How do you capture our complicated nation’s spirit in a piece of clothing? It’s the tall order being asked of brands that are outfitting Team USA at the Winter Olympics this year. You could go for the obvious, like Nike chose to with the very…unique maxi skirts they sent to Team USA. (They feature an image of a literal bald eagle soaring through the sky.) But there are far more subtle ways to tell our nation’s true tale—one rife with controversy—through apparel. And if you ask the headwear brand New Era, it’s by giving the American athletes who are tirelessly representing our country large fedoras that look like they were plucked straight out of Ryan Evans’ High School Musical wardrobe.
Paige Jones, a 23-year-old ski jumper from Park City, Utah, hopped on TikTok this past weekend to discuss the interesting accessory choice for Team USA this year. “Someone get me a Reddit account asap,” she captioned her video.
It’s true that since the early 2010s—when fedoras were the choice headpiece for coastal hipsters and guitarists in alt-pop bands—they’ve become more closely associated with men who frequent sketchy corners of the internet and use phrases like “m’lady.” We can credit the popular 2014-era “Tips Fedora” meme for that rebranding. And years later, the emergence of this extremely hilarious and/or hard-to-watch viral video of a fedora-wearing guy saying “hello pwincess” to no one in particular certainly did nothing to help the pro-fedora cause.
This is the sort of stigma that surrounds the ever-polarizing fedora. And it’s within this cultural context that online commentators are questioning Team USA’s hat choice even more than those bold bald eagle skirts. Because apparently, the fedora is where some truly draw the line. “I can defend the eagle skirt the tiniest bit,” said one commenter under Paige’s clip. “This [hat], absolutely not bc genuinely why.” “They could’ve did a cowboy hat at least,” suggested another fedora anti.
Some were more understanding of the design. “I see what they were trying to do with it,” said one comment. “They were trying to kind of split the difference between the fedora and a cowboy hat, but I really do feel like they should’ve gone full cowboy hat because I think that would’ve really ate with those eagle skirts.” Yet certain athletes are still attempting to eat regardless:
Sure, these hats might be “cringe” and “dated,” but you could say the same about our current administration's public policies. So maybe this is exactly the sort of accessory our country deserves. I also want to consider the possibility that somebody very important at New Era is an investor in Big Fedora and is therefore intent on reshaping the narrative around this controversial hat. Why should Michael Jackson impersonators, guys who earnestly say “m’lady,” and baristas mentally stuck in 2012 get to have all the fun with this accessory? Maybe the powers that be are plotting a huge 2026 fedora comeback. Because if inspiring, gold-medal-bound athletes are down to sport one, they could encourage all of us back home to try the hat on for size. Is that not the standard life cycle of a fashion trend? First, we laugh, then we’re all wearing fedoras to happy hour.
These official Team USA hats are available for a cool $54.99 on New Era’s site, in five different sizes at that. If you choose to cop one and join Team USA in spearheading the mid-2020s fedora revival, please send me photo evidence.
Annabel Iwegbue is a culture editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers pop culture, lifestyle, relationships, and digital trends. She previously wrote for Harper's Bazaar, The Knockturnal, and Black Film. She's originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Cinema Studies from New York University. You can check out some of Annabel’s work here and also find her on Instagram and Twitter.
