Posted by Anh Khoa on 20th Apr 2022
Tiger King: What Fashion Says About Us by Kailah Kloes
If you haven’t seen Netflix’s newest reality-documentary series Tiger King, it revolves around the G.W Zoo in Oklahoma that was once owned by the renowned Joe Exotic.
Depending on the way someone appears and carries themselves, there are certain things one can take away. It should be noted that people should NOT judge someone entirely on their fashion choices. However, knowing what is exposed in that series, it only adds to their nature.
Joe Exotic
He is a charismatic, outspoken individual, as one can see right away. He expresses himself in rather outlandish, western styles, including leather jackets with varying decorations and big cat printed jackets of various colors.
There are also several moments, such as in one of his videos for his political campaigns, where he is seen wearing a gun holster on his belt, which is alarming considering the convictions he was charged with later on in the series.
Carole Baskin
Carole Baskin is the founder of Big Cat Rescue and a long-time rival to Joe Exotic. She mentioned in the series that when she would adorn herself in cat print to make herself serious in political meetings. Not only that, but she also is seen wearing some kind of cat print throughout the series. She also possesses cat print decor in her home.
The adornment of cat print is proven quite ironic considering how she preaches for the stop of abuse towards big cats while, quite frankly, doing the exact opposite for monetary gain. This and how, allegedly, rather than her first husband disappearing as Carole says, she instead killed him and fed him to the cats. This notion was also parodied by Joe Exotic in one of his music videos called “Hello, Kitty Kitty”.
Jeff Lowe
It is mentioned in the series that Lowe uses tigers to get women. And it exudes from his fashion: from the bandanas and ball caps, to the dark leather jackets, and to the other 1980s-ish rock and youthful style. Paired with a pregnant, young wife and that he seems to never truly vary outfit-wise, Jeff Lowe exudes a plain man with selfish intentions with everything he does.
Doc Antle
Doc Antle, unlike the others, does not explicitly wear clothing that indicates his nature. His zoo-keeper shirts and long ponytail may be seen as something, but rather towards others’ fashion that his character is exposed.
Antle has multiple wives, with all he decides their name, appearance, and the clothes they could wear. These outfits were chosen to attract more people to the zoo.
These fashion choices overall were a subtle yet significant aspect of the character of the people showcased in this series. When they say first appearance makes a lasting impression, it sometimes is proven to be true.