I met a parent recently that would not allow her son to wear a hoodie. She said “hoodies for boys certainly are a bad idea”. She felt they promoted a negative attitude and even worse, rebellion. “Only criminal types put them on” she said. I didn’t agree needless to say, because I had worn them for a long time and don’t consider myself to become a “criminal type.”

I did however recently read a British news article where a certain style of hoodie would be banned. It had been a faceless hoodie, one which could be zipped up to completely cover the wearer’s face. It even had two transparent elliptical plastic eyes to check through! Security forces felt it was sinister and allowed wearers to completely conceal their identity. I have to admit it was pretty wicked looking and reminded me of someone wearing a gas mask or perhaps a full-bodied hazmat suit. It was camo colored and I just knew the wearer had a concealed assault rifle somewhere!

This got me thinking about hoodies in general. After all, why are they so often associated with criminal behavior nowadays. It didn’t used to be that way. Didn’t folks from all backgrounds just wear them to be casual and stay warm as well. When I was a youngster we just called them sweat shirts with hoods and you either wore a pullover or one that zipped up. I thought the pockets were what made them cool, one big one over the front you can lock your cold hands in. They even annoyed me at times when I would lose the neck string in the sweat shirt and it would take me hours to get it back!

I was thinking about all of the famous or notorious personalities through history who wore hoodies. There was medieval monks, they wore sort ‘a corny looking dark pullover with hoods. And through the same time the common European peasant wore a hoodie like coat or blanket, right? What about Robin Hood? There is Little Red Riding Hood. The Seven Dwarfs and Snow White herself. Of course so did the wicked queen when she was a witch. Actually lots of witches ware hoodies! What about Shrek… and Rocky? There is really a couple or hero types that wore a hoodies (and a beanie in Rocky’s case). What I’m saying is merely about every stereotype are available wearing a hoodie at some time and time. Even the Mexican Serape would have a hood on it if Sombreros weren’t so cool!

The point is that hoodies are for everybody even for boys, plus they don’t make anybody good or bad. Snoodie do this ourselves with or minus the hoodie. Hoodies can be made with certain colors combinations or logos to recognize the wearer with a certain lifestyle or group and maybe that’s were one needs to use a little discernment or good sense but after that I think it just boils right down to they are comfortable, convenient and down right practical. So ultimately I will continue to wear my hoodie and hopefully it doesn’t upset anyone.