Fun Fad Facts: Camo Kablammo

Welcome back to another week of Fun Fad Facts! Like many a Reedie I have certainly indulged in the current trend of camo print. It seems that this globular pattern of olive greens, beige, gray and even, in totally contradictory (and awesome) cases, neon, has become such a staple that it almost functions as a solid instead of a print. This is not a particularly uncommon phenomenon in which a pattern becomes so mainstream that it becomes neutral due to the visual comfort that comes with high levels of exposure. I would even go so far as to say that this print to neutral/solid almost feels recycled from the hold cheetah print had on Reed (and beyond) just last year. But what changed, and why is a historically military print so omnipresent at a college with the unofficial motto “Communism, Atheism, & Free Love”?

The origins of camouflage print are fairly obvious, taking inspiration from animals' uncanny ability to blend in with their surroundings. Militaries took note viewing this pseudo-invisability as strategic and useful and adapting it into the military uniform. Camo began permeating outside of military uniform in the 1970s with the anti-Vietnam War protests, where civilians would wear the characteristic print to problematize the war through the appropriation of the military uniform. In addition to anti-war protests Hollywood's fixation with war movies, or depictions of veterans began the process of camo print expanding beyond an exclusively in combat context. Some fashion historians point to Andy Warhol as the originator of pop culture camo. His use of camo in his pop art prints took the pattern out of the military context right into the laps of major designers that then began incorporating camo into non-tactical fashion. It is very hard to talk about the omnipresent camo fashion without mentioning the role hip-hop and Black culture has played in expanding and perpetuating this trend. In the 1980s camo began percolating in hip-hop fashion, rappers often going to tactical stores playing into the “tough” connotation of the military garb. Apparently hip-hop and camo became so intertwined that it was a safe assumption in the 1990s that a camo wearer was likely a hip-hop fan as well. (also this is a too brief summary of the interesting history of camo, so if this is exciting and curious for you I highly recommend reading more in depth sources!)

Now the classic question of what does this history mean in terms of the connotation and intention camo holds today at Reed, and per usual I can not answer that question. That being said, I can guess and scrutinize! As discussed above, camo’s current significance is in my mind inseparable from its military origins repping stereotypical masculinity. The styling of camo on snazzy pants and baby tees is a rejection of the tradition of camo signifying the hyper masculine through queering the gender norms of the print through the subversion of placement. In Reed being home to such a queer student body, is the subversion of traditional masculinity particularly appealing? Or maybe camo is being worn as an appropriation and critique of the military conflicts taking place globally? Or maybe this military pattern is repopulating campus as a product of many people’s current political headspaces, that have moved away from unity to more combative self-defense in regards to the current violent policies circulating. At many protests, people now come wearing head to toe protective gear in fear of tear gas or police violence. Is it crazy to think a small part of this trend can be an extension of this tactical protest garb? Or perhaps, like so many trends, does camo’s popularity come from the appropriation of Black culture?