Hiding in plain sight: Americans’ obsession with camouflage is a sign of paranoid times

From Chappell Roan to rightwing-coded ‘it’ girls, Americans of all stripes are embracing the aesthetic. It’s the latest indication of a new political moment

It’s become an inescapable pop culture touchstone. A pattern of crispy brown leaves interspersed with twigs and moss darting around like advancing thickets, peeking out from underneath jackets, plastered on oversize pants and trucker hats.

Hunting camouflage, a tactical pattern designed to resemble forest undergrowth to disguise hunters during deer season, is seen everywhere from Chappell Roan’s Midwestern Princess hat (and its ill-fated Harris-Walz dupe), to Lana Del Rey’s gator-wrangling husband, to Sweetgreen’s kale-themed camo merchandise, to lacy thong underwear sold by Bass Pro Shops that promises “a look that’s as thrilling as the hunt itself”.

Topics

Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings

It’s unclear if that buzzing sound coming out of New Jersey is drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned ...
ABC News - 4h
WATCH: Dog looks guilty hiding fishy evidence

The face of a very guilty but very cute boy.
ABC News - 17h
Why is the internet obsessed with a suspected CEO killer?

The killing of a health insurance boss has divided America
BBC News - 1d
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic

The NHL is partnering with P-X-P to serve the Deaf community, creating an alternate telecast for the Winter Classic that features analysis in American Sign Language
ABC News - 2d
Obsessed with: Vancouver’s top-quality — and inexpensive — sushi

The city is a sushi-lover’s paradise, and the salmon rolls and sashimi punch well above their price
Financial Times - 3d
The Internet’s Obsession With Luigi Mangione Signals a Major Shift

On Monday, police arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old app developer, in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Online reaction to his apprehension reveals a new form ...
Wired - 4d
Monk abused children for decades on Welsh island ‘in plain sight’, review says

Thaddeus Kotik groomed, raped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island despite repeated complaints. A monk was able to abuse children for four decades on an island off the Welsh coast ...
The Guardian - 4d
Woman accused of hiding on plane appears in court

The Russian woman accused of sneaking onto a Delta flight from New York to Paris has been charged with knowingly and intentionally secreting herself aboard an airplane.
ABC News - Dec. 5
The UC Berkeley Project That Is the AI Industry's Obsession

Chatbot Arena ranks the world’s best AI models on a leaderboard based on user voting in head-to-head competitions between bots.
The Wall Street Journal - Dec. 5