While suits have transitioned from rebellious icon to a symbol of corporate conformity, the hooded sweatshirt, or hoodie, has remained an icon for the rebellious underground. While hoods have existed throughout history, Champion Products claims to have created the hoodie in the 1930s.^[6] It was originally designed for laborers and athletes working in harsh environmental conditions, but the garment eventually made the jump to personal wear when high school athletes began giving their hoodies to their girlfriends. During the mid-1970s, the hoodie began to gain its underground identity on the streets among muggers and graffiti artists in an attempt to conceal their identities and maintain a low profile. The hoodie was also iconic in the film Rocky and helped to add to that lower-class “us vs. the world” aesthetic.

Since then, the hoodie has been adopted by other groups like skaters, punks, rappers, and street artists. The connecting thread among these groups has been utilizing their lesser means to express themselves and their complicated relationship with law enforcement. Even recently, the shooting of Trayvon Martin has largely hinged on his allegedly sinister appearance with his hoodie. As a result, many people have donned hoodies to show their support for Trayvon Martin’s cause, even if it came as a violation of a dress code. Despite all of this, the hoodie is still appropriate for warmth and everyday use. Denis Wilson of The New York Times probably best typified the hoodie with an analogy to Rocky Balboa himself: “Rocky Balboa is beloved as much for his average-Joe, big-lug appeal as for his bone crushing and face pounding. And sometimes a hoodie is just soft and warm.”