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 Hoodies
Spelled as either 'hoodie' or 'hoody', a hoodie is a hooded clothing garment, which, in recent years has become quite a controversial item of clothing. Due to the introduction of CCTV (close circuit television) in towns and cities across the UK, the hoodie has become linked to criminal elements who wish to hide their facial features from being recorded. The combination of a hooded sweater and a baseball cap can make it difficult to convict in a court of law. As the above pictures show, the hoodie is simply a sweat shirt with a hood attached. Alongside the hood, a hoodie should include draw strings to tighten the opening of the hood, and two large pockets on the front. The classic 'hoodie' does not include a vertical zipper on the front, this has been a later addition, and is classified as a 'hoodie jacket', or a 'half zip' or 'full zip' hoodie. A hooded jacket is not a contemporary design however, dating back through the centuries Catholic monks have worn robes with a hood. The modern introduction of a hooded sweater is not recent either. During the 1930's the American brand 'Champion' released the first modern take on a hooded sweater. It's still produced by the Champion company, and is amongst their best selling apparels. Only by the 70's - 90's did the 'hoodie' start to become a more menacing symbol. It was first worn by Hip Hop stars, and African American street thugs / muggers in New York City during the 1970's. By the 1990's the suburban kids got in on the act, with skateboarders and surfers lending some street cred to the hoodie. The hoodie has only recently become popular in the UK. In the UK, within certain quarters, it would be fair to say that the hoodie has become a symbol of an antisocial, asbo culture within the UK. This has led some privately owned shopping centres to ban the wearing of hoodies within their property. Whilst the hoodie may only seem to appeal to a specific social demographic in the UK, in the US, things are not so clear-cut. Hoodies have always been a part and parcel of sportswear in the US, with the majority of regional and national sports teams having worn hoodies at some time or the other. Likewise, many manual workers and builders wear them in cold conditions. Most universities in the US sell hoodies with their logo emblazoned upon them. Therefore, in most US campus's, you will see hundreds of students wearing hoodies. From 2006-2009, the negative reaction to the garment in the UK could be regarded as hysteria. The political response was mixed. With ministers from Labour slamming the garment, describing hooded teenage gangs as threatening. The Conservative leader failed miserably with his "hug a hoodie" speech. As of 2011, with the press no longer showing any interest in the hoodie, it would appear this item of clothing has receeded into the annomity in which it previously resided.
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