If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately, you might have stumbled upon a wild trend where people are frothing over Luigi Mangione‘s hair.
The 26-year-old, who’s facing some serious charges for allegedly shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has become the centre of attention, not just for his case but for on point eyebrows and his fresh as fuck fade.
Last week Luigi was very publicly extradited from Pennsylvania to be placed in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (the same prison Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently in) as he awaits trial. The internet couldn’t help but notice that Luigi had got a haircut and a clean up of his eyebrows.
One TikTok creator, Kristen, whose parents have spent time in jail took to the platform to yap about Luigi’s new look. She claims the taper fade is more than just a trim – it’s a message.
“Luigi’s taper fade is a signal to the correctional officers not to beat him up,” Kristen explained in her video.
“It’s a signal to the correctional officers that the other inmates care about him and have his back.”
According to Kristen, Luigi’s groomed appearance isn’t about impressing the media. Rather, it’s a silent communication to prison staff that he’s not isolated and has support from fellow inmates.
“That taper fade was to send a message that Luigi is surrounded, protected, looked after and if any of the correctional officers wanted to beat him up a little too much, they would have a problem on their hands.”
Another TikToker, MarriedToALunatic, explained that it is usually fellow inmates that are the barbers in prisons. “They won’t take care of you, the way Luigi is being taken care of unless they are on your side,” she claimed.
However, not everyone’s buying into this theory. Creator Toure X initially reported similar ideas but later dug deeper. He spoke with other PrisonTok creators who painted a different picture.
“When Luigi gets to prison, they won’t let other people even see him, so he’ll be segregated within segregation,” he shared.
“When they move him, prisoners will close the slats on their door or turn, get on their knees and face the wall so they don’t want anyone to lay eyes on him.”
Another PrisonTok creator, VikingMindset11, also offered a more practical explanation that Luigi’s lawyer probably just put in a request to get him a haircut before his appearance in court. He said that if you are refused a haircut, an inmate has grounds for a grievance on the count of hygiene.
Whether or not there is a deeper meaning behind Luigi’s fade, there is no denying that there is significance in haircuts done in prison. Toure X found an essay on The Marshall Project from an incarcerated barber that explained the culture well.
“A cut means more in prison than it does in the street, and especially so in the hole (segregation). These men don’t get to talk to their families, don’t get any visits, and live in a cage,” Toure read.
He goes on to explain that “when you get a haircut, it’s a chance to look and feel more human, and a chance to even talk to somebody a little bit, because 23 hours a day, you barely get to talk to anybody”.
So even if the haircut doesn’t mean inmate solidarity, at least Luigi got a moment to feel more human throughout this whole process.
Luigi entered a not guilty plea to state murder and terrorism charges today at a New York court and his hair looked perfect while doing so, if I do say so myself.
Lead image: Toure X via TikTok/ Getty Images/ Kissing_Whiskey via TikTok
