Hoodies For Boys – Aren’t They A Good Idea?

I met a parent recently that would not allow her son to wear a hoodie. She said “hoodies for boys are a bad idea”. sp5der hoodie felt they promoted a negative attitude and even worse, rebellion. “Only criminal types put them on” she said. I didn’t agree of course, because I had worn them for a long time and don’t consider myself to be a “criminal type.”

I did so however recently read a British news article where a certain style of hoodie was going to be banned. It was a faceless hoodie, one which could be zipped around 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 totally conceal their identity. I have to admit it had been pretty wicked looking and reminded me of someone wearing a gas mask or 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. I mean, why are they frequently associated with criminal behavior now days. It didn’t used to be that way. Didn’t people 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 also either wore a pullover or one that zipped up. I thought the pockets were what made them cool, one big one across the front you could lock your cold hands in. They even annoyed me sometimes when I would lose the neck string inside the sweat shirt and it would take me hours to obtain it back!

I was thinking about all the famous or notorious personalities through history who wore hoodies. There is 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. Needless to say so did the wicked queen when she was a witch. Actually lots of witches ware hoodies! What about Shrek… and Rocky? Now there is really a couple or hero types that wore a hoodies (and a beanie in Rocky’s case). What I am saying is just about every stereotype are available wearing a hoodie at some time and time. Even the Mexican Serape could have a hood on it if Sombreros weren’t so cool!

The main point is that hoodies are for everyone even for boys, and they don’t make anybody good or bad. We do that ourselves with or without 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 is were one needs to use a little discernment or common 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 steadily to wear my hoodie and hopefully it generally does not upset anyone.