Why Do We Wear Leopard Print?

Leopard Print, from pinups to trashy punks, is a staple of any alternative person. Classic pinups might don a sexy leopard swimsuit with matching fluffy leopard shoes shoes. While When Punks weren’t tearing it into makeshift patches they wore big slabs of leopard print clothing on other leopard pieces. Originally, African leaders wore animal skins to show their power, which may have lead to the belief that wearing an animal print coveys the power of the animal onto the wearer. Now, we could take this literally, or simply take it to mean that wearing an animal print brings a certain kind of confidence to the wearer. While each subculture that takes on this statement print wears it in a completely different way, they also harness their own kind of ‘power’ from it.

Pinups became popular in the 1940’s. Many pin-ups rocked leopard print lingerie and swimsuits in their shoots as a way to explore their own sexuality in a socially acceptable way while still being considered risque. A great example is Bettie Page in her Jungle Bettie pictures where she practically solidified leopard print as a depiction of animalistic lust. Pin-ups still harness a sexual power every time they wear leopard.

Punks brought a trashy vibe to the print. They used the same sexuality as the pin-up but instead of working within the realm of the socially accepted, they aimed to shock. All genders wore things like leopard lingerie peeking through ripped clothes that hung on only by safety pins. They pinned it to their vests and leather jackets, painted it and set it right down next to a square of tartan and a row of stripes. The Clash was more than a Punk band, but the entire aesthetic of the movement.

It has literally become a part of alternative people

It was the punks that embodied the predatory and animalistic history of leopard print. We cut it into our hair and tattoo it onto our bodies. It has literally become a part of alternative people and alternative history.

So, why is it that alternative people seem to flock to leopard print? We love leopard print because it has always managed to push the borders of the taboo. It was the Punks who first saw that the print was becoming truly popularised and remixed it in a way that continues to shock. Maybe I’m getting too deep for something as simple as a badass print.

You tell me, why do you wear leopard print?