won't take off my hands" heading, right next to parachute pants, emo bell-bottoms with the straps connecting the pant legs, little fedoras and button down shirts with enormous brand logos embroidered on them.

Well, not yet, but give it a year or two.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:48 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Man... I have this awesome gray zipper hoodie from Red Kap.

Made in Canada... by Union Workers.

I would very much love to be able to purchase another one.

Made in Canada... by Union Workers, of course.

Solidarity.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 10:48 AM on January 29

I wear them because they are comfy and my office is stupid fucking cold, even with a space heater on the highest setting.
posted by elizardbits at 10:48 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

I thought the term "hoodie" originated from hip-hop culture? Can't really find anything to back that up though.
posted by orme at 10:51 AM on January 29

Embraced by fuzzy animals
posted by smidgen at 10:53 AM on January 29

Hoodies are perfect for San Francisco. It's too cold in the morning, then perfect in the middle of the day, and then Bamn, freezing fog again.

The Hoodie with all its combinations of possibilities is made for it (from coldest weather to warmest weather):

Hood up, zipped, 2nd jacket on top if it
Hood down, zipped, 2nd jacket on top if it
Hood down, unzipped, 2nd jacket on top if it
Hood up, zipped
Hood down, unzipped
Hood down, unzipped, arms pulled up
Tied around waist


If it didn't exist, someone would have to invent it.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 10:53 AM on January 29 [10 favorites]

Of course if Zuckerberg wants to look casual, he should really just wear one of those hats with ears.
posted by Stagger Lee at 10:54 AM on January 29 [3 favorites]

...how could it be used incorrectly, other than describing an object that is not the clitoris?

Men use the clitoris incorrectly all the time; it's a leading cause of sexual frustration and marital dissatisfaction.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:55 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

"The one I don't understand is the blazer and hoodie combo. Is it supposed to be dressy, like you are still rocking your hoodie but now that shit is fancy. Is it supposed be like it was cold as shit out and you were ill prepared, owning only a hoodie and a blazer? Is it some kind of junky chic, like you wear only clothes you can swipe from a lost and found? "

There is no way this is considered dressy, except, perhaps, by someone who might think "clean sneakers" are dressy, which is to say, someone who has no idea how to dress well.

It's more urban-chique. It signifies that you are hip enough to wear a hoodie but also sufficiently in-the-know, style wise, to wear it in a way which bends (by subverting) typical style rules. It's in the category of knowing which rules you can break and which you can't while still looking good. Check it out. (TSB is a bit too much toward casual fashion for my taste, especially in their love of odd shoes and funky combinations, but it will do.)
posted by oddman at 10:58 AM on January 29

If clean sneakers are good enough for RDJ then they are good enough for me.
posted by elizardbits at 11:00 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

Aha, this is an excellent place to finally ask... Are there favorite hoodie brands? I didn't love American Giant's hoodie that Farhad Manjoo was extolling awhile back... Any other recommended companies?
posted by Auden at 11:01 AM on January 29

I like American Apparel, though they do become stretchy and goofy-looking after 6 months (of continuous wear).
posted by migurski at 11:04 AM on January 29

Where I live:
Hoodie with hood down=fine upstanding member of society.
Hoodie with hood up=I plan to burglarize your home.

Some allowances may be made for cold weather, but not much.
posted by cccorlew at 11:04 AM on January 29 [5 favorites]

Auden: Camber USA makes super heavyweight well-built US-made sweatshirts of various kinds, including thermal-lined and non. It's a much baggier, more traditional fit than American Giant.
posted by enn at 11:05 AM on January 29

Are there favorite hoodie brands?

I used to live in Milan and you saw Versace hoodies a lot.
posted by colie at 11:06 AM on January 29

> If you read the article, you find out what's under the hoodie is much worse: an Illuminati-like illustration of Facebook's company mission.
posted by zsazsa

I don't see the Illuminati connection. It's just a neat diagram/illustration. Is there a specific Illuminati image that this resembles?
posted by jillithd at 11:06 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

“I never take off the hoodie.”

I put on my robe and wizard hat.
posted by carsonb at 11:13 AM on January 29 [7 favorites]

an Illuminati-like illustration of Facebook's company mission.

I saw the video of the reveal awhile back, and it's pretty creepy all-around. It sure is fun to run one's imagination thinking about a fresh-faced startup turning into a massive privatized total information awareness modality (which I think is an understatement) with benefits (no conflict of interest selling information to well, anyone!). You wonder how quickly Zuckerberg saw this vision, how brilliant he would truly be if he saw it from the beginning, and how much of it was sculpted by other visionaries seeing the immense potential in the "here's my bio let's bone LOL" foundation. Just imagine seeing the potential and harnessing the power? Holy crap!

At least with privatized total information awareness you get cool coupons and can learn about how much you didn't realize you were supposed to hate people you otherwise got along with 'n shit (I'm a bit conflicted about that last part and am trying to be facetious)! If it were official Big Brother operations gathering this "social networking" it'd be pretty boring, amirite.

It's also interesting to think about "social networking" and how it's this big modern buzzword (leaving old timer BBS, FidoNet, UseNet, and IRC addicts like myself chuckling) but "social networking" is just the basic mechanism of society and it's always existed and what we're excitedly buzzing about now is "recorded, scrutinized, parceled, bought and sold information detailing social networking transactions."

OK I'll put down the bong after one more comment:

I just watched "Safe House" this weekend and remember watching Ryan Reynolds disguise himself with a hoodie, thinking "psh, that's dumb, he's gonna get so busted!" but also "hey, it's better than nothing and looking around furtively in a hoodie isn't that uncommon" and "I bet CIA agents are trained sufficiently to know the statistical effectiveness of any available disguise depending on the environment / culture / etc and this guy knows what he's doing so just chillax bro."

To me, wearing a hoodie or a decent sweatshirt just allows me to feel more at home wherever I happen to be. So if I feel like ass and go to work and it's cold as shit I'll hug myself in a sweater and be all fuckin' cozy and rockin' side to side all pleased with myself even though the temperature in my office is the same as it was yesterday. And as an introvert it gives me some sort of social shield even though I would never ever wear a hood indoors, ever, because I've got standards damnit.

Zuckerberg wearing this creepy fucking weird-ass cryptic mission statement all day long and being all cozy and secure gives me the vivid mental image of cozy creeptacularness all wrapped up and comfortable in this fuzzy cocoon that's really gross and slimy but you can't tell, you can't tell man!, protected from the penetrating stare of people who see you starin' at them all creepy-like from the creepy-cocoon holes. Of course we've been willingly giving up the information, with this internal mental fallacy pervading so many with the confused notion that "in public" online is like "in public" in meatspace, where your actions can be monitored and called out, but there's some expectation that you'll just kind of fade out and be insignificant. Probably just exploiting a pretty basic mechanism for dealing with an overwhelmingly complex world.

*cough*
posted by lordaych at 11:16 AM on January 29 [15 favorites]

hoodies are yet another fashion accessory designed to project the message that projecting a message is unmanly so you aren't going to do it
posted by idiopath at 11:21 AM on January 29 [3 favorites]

http://tsbmen.com/?s=hoody

That has got to be the fanciest "hoodie" I've ever seen. It has an open ended zipper and the hood is all but vestigial. It may not even count.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:22 AM on January 29

Back in my day, the "IDGAF" outfit was just jeans and a tshirt. Because it was the 80s, sometimes an unfortunate jean jacket would be involved if it were cold, but hopefully just a thrift-store car coat. I suddenly saw hoodies becoming a "thing" that adults would wear sometime around the early 00s.

I, for one, own a single hoodie, which I bought right before I finished graduate school, because I figured I needed at least one significant logo article of clothing from the school I spent 11 years of my life at.
posted by deanc at 11:23 AM on January 29

My rule of hoodies is never buy them. Wear the green "Las Vegas" pullover hoodie that your in-law bought for you years ago and you've never been to Vegas. Fuck yeah! Zip-up hoodies seem to always be more expensive, and I like the sketchy big pocket. You like, put your weed in there, man. With room for a waterproof case. And you know why you use a waterproof case, man? Because AIR is like water kind of, so you can't smell it or some shit.
posted by lordaych at 11:23 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I am a bunnyhugger... oh the looks I got when I first left Saskatchewan... still get actually...
posted by Cosine at 11:25 AM on January 29

The other day I was wearing a hoody under a down hoody under an arcteryx jacket that is basically an insulated hoody that comes up to your nose. I had started out with a light fleece hoody on the very bottom but I couldn't move my neck. I was extremely warm though!
posted by fshgrl at 11:26 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

it becomes your "I give too much of a fuck about appearing not to give a fuck" outfit.

That's sounds soooo Jon Lajoie
posted by floatboth at 11:27 AM on January 29

I hated hoodies, until I bought one that fit and wasn't completly baggy. Now I wear them pretty frequently. Buy clothes that fit, people, makes a world of difference.
posted by hellojed at 11:35 AM on January 29

hmm. i don't know. i love me some hoodies.

i have a nice Prana one that's rather thick and warm. goes great under a vest.

and my stepdad got me a lighter weight but looser fitting one for christmas that i wear way more than i thought i would at first. it is however, part of my "i don't give a fuck" outfit.

also...boys in hoodies... mmmmmm
but then again, i used to hang out with a bunch of skaters and it was a Thing when a guy let a girl wear his hoodie. kinda like varsity jackets but for the cool kids. (not that i dated the skaters i hung out with...but we all knew what it meant when a girl showed up in Kris's hoodie one day).

great, now i am completely distracted from work thinking of various men i know and the hoodies they wear and how adorable they are whilst wearing said hoodie. thanks a bunch, metafilter.
posted by sio42 at 11:38 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I wear hoodies because they are a comfortable non-outerwear layer that zips up. The hood itself is incidental.

If you can find me an alternative zippable layer that looks reasonably stylish and is as comfortable as a hoodie, I'm all ears.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:43 AM on January 29

I'm guessing, like "aggro", it's kind of a west coast-ism.

That's weird - I grew up in California, and always figured that "hoodie" was an import from the East Coast somewhere.
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:44 AM on January 29

I keep reading this as 'Mark Zoidberg.' Please continue with thread now.
posted by Mister_A at 11:45 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

My love for hoodies goes back to childhood. The day I frostbit my ears was the day mom decided to wash my hoodie before hockey practice. See, you could wear a hat or a headband under your helmet, but invariably it would slide forward or shift. But a hood was fixed in place and kept the back of your neck warm.

Also, a pullover if far superior to the zip up - if you're wearing a jacket over the hoodie, you won't get the zippers confused and by taking the drawstring for the hood and making a knot in it, you never have to worry about your stupid sister pulling it out.

http://tsbmen.com/?s=hoody

Is there anything fashion people can't destroy ?
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 11:47 AM on January 29

I recall hoodies being called 'hoodies' in the early 90's. It's strange how some things haven't changed in twenty years.
posted by marimeko at 11:48 AM on January 29

“I never take off the hoodie.”

That's some romantic.
posted by stormpooper at 11:51 AM on January 29

I love my black-on-black Soma.fm Stealth Hoodie. All you haters can't take that away from me.
posted by slogger at 11:51 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]

...how could it be used incorrectly, other than describing an object that is not the clitoris?

I guess I was mostly impressed with the specificity and word choice. Plus a fair number of people just refer to anything in the neighborhood of the female genitals as the "vagina" so that was a plus.

Sorry for the derail, moving on.

It has an open ended zipper and the hood is all but vestigial. It may not even count.

There are hoodie-derived sweatshirts around that don't even have a functional hood, but instead just have a cowl neck or a standing collar or something else to cover the back of your neck. I think 90% of people just use the hood as a sort-of neckwarmer anyway. Also, the American Giant (standing collar one) calls itself out as an "upscale interpretation", which is interesting. Nonfunctional hood = classy.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:52 AM on January 29

That has got to be the fanciest "hoodie" I've ever seen....

No, this is. And by god I've never one worn one in my life but would wear the hell of out of this if my wife wouldn't kill me for spending even more money on "technical" clothes.
posted by digitalprimate at 11:55 AM on January 29 [2 favorites]

but instead just have a cowl neck or a standing collar or something else to cover the back of your neck.

This is the wrong site to admit this but I wear a standing collar with a half zip all the time. Right now I am wearing a cranberry one. I sometimes do wear one under a black BB blazer with brass buttons.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:01 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

No, this is.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 12:02 PM on January 29 [5 favorites]

Only in the last couple years have I discovered how great the pullover hooded sweathshirt is for sleeping in. Keep the heat on 65 and put the hood up - your head stays warms but there's no impending suffocation feeling that would come from your head under the blankets. Pull-overs are only acceptable around the house - zippered can be used as a light jacket in the spring or fall, although that's awful casual for anything more than a run to the supermarket.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 12:03 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Linked article - nice work.

Thank you, mad poster.

I had to look up Champion sportswear to see if they were still in business - and was surprised that I knew the logo but didn't automatically recall the name.

I have a zip-up hoodie.

It's probably one of the least thug-like hoodies possible - From Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

posted by mmrtnt at 12:09 PM on January 29

The Google Ngram for "hoodie" shows it use shooting up in starting in 2000.
posted by ShooBoo at 12:09 PM on January 29

Pullover hoodie >>> zip-up.
Agreed. Hoodies are good because they are comfy. Introducing hard metal and/or plastic bits makes them less comfy by definition. FACT.
posted by juv3nal at 12:11 PM on January 29

The Google Ngram for "hoodie" shows it use shooting up in starting in 2000.
No that's the internet you're thinking of
posted by MangyCarface at 12:12 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

I had to look up Champion sportswear to see if they were still in business

It used to be kind of a status symbol to have a Champion hoodie, other kids always scrutinized them and determined they were fake. "Yo, that string don't match, shit is fake!" or "That C is fucked up, fake!"
posted by Ad hominem at 12:14 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I have kind of a.. thing.. for hoodies and light jackets. Let's not talk about how many times I've had drywall anchors rip out from hanging up too many of them.

Sure, you can look slouchy in one (and sometimes that's okay), but there are so many variations in style and weight that for most situations (especially in extremely casual Los Angeles) I have something that works. This one from betabrand is a new favorite that's definitely more interesting than Just A Piece Of Athletic Wear.

Then again most days I just wear one of my Gate/Perimeter/Exodus logo sherpa hoodies because I like the logos and seriously they are the coziest things ever and thumbholes and actually you're right I don't give a fuck I'm just going to work.

But I virtually never wear pullovers, for exactly the elizardbits elucidated reasons.
posted by flaterik at 12:18 PM on January 29

So, if a "hoodie" is a "bunny hugger" in Saskatchewania, what is a "hoodlum"?

A "bunny thug"?

(Image NSFW words)

posted by mmrtnt at 12:26 PM on January 29 [4 favorites]

The other day I was wearing a hoody under a down hoody under an arcteryx jacket that is basically an insulated hoody that comes up to your nose.

It's hoodies all the way down.
posted by arcticseal at 12:29 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

I had to look up Champion sportswear to see if they were still in business

In addition to the standalone brand, C9 by Champion is Target's house brand for athletic wear.

(I ran in a C9 hoodie this morning, as it happens.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:30 PM on January 29

Hoodies are my go-to plane trip wear. I'm always cold on a plane. And for long plane rides where I want to sleep? Ear plugs and a hoodie. And maybe a glass of red wine to knock me out.

I have hoodies from Poland and Sicily. Italy-proper seemed tough to find hoodies - but they had plenty of zip-up sweatshirts (bonus on Rome one: an embroidered patch on the shoulder of Romulus and Remus suckling a wolf!).
posted by jillithd at 12:32 PM on January 29 [2 favorites]

~~10 years ago:
friend: Wait-- I gotta grab my hoodie.
me: Your what?
friend: My hoodie.
me: What in God's name is a 'hoodie'?
friend: (*holds it up)
me: No. No, no. That is a sweatshirt.
posted by herbplarfegan at 12:36 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

...& don't even get me started on calling sweatshirts "sweaters."
posted by herbplarfegan at 12:36 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I was the first to start wearing the hoodie inside-out in 1989. Go me.
posted by waving at 12:40 PM on January 29

Does anyone remember hoodies being called (perhaps only in catalogues) "kangaroo shirts"? I'm not imagining that, right? That was really a thing?
posted by Sys Rq at 12:41 PM on January 29 [2 favorites]

zip-up vs pullover

For years, the US Navy forbid sailors to wear the old-timey pullover jumper shirts because they found that it was easier to get out of clothing that was on fire if the clothing had buttons.

So there's that.

posted by mmrtnt at 12:42 PM on January 29

...how could it be used incorrectly, other than describing an object that is not the clitoris?

Perhaps they meant pronounced incorrectly, as the word is often verbally mishandled, much to my chagrin.
posted by waving at 12:44 PM on January 29

I thought the term "hoodie" originated from hip-hop culture? Can't really find anything to back that up though.

The earliest reference I can remember is "Pop Goes the Weasel" (1991) by 3rd Bass, where Pete Nice raps "...on line like Serch in the hoody with a woody..." in the 3rd verse. That Pete Nice was referring to a hooded sweatshirt is proven by the video for the song, in which Serch pulls down the hood of said sweatshirt when Nice recites this line.

East Coast group EPMD also used the term their song "Da Headbanga" (1992): the line "Yo, where's my hoodie?!" appears in the middle of one of the verses.

I'd guess the term was in use for a while before it appeared in either song.
posted by lord_wolf at 12:45 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

Yep on "kangaroo shirts". I'm a child of the 70s. One of the reasons I can't take the garment seriously, even after having owned a couple.
posted by bonehead at 12:45 PM on January 29

I frequently heard "hoodie" starting around 1994. It seemed to be a hip-hop culture term of efficiency and coolness that had made its way into white suburban culture but I have no idea. Never came off as twee or anything though.
posted by lordaych at 12:45 PM on January 29

Perhaps they meant pronounced incorrectly, as the word is often verbally mishandled, much to my chagrin.

I can see how that might embarrass you.
posted by Tanizaki at 12:46 PM on January 29

I hated hoodies, until I bought one that fit and wasn't completly baggy. Now I wear them pretty frequently. Buy clothes that fit, people, makes a world of difference.

Body shape privilege. My sloppy, baggy, DGAF hoodie is probably the best fitting article of clothing I own, because it and I are shaped the same.

And to add to the origin discussion, I heard the rhyme "it's hard to see they faces in they hoodies / I better boogie" in a song in 1994.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:48 PM on January 29

I discovered the power of the hoodie in 1985. My engine block began leaking oil onto my heater as I began a long drive in freezing temperatures, so I couldn't run my heater or the car would fill with smoke. I had a jacket but no hat, so a hooded sweatshirt pulled overhead was the only way to stay warm.

Incredibly, I was immediately the object of much attention. For the next 6 hours cars sped up or slowed down on I-85 to see who was the secret driver in the crappy Mustang II. They peered and gaped and ogled like I might be someone famous trying not to be noticed.

For a day, I was a star.
posted by surplus at 12:49 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Body shape privilege is a thing for sure and I struggle to find the right shirts in the XL-XLT range, but I must confess that I have vein privilege -- whenever nurses need to get their phlebotomy on, my veins yield blood with a rapidity that seems unjust compared to my wife's puny veins which require countless stabbing. Luckily this probably also means my heart is going to explode violently around age 56 so it'll balance out
posted by lordaych at 12:52 PM on January 29

I frequently heard "hoodie" starting around 1994.

I had a friend in the hardcore music scene in 93/94. I distinctly remember him saying 'Got me a [band name here] hoodie!'
posted by hot_monster at 1:07 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

My sloppy, baggy, DGAF hoodie is probably the best fitting article of clothing I own, because it and I are shaped the same.

yeah, I was wondering if one of the reasons for the more recent popularity of hoodies has to do with our changing body shapes and sizes. But I'm probably just projecting. I'm definitely hiding my 2012-2013 Winter Muffin-Top beneath a cotton hoodie as I type.
posted by Auden at 1:14 PM on January 29

Why wear a hoodie when you can wear a Fair isle zip cardigan?
posted by bzbb at 1:15 PM on January 29

I will confess to owning one of these and it is, I believe, one of the best sweatshirt-y things ever, and a nice alternative to the ubiquitous black Northface in moderate weather. It's meant as a cycling jacket but it's not really windproof enough for that, unfortunately. It's definitely on the "jacket" end of the hoodie spectrum, which I think runs all the way down to sweatshirts as pyjamas or underwear, and up to anoraks at the far end. (Because what is an anorak, really, but a well-insulated hoodie?)
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:15 PM on January 29

That article made a fanastic point - that hoodies are very much an iconic item of clothing for the late 20th / early 21st century - in the same way every Edwardian era man had a bowler - most common men nowadays wear hoodies. They are making the transition from casualwear to standardwear.

Boys wear hoodies. Men wear shawl collar cardigans

And like clockwork on mefi, whenever a thread mentions normative clothing items the fashion police arrive. Sorry...real men do wear hoodies. I am a real man and I wear hoodies all the time. I also look fine doing it. Don't mean to call you out personally...it's just that I get tired of the fashion elitism that pops up here and on blogs like "put this on" etc. that are really, in effect, bullying people for wearing what are commonplace and totally regular items of clothing. Mention wearing shorts on metafilter and you'll get all sorts of snide comments. But take a snapshot of what the majority of humanity wears on this planet and you'll find shorts and hoodies popping up far more often than shawl collared cardigans. Whether you like it or not, hoodies are very much the frock coats and cravats of the 21st century.

I work in graphics and design and I can't count the number of "fashion forward" coworkers I encounter wearing Allen Edmonds without socks, skin-tight khakis and blazers with pocket squares decrying a lack of taste in todays man. It just isn't true. Sorry. It's cool if you like fashion, but do your own thing and leave the hoodie alone.
posted by jnnla at 1:21 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

I love a good hooded sweatshirt and I don't fault Zuckerberg a bit for wearing one constantly. I'm also a no-zipper, decent-fitting guy. Having the hood up doesn't mean I'm looking for trouble - it means it's Minnesota in one of the 9 or so months of the year when the hood is very functional. This caught me off guard though:

It used to be kind of a status symbol to have a Champion hoodie, other kids always scrutinized them and determined they were fake. "Yo, that string don't match, shit is fake!" or "That C is fucked up, fake!"

Is this real or some kind of joke I don't get? I had many Champion sweatshirts (hooded and not), pants, etc. when I was of the age that people would care about brands and status more than is reasonable (though I never did) and it always seemed to me that Champion was what I wore because they were durable and cheap. How, when, and where was the brand ever a status symbol?
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 1:25 PM on January 29

Mark Zuckerberg was in "my" Trader Joe's a few months back and he was not wearing a hoodie. Just a grey t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He was buying spaghetti sauce, if that matters.
posted by marylynn at 1:27 PM on January 29

that Men’s Valhalla Hoodie looks awesome, Kadin2048. I think I'm getting myself one.
posted by Auden at 1:29 PM on January 29

Even as someone who admires a good shawl-collared cardigan, I just have to laugh at someone who thinks that they attain a certain rank by putting on an arbitrary uniform. If you want to cosplay as your dad or grandpa, knock yourself out, but trying to set fashion rules by flat declarations will get you laughed at much more than wearing an eminently sensible article of clothing, I think.

On a slightly different note, one of the things that amused me about Mass Effect 3 is that I bought the deluxe edition of the game, which among many other extras included an in-game item of clothing for Shepard, a black hoodie with the N7 logo and stripe (which, of course, EA sells for real, although I've never gotten one because they're sort of expensive). It's pretty funny to be negotiating with the great powers of the galaxy when you're trucking around in a hoodie.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:36 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

However, by wearing your "I don't give a fuck" outfit every day, it becomes your "I give too much of a fuck about appearing not to give a fuck" outfit.

No, I just don't honestly give a fuck.

One of my hoodies has an Aperture Science logo. The other is the Cyborg Pride one from Dresden Codak.

Of course if Zuckerberg wants to look casual, he should really just wear one of those hats with ears.

I also have one of those. It is brown and fuzzy and matches my beard. Also, I'm 41.
posted by Foosnark at 1:43 PM on January 29 [2 favorites]

The hoodie has got to be the least attractive garment ever made. Nothing says "I don't give a fuck" quite like a hoodie.

That's why I like them. They're warm and just say "I want to be comfortable", like a combination of a blanket and a burqa. I wish there were more concealing garments like that.

My favorite is a red hoodie I call my 'emo hoodie', but I've also got a nice blue one and one with the Who logo on the front. Lots of punk bands sell them but I don't but them since it barely gets cold in Australia. I might pick up a Gaslight Anthem hoodie on their next tour.

They also keep the rain out of your face while still allowing you to wear headphones.

All my hoodies are zip-up.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:44 PM on January 29

Compare the Britishism, 'anorak.'
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:47 PM on January 29

most common men nowadays wear hoodies. They are making the transition from casualwear to standardwear.
...
And like clockwork on mefi, whenever a thread mentions normative clothing items the fashion police arrive.

In my early thirties to early 40s male cohort, hoodies (and sweatshirts of any sort) rarely make an appearance.
And if they do, it's definitely on the casual, Saturday errands, didn't shower today, kind of way.
So, not to be fashion police, but they've definitely not reached the ubiquity of jeans yet. Around here at least, they're for the young or wish-I-were-still-young.

(Except for that one guy who wears the same hoodie every day)
(Also, firefox thinks 'hoodie' is misspelled)
posted by madajb at 1:53 PM on January 29

It feels like there should be a UK/genre perspective somewhere. Misfits had 'Super Hoodie', a semi-superhero identified with his hoodie. I've heard films like Attack the Block described as 'hoodie horror', and some of the superheroes on Smallville, Arrow, and Young Justife wear hoodies as their costumes.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:57 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

like a combination of a blanket and a burqa

I kinda want to call my favorite hoodie my 'bro-qa' now. (tasteless?)
posted by naju at 2:00 PM on January 29 [2 favorites]

They are making the transition from casualwear to standardwear.

Well ... I think that's an oversimplification. They're making that transition because hoodies are diversifying so that there's a noticeable difference between one actually made for exercise or wearing outside, vs one that's meant to be worn indoors, and between cheap ones and expensive ones, etc.

Although there is a lot of regional and subcultural variation in what's appropriate to wear where (and personal standards in whether you care or not about what people think), there are definitely still places where wearing a big 'ol Rocky-style grey fleece hoodie is probably going to get you weird looks. And not places where there's a jackets-required dress code; there are a fair number of mid-market restaurants where I'd probably feel pretty underdressed in one on an average night. But ... could you find some sort of hoodie-ish garment, i.e. something that has a hood and long sleeves and is made from cotton, that would work there? Probably, sure. There's a lot of stuff on the market now.

And that's what's changing; items of clothing only become common when they allow people to communicate the things that people feel the need to communicate with clothing. Which are the obvious ones -- wealth, status, group/subculture membership, etc. -- but also more subtle cues, like giving-a-fuck-ness, fashion consciousness vs practicality, etc. When a particular garment only comes in one configuration, there's an inherent limit to how many people will wear it and in what social situations, since the messaging is limited. But if you look at very common garments, one thing they all have in common is enough variability to allow for that communication/messaging to take place. E.g.: jeans, which are not entirely universal but close enough; one of the reasons they're nearly universal is because you can find a design and type of jeans to communicate anything you want, from "I'm wearing these to protect my legs from the flying chips as I split firewood" to "I spent more on these than a mid-priced car and I want other people in this club to know it."

But hoodies still have a lot of diversification before they're as universal and flexible as jeans or t-shirts.

Also can we all agree that dress shoes without socks is gross? I mean really, history is judging us, people. Knock that off.
posted by Kadin2048 at 2:02 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Whether you like it or not, hoodies are very much the frock coats and cravats of the 21st century.

Not really. Frock coats and cravats require money and time and effort to make them (and you) look good. They send a different message than does the hoodie and the Baby Huey pants. Suits and ties are now the purview of upper executives desirous of our trust and to hired help of places desirous of our trust. (I've never seen a corporate lawyer or a bank teller in a hoodie.)

Interesting to think that back in the day, youth culture took the view that sharp clothes made the man, even the slightly alarming man - think zoot suit or (for your UK/genre perspective) Teddy Boys or even the Mods.

Things change. The amiable slob look will date.
posted by IndigoJones at 2:07 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

After a while you realise the hood is just a big lump of fabric hanging there doing nothing.

The hood itself is incidental.

I just don't understand this way of thinking. The hood is vital. How else are are going to wander the streets of your town pretending you're Ezio Auditore?
posted by MrBadExample at 2:09 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

Boys wear hoodies? I have blue, coral, and purple. The reason girls don't wear hoodies more often is that they wreck your hair. But they make great raincoats, and bank robbery cover-ups.
posted by Cranberry at 2:13 PM on January 29

I've never seen a corporate lawyer or a bank teller in a hoodie.

*coughs* I used to wear 'em all the time in my corporate lawyer job at a (rather eccentric) software company. Along with jeans and Chucks. I doubt it's rare in that certain Silicon Valley milieu.
posted by naju at 2:14 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Interesting to think that back in the day, youth culture took the view that sharp clothes made the man, even the slightly alarming man - think zoot suit or (for your UK/genre perspective) Teddy Boys or even the Mods.

Somehow, the mods managed to pull off the suit and hooded-military-parka look.... not too different from that guy doing the "hoodie-as-cardigan" look linked to earlier.
posted by deanc at 2:19 PM on January 29

*coughs*

I don't doubt it! I'm a right coaster and I think Boston/New York/Washington when I think corporate law - but I think you get my point regardless. Curious to know if you had a back-up suit'n'tie for the sake of the stiffs when/if they ever came to town.
posted by IndigoJones at 2:24 PM on January 29

I'll bite: what on earth makes this hoodie (or bunny hug, if you prefer, which I think I may) worth eight hundred euros?
posted by KathrynT at 2:24 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

The fact that there might be someone out there stupid enough to pay that much.

(Mind you, 800 euros to you or me is not the same as 800 euros to Zuckerberg. Or Zuckerburg wannabees.)
posted by IndigoJones at 2:25 PM on January 29

The description is full of words that imply that it has special robot powers, though. Does it have special robot powers?
posted by KathrynT at 2:26 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

elizardbits: I wear them because they are comfy and my office is stupid fucking cold, even with a space heater on the highest setting.

When did you start working in my office?
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 2:27 PM on January 29

But they make great raincoats, and bank robbery cover-ups.

I wonder about those who claim this. Have they not worn an actual waterproof garment? Have they never been outside for a significant length of time in real rain?
posted by ssg at 2:28 PM on January 29

I'll bite: what on earth makes this hoodie (or bunny hug, if you prefer, which I think I may) worth eight hundred euros?


Well, let's see:

-Top of the line head-coverage ("Ultimate hood")
-Second edition (" part two")
-Stopless impervious armature (laserproofing unknown)
-JacketSlingæ subsystem (your guess is as good as mine)
-Dynamic form factor (you can unzip it)
-fully lockdown-able, deep concealable, peripheral see-able hood. (you can put the hood up or down)
-Deep front pockets will keep your hands warm in the cold (yep! warm.)
-cam lock zipped holster pocket will keep your vitals intact in a tussle. (Do these people know how testicles work?)
-Pair with NTS-NG1 for complete cctv defying steez. (Is steez contagious?)
-Softshell against the machine (except the credit-card machine)
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:30 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I, too, was confused by the sudden rise of the word 'hoodie' (t was just a sweatshirt for most of my childhood) so I looked it up in the OED. They date it back to 1990 (via an Irish book, The Snapper, which confusingly appears to have come out in 1992). I'm not sure if I totally believe them, but there you go. Earliest cite on record at the OED--and it does match the dates people are talking about, late 80s/early 90s. The word does seem to be sort of 'lower class' in origin, whether that origin is hip-hop or Irish working poor.

As for hoodies, the last time this came up someone linked out to a union clothing supplier. Their hoodies are relatively cheap--$35 or so--so that plus being (hopefully) ethical put them on the top of my list.
posted by librarylis at 2:32 PM on January 29

Curious to know if you had a back-up suit'n'tie for the sake of the stiffs when/if they ever came to town.

Yeah I totally did have to wear the good stuff whenever I met with anyone outside of our internal corporate culture. The key thing was that I was specifically told not to dress up like a fancy aloof suit when I was in the office, because I had to earn the trust of my coworkers (software engineers and recent college graduates who'd roll in with band t-shirts and the like.) So hoodies weren't outrageously slobby, they were just a conscious tactical tool in my wardrobe. Maybe Zuckerberg thinks similarly. :)
posted by naju at 2:36 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

The one I don't understand is the blazer and hoodie combo. Is it supposed to be dressy, like you are still rocking your hoodie but now that shit is fancy. Is it supposed be like it was cold as shit out and you were ill prepared, owning only a hoodie and a blazer? Is it some kind of junky chic, like you wear only clothes you can swipe from a lost and found?

This has been mostly answered by others in the thread, but I'll add a bit more texture:

It's a good mix of practical and sort of thoughtful casual. You live in certain climates - practically all of urban Canada, for example - and there are a great many days throughout the year where you will need a layer between blazer and dress-shirt/long-sleeved-tee/whatever to be comfortable outdoors. (In Calgary, these days can occur in literally any month on the calendar.)

You have decided you are not a wearer of sports jackets or polar fleece as outerwear or whatever, which is why the blazer's in the equation. A well-made hoodie gives you the comfort you need, allows two settings of temperature control for unpredictable days (zipped and not), and lends a relaxed hue to the blazer. You're someone who does try to look a bit put together, but you're not fussy, not a dandy. You're a guy running some errands or going to the movies or whatever.

This is why I often went with the hoodie-blazer combo for much of the last several years, but my wardrobe recently got a professional upgrade, so I now more often go with knit sweater (often v-neck) plus scarf. Though I must say, I sometimes miss the unzippable climate control of the hoodie.
posted by gompa at 2:43 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Mountain Hardwear Principia softshell jacket.

For Christmas for me this year.

Oh yes.
posted by dglynn at 3:12 PM on January 29

Meanwhile, on the other end of the hoodie spectrum.

Possibly the only garment I've seen that works as either sleepwear or arctic camouflage. Also that model looks embarassed even in the photo.
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:27 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

That article made a fanastic point - that hoodies are very much an iconic item of clothing for the late 20th / early 21st century - in the same way every Edwardian era man had a bowler - most common men nowadays wear hoodies. They are making the transition from casualwear to standardwear.


I think your projecting a lot here. Maybe if you work in a software or entertainment field, somewhere with a lot of interns in their 20’s, subsets like that in certain parts of the country. Otherwise I can’t see that they’re really that more common that they were 20 years ago. Most men wear hoodies? A fair number may own one but I’d say more men own a tie and I don’t see anything like most men wearing ties when I’m out and about. I’d put the number of men I seen in hoodies at 1 in 50.

By the way, my spellcheck flags "hoodie", it can’t be the ubiquitous.
posted by bongo_x at 3:45 PM on January 29

I'll bite: what on earth makes this hoodie (or bunny hug, if you prefer, which I think I may) worth eight hundred euros?

The fact that its modular subsystems are cross compatible with the USD140 Tactical Moleskine Holder. Obviously.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:07 PM on January 29

And as much love as I have for various hoodie shaped things, I actually am not a fan of wearing technical outwear as casual wear. I have very nice north face and patagonia and mountain hardware stuff, but... that stuff is for camping and hiking and such.
I feel the same about people wearing them out as I think a lot of others do about normal athletic hoodies - it feels out of place.
Though that's mostly just a decision about what I like wearing, I don't actually CARE if others make a different one.
posted by flaterik at 4:11 PM on January 29

How, when, and where was the brand ever a status symbol?

For me, right around 1985-86. The Champion thing, and the relative legitimacy of "parachute" pants.

you don't have enough zippers on that
posted by exlotuseater at 4:25 PM on January 29

And as much love as I have for various hoodie shaped things, I actually am not a fan of wearing technical outwear as casual wear. I have very nice north face and patagonia and mountain hardware stuff, but... that stuff is for camping and hiking and such.

I'm with you, but living as I do in the land of perpetual drizzle, where umbrellas are useless (and somewhat verboten), peacoats are too heavy and London Fog is too formal, shells have their place.

If someone invents a business casual, lightweight, breathable, waterproof jacket, please let me know.
Or maybe, they already do, then let me know.
posted by madajb at 4:38 PM on January 29

If someone invents a business casual, lightweight, breathable, waterproof jacket, please let me know.
Done.

(from Burbury's Prosum - spring-summer 2013 men's collection)
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:02 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I'm with you, but living as I do in the land of perpetual drizzle, where umbrellas are useless (and somewhat verboten), peacoats are too heavy and London Fog is too formal, shells have their place.

I've always lived where either a hoodie is going to be wildly insufficient and you're just going to wear a parka over it while outside anyway, or where rain is considered a Major Event That We Are Unprepared For And There Might Be Deaths; this must have affected my tastes here.

In the land of drizzle, a shell seems to be a perfectly cromulent choice.
posted by flaterik at 5:19 PM on January 29

I'll bite: what on earth makes this hoodie (or bunny hug, if you prefer, which I think I may) worth eight hundred euros?

It would be totally worth it if that guy delivered it himself to my home and stuck around to make me french toast and bacon, and then came with me to work every day for a week to stand around glaring fashionably at everyone who irritated me. (so basically everyone.)
posted by elizardbits at 5:36 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

Did something about him or the hoodie inspire you to french toast and bacon, or is that just how one becomes someone that does not irritate you?
posted by flaterik at 5:49 PM on January 29

Tonight, out on the town, I spotted a man with a date. The man was wearing a white hoodie, and he had a fedora. I wanted to ask the woman if it was an internet date, or if the man had mentioned how much karma he has on the webzone reddit dot com.
posted by hellojed at 7:20 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

The fact that its modular subsystems are cross compatible with the USD140 Tactical Moleskine Holder. Obviously.

I...I assumed you were joking. Fuck me.

I can only assume that tactical in this case indicates that they saw you coming.
posted by jaduncan at 7:52 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

I often rock this hoodie under a vintage leather jacket with some classic Levi's. Has a timeless sort of appeal to me, and I seem to pull it off.
posted by erskelyne at 7:56 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

is that just how one becomes someone that does not irritate you?

correct.
posted by elizardbits at 8:47 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I thought the term "hoodie" originated from hip-hop culture? Can't really find anything to back that up though.

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien was accosted on the 46A by a pack of about 4 teens, looking real mean in hoodies and jeans. That would have been in the San Francisco Bay area in 1991.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:53 PM on January 29

In my early thirties to early 40s male cohort, hoodies (and sweatshirts of any sort) rarely make an appearance.

It's definitely a choice of garment for a few subgroups of people that may not be in your current cohort.

First, it's very common among young adults in the San Francisco and Seattle area. Geeks especially but also a lot of other young people and people who don't work in corporate environments. I remember moving out there around 2000, and meeting up with an old school friend and her girlfriend one rainy night in 2002, all of us wearing hoodies with hoods up in the drizzle.

At our non-profit staff meeting today, I was sporting one and so was one of the directors.

Second, it's common among white and blue-collar people in the midwest. First, it's just a comfy piece of clothing. And useful to wear under a cheap winter coat that may not have a built-in hat. Layers: a fashion of necessity when moving between miserable freezing outdoor temperatures and roasting indoor heating. Working in the garage on a project during the winter, they're a wonderful item to have.

I think the two classes of wearers are different, although there is overlap. People consciously making a choice to reject mainstream fashion, and people who just want something practical and warm.


It feels like there should be a UK/genre perspective somewhere.

I can't speak for the UK really, but I definitely remember UK dance culture during the jungle / drum n bass era in the early 90s had the hoodie as a central element of the group identity. The hoodie was a snug fit for the darker nature of jungle. While originally it may have just been a few kids showing up to raves in a hoodie, it became a conscious shared cultural symbol that looked as intimidating as the music sounded to many outsiders.

Like Stagger Lee and the article mention, there's a lot more going on in the choice of the hoodie than most people are willing to admit.

The other thing about hoodies is that almost all of the ones I've had have been either free gifts or the result of associations with organizations I supported / was a member of. EFF/XKCD, UofM, Monterey Bay Aquarium (a beautiful dark green with their awesome Celtic inspired logo on the back, unfortunately lost last year to the Airline Gods), Dead Can Dance tour hoodie, etc. They're definitely social group indicators, with all the baggage and advantages that entails.
posted by formless at 9:41 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

It's definitely a choice of garment for a few subgroups of people that may not be in your current cohort.

Naturally and becoming more popular, but not yet 'standardwear' as posited.

Second, it's common among white and blue-collar people in the midwest.

A hooded sweatshirt and Carhartt were de rigueur for every factory worker, mechanic or line worker in the Northeast 20+ years ago.
Hell, I wore that uniform myself while working at a ski resort in the winter.
posted by madajb at 9:26 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]

That hood really comes in handy when on the back of a Vespa. Like the sports player mentioned above, the hood keeps ears and neck warm without slipping around under a helmet.

I rock the hoodie under a blazer look, often with a scarf around my neck under the hoodie. And I look damned cute, too.
posted by _paegan_ at 9:31 AM on January 30

You can find "tactical" clothing and accessories all over the Internet. When is someone going to make me a strategic hoodie?
posted by KathrynT at 9:42 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]

They're definitely social group indicators, with all the baggage and advantages that entails.

FUCK YEAH, MY SOCIAL GROUP IS CLARISSA DALLOWAY
posted by Greg Nog at 11:18 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]

FUCK YEAH, MY SOCIAL GROUP IS CLARISSA DALLOWAY
Has someone..? *googles* ...so yeah, that's a thing.
posted by juv3nal at 11:24 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]

However, by wearing your "I don't give a fuck" outfit every day, it becomes your "I give too much of a fuck about appearing not to give a fuck" outfit.

I think you're confusing "I don't give a fuck about what I'm wearing" with "I don't give a fuck about your opinion of what I'm wearing."
posted by straight at 11:44 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]

The Google Ngram for "hoodie" shows it use shooting up in starting in 2000.

I know we were using the term in the mid-90's (Detroit, art college).
posted by Windigo at 12:36 PM on January 30

You can take my warm snuggly hoodie off of my cold dead body.
posted by deborah at 2:02 PM on January 30

Oh, and zip-up hoodie = kangaroo jacket.
posted by deborah at 2:03 PM on January 30

It feels like there should be a UK/genre perspective somewhere. Misfits had 'Super Hoodie', a semi-superhero identified with his hoodie. I've heard films like Attack the Block described as 'hoodie horror'

'Hoodie' has come to mean 'yob' in the UK. As in 'some hoodie broke into JD Sports'. 'Hoodie horror' isn't referring to the garment as such but 'hoodie' as a label. I haven't seen Misfits, but given the setting, I'd imagine that 'Super Hoodie' is a hoodie with superpowers, rather than a superhero wearing a hooded top (as they were called up north in the rave era).
posted by mippy at 2:58 PM on January 30 [1 favorite]

'Hoodie' has come to mean 'yob' in the UK.

Pretty sure the UK is the only place where 'yob' means anything, FWIW.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:17 PM on January 30

Whether you like it or not, hoodies are very much the frock coats and cravats of the 21st century.

Hmm, I think I would say more like the flat caps/newsboy caps of the 21st century. Like IndigoJones said, you don't see bankers or lawyers wearing hoodies on the job yet.

If you want to cosplay as your dad or grandpa, knock yourself out, but trying to set fashion rules by flat declarations will get you laughed at much more than wearing an eminently sensible article of clothing, I think.

Sometimes a coat and tie (or god help us a hat) is just a coat, a tie, and a hat. I telecommute, and spend quite a bit of time slothing around the house in jeans/tshirts/hoodies. When I have occasion to go out into society and interact with other human beings at events, I relish the opportunity to dress like a grown-up* for a change.

^*When I was a kid, grown-ups dressed up for special events.
posted by usonian at 3:49 PM on January 30 [3 favorites]

'Hoodie' has come to mean 'yob' in the UK. As in 'some hoodie broke into JD Sports'. 'Hoodie horror' isn't referring to the garment as such but 'hoodie' as a label. I haven't seen Misfits, but given the setting, I'd imagine that 'Super Hoodie' is a hoodie with superpowers, rather than a superhero wearing a hooded top (as they were called up north in the rave era).

He's both, but he does wear a hooded top.

Hmm, I think I would say more like the flat caps/newsboy caps of the 21st century.

I have on occasion worn my flat cap with a hoodie.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 4:01 PM on January 30

You can find "tactical" clothing and accessories all over the Internet. When is someone going to make me a strategic hoodie?

Third link.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 4:49 AM on February 1