to be fair, while not much of a hacker since the days when you could just open windows and delete the password, most of my casual wardrobe could pass for 'cozy pyjama party matrix cosplay'.
A dude in a full Fox fursuit is the face behind the string of shutdowns that slowed the nation to a halt. I can see it now, FBI dragging the poor guy out of his room, knocking over models and plushies off his desk as he struggles to get his message out to the public.
Wow, I can't believe nobody's even bothered to mention the style from the definitive hacker movie. Just absolutely gobsmacked. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like:
Notably missing from this picture: rollerblades, fingerless gloves, neon dyed hair, tons of fishnets (which I guess you could probably stylize as fish.nets or something), puffy vest, etc.
In my day, being a hacker meant dressing like a weird raver/punk and sending people a GIF of a laughing skull, and that's how we liked it
Punk tends to lean towards modifying what you have with what tools are available, and shopping second-hand. As a bonus, the inherent aesthetic is harder for the fashion industry to co-opt.
For those not in the know, he was a member of a number of New York punk bands in the 70s. Malcolm McLaren nicked his style (along with that of others) and brought it over to England to sell in his clothing store Sex.
I still don’t think anyone who’s in the hacktivist scene really gives a shit or at least doesn’t give a shit on whole any more than any other group does.
Let me spend several months trying to identify exploits while siting at my computer but also take the time every day to coordinate a cute outfit…
We're the black hoodie guy, which is the media aesthetic the way Ninjas are decked in Kabuki black.
Real ninjas look like peasants because they're covert operatives. Hacktivists look like lower class tech geeks with a band or brand tee (maybe an overworn prized possession like a 1980s Apple tee). The thing is, we willfully choose to look bland, to be not noticed.
He was on my Southwest flight to LAX in 2001 and there was a palpable buzz among the pax.
Then ran into him while we were waiting for our rides at the white zone, which is for loading and unloading only.
I presented him with a super tacky giant gold coat button I had just found at a payphone as if it was an achievement award, and had a fun quick chat. Lovely and delightful guy.
When I met him, we had some absurd questions during the audience participation part. My friend asked, "suburban Baltimore is such an interesting backdrop for a movie. Both mundane and interesting. As a young black artist in America, I'd like to know what you think about lowriders."
My other friend had him sign her maxipad wrapper. This friend also happens to be the nice of Patsy from Ab Fab.
Yes please fit into a nice cultural box so you’re easy to profile, entice and hunt
Edit to say you don’t need an age to be an activist. Does hacktivism have an age? Idk I guess younger folks are more likely to do it right now. Maybe hacktivism just needs a democratizing platform. Like enable grandma to ddos
I do feel kind of simillarly betrayed. Watch Dogs were my forst point of reference into what hacker subcultures look like, and it has shaped a large part of my life - next month i's going to be 5 years I've worked as a Red Teamer in a cybersec company. I'm also mostly a poser, and the aesthetics simply makes it way more fun - making art that's tied into what you do is great, assuming you dont take it too seriously, of course. Not that I do it, but the way Watch Dogs portraied it, it was fun.
Is it neccessary? Of course not. Is it a shame there aren't many hackerspaces with cool street art, and hacktivists making over the top manifests ajd cool streetart around our town? A little bit.
Like all of this things listed were cheap and anti-fashion at the time.
Time, maybe for some things but chucking on a pair of docs and a jacket isn’t time consuming, a Mohawk could be but you don’t style them every day. &tc.
Back then and today workwear is where it's at. Not reflective vest type of workwear, this kind of stuff. Comfy, durable, cut that prioritises function but doesn't ignore style (maybe unsurprisingly companies like it when their employees have a bit of drip), and unless the company sold out to fashion you're not paying extra for the brand (unless it's Engelbert-Strauss which is construction site Gucci. I mean it's still solid and functional it's just not worth the premium). Also available without cargo pockets if you insist, look for companies catering more towards service jobs than the trades.
Pretty much only downside is the lack of colour options. Be careful when thinking about dying stuff many synthetics don't dye well or at all, even when the fabric is pure cotton the thread is definitely polyester. Or even silica.
I feel like he's just lamenting that the youth that are making things happen could make a statement with some distinct fashion. Style has always been important for him so I guess it's somewhat complaint adjacent, but I get the feeling it's less like "damn kids today!" and more like "it'd be better if it were this way".
I thought thigh highs and cat ear headsets are the style of the modern hacktivist?
20 years ago, it was The Matrix. 10 years ago, Guy Fawkes masks. Thigh highs and cat ears are the least cringy of the possibilities to date.
Columbine ruined The Matrix look real quick.
It only had 3 weeks.
to be fair, while not much of a hacker since the days when you could just open windows and delete the password, most of my casual wardrobe could pass for 'cozy pyjama party matrix cosplay'.
but new images are always nice.
Check out Hirens boot CD if you want to reset windows passwords
Also medicat
It's either that or a fursuit
A dude in a full Fox fursuit is the face behind the string of shutdowns that slowed the nation to a halt. I can see it now, FBI dragging the poor guy out of his room, knocking over models and plushies off his desk as he struggles to get his message out to the public.
They even shot his waifu pillow
I think John would be delighted tbh
SiegedSec moment
Wow, I can't believe nobody's even bothered to mention the style from the definitive hacker movie. Just absolutely gobsmacked. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like:
Notably missing from this picture: rollerblades, fingerless gloves, neon dyed hair, tons of fishnets (which I guess you could probably stylize as fish.nets or something), puffy vest, etc.
In my day, being a hacker meant dressing like a weird raver/punk and sending people a GIF of a laughing skull, and that's how we liked it
Hack the planet!
They're trashing our rights, TRASHING our rights.
Everything about this. Yes!
They dressed like JP from Grandmas Boy.
FFS this comment section is mostly people misunderstanding that John is likely saying this tongue in cheek.
People need to brush up on their cinema.
I think it's even funnier to think of John Waters saying this totally in earnest.
Even his face always looks like he's waiting for you to laugh at the funny thing he said
You're telling me a Doritos-stained shirt isn't an aesthetic?
Drip lies in the eye of the beholder
that do be how eyedrops work
This is wisdom.
Like the stains that dripped on my shirt?
I think most anti status quo people wouldn’t be interested in the clothing industrial complex
Maybe people are just more comfortable expressing themselves in different and unique ways that don’t conform to one “outfit/style”
Punk tends to lean towards modifying what you have with what tools are available, and shopping second-hand. As a bonus, the inherent aesthetic is harder for the fashion industry to co-opt.
The punk aesthetic was invented by a man who owned a fashion label and had his own storefront.
He ripped it off from a man who was one of punk's founding fathers.
Give us a name to go with the face, at least.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's Richard Hell.
Correct!
For those not in the know, he was a member of a number of New York punk bands in the 70s. Malcolm McLaren nicked his style (along with that of others) and brought it over to England to sell in his clothing store Sex.
Joke's on him, I never paid him a penny
I think I once spent 99 cents on his cover of she's not there.
Punk, like 80s punk? Safety pin piercings, jackets with the arms torn off, covered in handsewn patches, egg-white hair glue?
Late 70s Punk.
I think hand repaired and hand sewn stuff could easily be it. “I made this dress before taking down the stock exchange”
Maybe. But it's a craft that takes a lot of practice to get good at, and a lifetime to master.
Yeah, you can't expect to be successful the first time you try to take down a stock exchange
I still don’t think anyone who’s in the hacktivist scene really gives a shit or at least doesn’t give a shit on whole any more than any other group does.
Let me spend several months trying to identify exploits while siting at my computer but also take the time every day to coordinate a cute outfit…
Okay, I guess I'll put the cat ears away :/
No you fool! That's the fashion he's looking for! Put on the fursuit and thigh high socks and shut down Google!
Yes Daddy, I can't aid the revolution if I'm not wearing my maid uniform
Or furries.
Usually both
Thigh highs and skirt-go-spinny aesthetic <3
We're the black hoodie guy, which is the media aesthetic the way Ninjas are decked in Kabuki black.
Real ninjas look like peasants because they're covert operatives. Hacktivists look like lower class tech geeks with a band or brand tee (maybe an overworn prized possession like a 1980s Apple tee). The thing is, we willfully choose to look bland, to be not noticed.
Gray man/woman aesthetic
I met Waters once at a viewing of Pecker. The dude is a gem.
He was on my Southwest flight to LAX in 2001 and there was a palpable buzz among the pax.
Then ran into him while we were waiting for our rides at the white zone, which is for loading and unloading only.
I presented him with a super tacky giant gold coat button I had just found at a payphone as if it was an achievement award, and had a fun quick chat. Lovely and delightful guy.
When I met him, we had some absurd questions during the audience participation part. My friend asked, "suburban Baltimore is such an interesting backdrop for a movie. Both mundane and interesting. As a young black artist in America, I'd like to know what you think about lowriders."
My other friend had him sign her maxipad wrapper. This friend also happens to be the nice of Patsy from Ab Fab.
a what
If you want to see the modern hacktivist style just look at UnixSocks
Yes please fit into a nice cultural box so you’re easy to profile, entice and hunt
Edit to say you don’t need an age to be an activist. Does hacktivism have an age? Idk I guess younger folks are more likely to do it right now. Maybe hacktivism just needs a democratizing platform. Like enable grandma to ddos
Personally I think the modern activist should dress like Devo
We are living through a devolution, after all.
But not the Mayan pyramids Devo, I wanna see the potato bodies of the "Oh No It's Devo!" phase.
is this resistance or a costume party? either way i think black with bandanas is a boring theme
Pat the Bunny referenced????
And recognized in record time!!!??
I do feel kind of simillarly betrayed. Watch Dogs were my forst point of reference into what hacker subcultures look like, and it has shaped a large part of my life - next month i's going to be 5 years I've worked as a Red Teamer in a cybersec company. I'm also mostly a poser, and the aesthetics simply makes it way more fun - making art that's tied into what you do is great, assuming you dont take it too seriously, of course. Not that I do it, but the way Watch Dogs portraied it, it was fun.
Is it neccessary? Of course not. Is it a shame there aren't many hackerspaces with cool street art, and hacktivists making over the top manifests ajd cool streetart around our town? A little bit.
Priorities
Srsly, fashion takes time and money and thought.
If any of those in short supply ya jes wear what you got
Like all of this things listed were cheap and anti-fashion at the time.
Time, maybe for some things but chucking on a pair of docs and a jacket isn’t time consuming, a Mohawk could be but you don’t style them every day. &tc.
Streetwear has lost its way 😢
Streetwear has been co-opted by designer streetwear brands and costs a fuck load to fit that look
Back then and today workwear is where it's at. Not reflective vest type of workwear, this kind of stuff. Comfy, durable, cut that prioritises function but doesn't ignore style (maybe unsurprisingly companies like it when their employees have a bit of drip), and unless the company sold out to fashion you're not paying extra for the brand (unless it's Engelbert-Strauss which is construction site Gucci. I mean it's still solid and functional it's just not worth the premium). Also available without cargo pockets if you insist, look for companies catering more towards service jobs than the trades.
Pretty much only downside is the lack of colour options. Be careful when thinking about dying stuff many synthetics don't dye well or at all, even when the fabric is pure cotton the thread is definitely polyester. Or even silica.
We let it happen, imo. The bling era of incorporating high fashion into streetwear to show off let luxury brands co-opt it.
I just go for punk
Some dude in the fucking WSJ is complaining about how hackers look ? What the hell is this?
John Waters made a lot of counterculture films back in the day-- I don't think his tone is complaining
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Waters
What is it then?
Tongue in cheek
Neurotypicals at it again
I feel like he's just lamenting that the youth that are making things happen could make a statement with some distinct fashion. Style has always been important for him so I guess it's somewhat complaint adjacent, but I get the feeling it's less like "damn kids today!" and more like "it'd be better if it were this way".
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b0mSkw1DuH8/maxresdefault.jpg
They have one. It's called "whatever I can afford on my minimum wage salary."
black hoodie in a dark room, maybe even a guy fawkes mask