Nazi chic is the use of style, imagery, and paraphernalia in clothing and popular culture related to Nazi-era Germany, especially when used for taboo-breaking or shock value rather than out of genuine support of Nazism or Nazi ideology.
Its popularity began in the 1970s with the emergence of the Heavy metal, punk and glam rock movements: the Sex Pistols' first television appearance occurred with a person of their entourage wearing Nazi regalia. [1] Nazi chic was later used in the fashion industry. [2] The trend, while having originated in the Western culture, by the late 20th and early 21st century became particularly popular in Asia. [3] Nazi chic also partly inspired some of the fashion of the leather subculture. [4]
In the surf culture of the 1950s and 1960s, "Surf Nazis" would experiment with Nazi aesthetics, such as swastikas and Nazi helmets, and sometimes paint swastikas on their surfboards. Their motivation was often anti-establishment rebelliousness, rather than genuine sympathy with the Nazis. [5] American artist Ed Roth sold plastic Nazi stormtrooper helmets to surfers in the 1960s, and told Time magazine, "That Hitler really did a helluva public relations job for me." [6] In the 1960s, some filmmakers looking for edgy and controversial ideas incorporated Nazi themes into their works for shock value, with the 1965 film Censored described as having "the dubious honour of being the very first skinflick to mix Nazis and naked women". [7] [ unreliable source? ]
In the early 1970s, glam rock acts incorporated nazi symbolism into their works, often for the shock value and outrageousness, or for comedic effect. Steve Priest, of the glam rock band The Sweet, wore a nazi uniform and fake toothbrush moustache in a December 1973 live performance of "Block Buster!", on Top of the Pops . [8] In the 1970s punk subculture, several items of clothing designed to shock and offend the Establishment became popular. Among these punk fashion items was a T-shirt displaying a Swastika, an upside-down crucifix and the word DESTROY– which was worn by Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, seen in the video for "Pretty Vacant". Rotten wore the swastika another time with a gesture that looked like a Nazi salute. [9] In 1976, Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees was also known to wear a Swastika armband with fetish S and M clothing, including fishnets and a whip. These musicians are commonly thought to have worn such clothing for shock value directed towards the British WWII generation rather than being genuinely associated with any National Socialist or fascist ideologies, and those with such interests likely became part of the Nazi punk or white power skinhead subcultures. However, the English classical composer, Cornelius Cardew, a Maoist, wrote a tract that called punk rock fascist.
In 1984, two T-shirt designs featuring Adolf Hitler were produced in West Germany. [10] The more famous of the two was the "Adolf Hitler European Tour" design, which featured a picture of Hitler against the backdrop of a map of Europe, with conquered territories shaded; A less popular T-shirt featured Hitler giving the Roman salute, and a yo-yo hanging from his hand. The text read "European yo-yo champion 1939-1945". Sale of the apparel led to a legal case in Germany, in an attempt to have it banned as "glorifying genocide". [11] In 1988, Ralph Engelstad was criticized for a party he held at his Imperial Palace hotel-casino in Las Vegas featuring bartenders wearing the "European Tour" shirts. [12] In 1990, the ACLU represented a high school student on Long Island who was told to remove the shirt or face suspension by school officials who claimed the shirt was anti-semitic. [13]
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag , Bryan Ferry, the English singer and musician, acknowledged that he calls his studio in west London his "Führerbunker". He was quoted as saying, "My God, the Nazis knew how to put themselves in the limelight and present themselves. ... Leni Riefenstahl's movies and Albert Speer's buildings and the mass parades and the flags - just amazing. Really beautiful." [14]
English heavy metal and rock and roll musician Lemmy of the band Motörhead collected Nazi memorabilia and had an Iron Cross on his bass guitar, but stated that he collected these memorabilia for aesthetic values and historical purposes and interests only, and considered himself an anarchist or libertarian and actually despised the Nazi regime's ideologies and their subsequent genocidal actions. [15]
In early 2005, a designer using the pseudonym "Helmut Doork" [16] began marketing a parody souvenir T-shirt with the slogans "My grandparents went to Auschwitz and all I got was this lousy t-shirt!" and "Arbeit Macht Frei." [17] In response to a complaint from the Anti-Defamation League, the design was removed from CafePress' website in late 2006. [18] The creator later uploaded it to Printfection. After Printfection removed it without explanation the creator then released it into the public domain, giving anyone permission to print and/or commercialize the design without permission. [19]
In 2005, Prince Harry was criticized for wearing a costume with a swastika armband [20] causing considerable embarrassment to his family. Harry's impromptu costume resembled the Afrika Korps, rather than more political units such as the SS. Writer Moyra Bremner commented on BBC News 24 that no one had stopped the prince wearing the costume. [21]
Alternative hip hop group OFWGKTA uses the swastika symbol and makes references to Nazism in its lyrics. [22] Nazi chic fashion can be seen in the music videos for Madonna's "Justify My Love" (1990), Marilyn Manson's "The Fight Song" (2001) and Lady Gaga's "LoveGame" (2009). [23]
In Japan, World War II is not taught in schools as a battle of political ideologies, but as a conventional war. This type of education treats Hitler and the Nazi Party as charismatic and powerful leaders of countries during wartime, instead of war criminals as elsewhere.[ citation needed ] Uniforms and other imagery related to Nazi Germany are sold in East and South East Asia, where some consider it fashionable.[ citation needed ] Pop groups have dressed in SS-inspired uniforms.
Sometimes in East Asia, for example Japan, Nazi uniforms are used as part of cosplay. [24] [25] Several Japanese products have reused Nazi themes in their artwork, such as the 2010 card game Barbarossa, [26] described as the "softcore Nazi anime porn" with "anime Nazi girls". [27] [28] The game was successful enough to receive an English release in 2013 [29] as well as a stand-alone sequel El Alamein [30] (also released in English). [28] 2019 saw the release of video game Mein Waifu is the Fuhrer, [31] described as a "Nazi-themed anime dating simulator" and inspired by the Japanese art and the visual novel-type of game. [32]
In South Korea, an area generally isolated from Nazi cultural influences during the Nazi era, Time magazine observed in 2000 "an unthinking fascination with the icons and imagery of the Third Reich." [33]
In Indonesia, the SoldatenKaffee, a café featuring Nazi decoration and memorabilia closed in 2013 due to controversies and critiques by international media as well as death threats and hate mail to the owners. The SoldatenKaffee, however, reopened in 2014, the owner claimed that his establishment was never aimed to promote Nazi ideology explaining that Nazism was only seen from a historical perspective in Indonesia. The SoldatenKaffee closed again in 2017 due to moving elsewhere for lack of local demand. [34]
There is an ongoing interest in Thailand in Nazi symbolism, particularly among young people. The fascination with such imagery is considered to be based on a lack of understanding of the Holocaust rather than political leanings or hate crime. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] A Nazi-themed restaurant in Ubon Ratchathani was opened in 2011 called Hitler Fried Chicken, which gained considerable social media traction after an image of it was posted on X. At this point, the restaurant had already changed its name to H-ler Food and Drink and censored Adolf Hitler's face on its store-front branding. [41]
In 2006, a restaurant named Hitler's Cross was opened in Mumbai, India. It was later renamed after protests by the Indian Jewish community. [42] 'Nazi Collection' Bedspread was launched, by a Mumbai-based home furnishing company in 2007. [43] In 2007, in Gujarat a men's clothing store named Hitler was in the news. After the outrage owners claimed they did not know Adolf Hitler. [44] In 2011, a pool parlour named Hitler's Den was opened in Nagpur. It included the Nazi Swastika and insignia. The Israeli embassy in India expressed displeasure with the naming. Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organisation called for the parlour to be renamed but the owners of the establishment refused to rename it. [45]
A clothing store in Karachi, Pakistan called "Hitler Reloaded" is named after Hitler. According to journalist Meher Ahmad, most people in Pakistan are unfamiliar with Adolf Hitler. [46]
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.
The uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel (SS) served to distinguish its Nazi paramilitary ranks between 1925 and 1945 from the ranks of the Wehrmacht, the German state, and the Nazi Party.
The Silver Legion of America, commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an American fascist and pro-Nazi organization which was founded by William Dudley Pelley and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina.
The uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung (SA) were Nazi Party paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by SA stormtroopers from 1921 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. The titles and phrases used by the SA were the basis for paramilitary titles used by several other Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the Schutzstaffel (SS). Early SS ranks were identical to the SA, since the SS was originally considered a sub-organisation of the Sturmabteilung.
Hugo Ferdinand Boss was a German businessman and an early member of the Nazi Party. He was the founder of the fashion house Hugo Boss AG.
The 20th-century German Nazi Party made extensive use of graphic symbols, especially the swastika, notably in the form of the swastika flag, which became the co-national flag of Nazi Germany in 1933, and the sole national flag in 1935. A very similar flag had represented the Party beginning in 1920.
Nazi memorabilia are items produced during the height of Nazism in Germany, particularly the years between 1933 and 1945. Nazi memorabilia includes a variety of objects from the material culture of Nazi Germany, especially those featuring swastikas and other Nazi symbolism and imagery or connected to Nazi propaganda. Examples are military and paramilitary uniforms, insignia, coins and banknotes, medals, flags, daggers, guns, posters, contemporary photos, books, publications, and ephemera.
Zoltán Meskó de Széplak was a leading Hungarian Nazi during the 1930s. He led his own Nazi movement during the early 1930s but faded from the political scene when Hungary became a member of the Axis powers.
Street style is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the population at large. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and newspapers commonly feature candid photographs of individuals wearing urban, stylish clothing. Mainstream fashion often appropriates street fashion trends as influences. Most major youth subcultures have had an associated street fashion. Street style is different all around the globe.
The German Strafgesetzbuch in section § 86a outlaws use of symbols of "unconstitutional organizations" and terrorism outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching". The law does not name the individual symbols to be outlawed, and there is no official exhaustive list. However, the law has primarily been used to supress fascist, Nazi, communist, Islamic extremist and Russian militarist symbols. The law, adopted during the Cold War, most notably affected the Communist Party of Germany, which was banned as unconstitutional in 1956; the Socialist Reich Party, which was banned in 1952; and several small far-right parties.
Fascist movements gained popularity in many countries in Asia during the 1920s.
The Sturm Cigarette Company was a cigarette company created by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung (SA). The sale of its cigarettes provided the SA with operating funds and a channel for political messaging. Coercion and violence were used to increase sales.
Tsagaan Khas is a Mongolian neo-Nazi organisation. It was founded by Ariunbold Altankhuum in the 1990s, amid Mongolia's transition to a market economy and the resulting increase in economic inequality.
Patrol 36 was a neo-Nazi skinhead organization in Israel, consisting of 9 members, led by Eli Bonite, alias "Ely the Nazi". The group's members were Russian immigrants that had Jewish roots aged 16 to 21. According to The Daily Telegraph, the men's families were allowed to settle in Israel under the Law of Return.
Teespring is an American company that operates Spring, a social commerce platform that allows people to create and sell custom products. The company was founded in 2011 by Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton in Providence, Rhode Island. By 2014, the company had raised $55 million in venture capital from Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. In 2018 Spring launched its merchandise shelf integration in partnership with YouTube, enabling creators to sell their products directly below video content, and expanded this business model with similar integrations for Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, etc. in the years following. Over the past few years, Teespring has had to make significant reforms to its safety operations in response to criticism over apparel that promoted violence and racist messaging. In 2019 Chris Lamontagne became CEO of Spring. In 2021, Teespring was rebranded as Spring.
Emin Xhinovci is a retired Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) insurgent and restaurant owner from Mitrovica known for his striking resemblance to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Isidore Heath Hitler, formerly Isidore Heath Campbell, sometimes called Nazi dad, is an American white supremacist and self-described Neo-Nazi who attracted national media attention in December 2008 after the ShopRite in Greenwich Township, New Jersey, refused to make a cake celebrating his son Adolf Hitler Campbell's third birthday. A Walmart in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, later baked and inscribed the cake. Hitler was featured in a documentary, Meet the Hitlers. He is also founder and leader of the pro-Nazi group Hitler's Order.
"Hitler was right" and "Hitler did nothing wrong" are statements and internet memes either expressing support for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler or trolling. The ironic or trolling uses of the phrase allow those on the alt-right to maintain plausible deniability over their white supremacist views.
While there is no notable neo-Nazi movement in Taiwan, the use of Nazi symbolism and imagery in the country has been observed throughout the years, often causing controversy. These occasions include a Nazi-themed parade at a school, restaurants serving dishes honoring Nazis, or displaying Nazi-related pictures and other decor, which led to public outcries.