The hoodie was my go-to attire for many years. It didn’t matter how hot it was outside, I could find a reason to wear a hoodie. Recently, a reader asked me about this topic.
It’s a question I’ve heard many parents ask in recent years. It is something teachers joke about now. This kid wouldn’t be sweating if he took off his hoodie.
We’ve watched kids fight off heat stroke under the Southern sun during Field Day and still refuse to take off their hoodies. If it is a style statement, their peers are rarely impressed. If anything, it brings them negative attention.
I was one of those kids, and after mentioning my hoodie love in a previous article, the reader asked me the same question so many others have asked.
Why do kids wear hoodies on hot days?
He was especially curious about why so many Black boys wore hoodies when it made them a bigger target for racism.
His question compelled me to dig a little further.
What does the science say?
Well, turns out the science doesn’t say much at all. I did find an article by Marshall Shepherd, a climate scientist who writes for Forbes. He did the research as well and also found very little, but he did theorize that hoodies worked like weighted blankets.
Weighted blankets help with insomnia, autism, and anxiety. Based on my experience as a former hoodie “enthusiast” and a teacher I can see hoodies possessing similar benefits.
At the very least, they may calm people who have autism and anxiety.
Portable cave
Jason Wilson discusses hoodies in his book The Man the Moment Demands. He calls them portable caves and focuses on why Black men wear these hoodies when the weather doesn’t call for it.
He explains how hoodies were created to protect athletes and laborers from the elements, and they still work this way for Black boys. He argues the hoodies protect the boys from the elements of life: “depression, abandonment, and shame” (Wilson 6).
These boys don’t have an outlet because they’ve been taught by our patriarchal society that any emotion considered “not masculine” cannot be expressed.
Wilson’s claims ring true. They are similar to my own experiences.
My experience
As a Black man, I know the risks of wearing hoodies, especially in certain settings. Hopefully, we all remember Trayvon Martin.
I went to a predominantly white college, but I was married to my hoodies. Sure, kids avoided me when they saw me walking on the same path at night, even though we shared classes during the day. One professor criticized me and implied I wore hoodies to be Black.
Again, I am Black.
So, why did I continue to wear them despite the criticism? Well, it was about protection. It felt safe. Looking back, I know it drew attention to me, but it also made me feel invisible.
I’ve always struggled with social anxiety. I’m pretty good at acting for short bursts, but I was the guy sneaking away from parties. The hoodie worked as a buffer.
It was illogical, but the weighted blanket comparison makes sense. I think of children who become attached to a blanket or a stuffed animal. The hoodie is a more socially acceptable stuffed animal for a teenager.
My students
So many of my students wear hoodies. It isn’t just the Black boys. Still, the idea of the hoodie offering protection holds true.
The kids who wear them consistently, the ones who slump down in their chairs with their hoods up, are usually a certain type of kid. This type has a wide range, so it is maybe easier to say who the kid isn’t. In most cases, this isn’t the kid who is being voted prom king. This isn’t the kid in a million clubs with multiple academic achievement awards.
The hoodie kids are usually carrying wounds. It could be the struggle of a broken family. It could be anxiety. It could be a family that rejects them. For many Black boys, existing in a racist society with no emotional outlet is enough.
These kids wrap themselves in comfort and hide from their emotions.
We have a no hoods on in the school rule, but of course many students ignore this. They may take it down when requested, but they will put it back up as soon as they turn a corner. I’ve even seen kids get suspended for not putting their hoodie down, or not putting it down far enough.
I’ve never had this issue in my classroom. I usually approach the kids with a softer tone. I understand why so many teachers yell with frustration. Why do they have to keep telling these kids the same thing?
I was one of those hoodie kids, though. Pulling the hood up is likely a defense mechanism. I usually whisper to a kid something like, “Remember the hood rule,” and they take it down with no complaints.
Jason Wilson worked with kids as well, and he says he would tell them, “Their choice to wear hoodies indoors may be a way of coping with inner pain." The kids respond by taking off their hoods and sitting up straighter.
I may incorporate this the next time I need to have a hoodie discussion.
Conclusion
So, why do kids wear hoodies in hot weather? I expected to write this with scientific studies backing my hypothesis. I don’t have it, but I did find many people who independently drew similar conclusions to my own.
Next time you see a kid wearing a hoodie, don’t give them a hard time. Consider having a discussion with them. If you are close, remind them that their emotions are valid, and you are a safe space for them.
Who knows, they may take the hoodie off and start talking.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium.