Wearing a Flag on Your Head

This bandanna was made In America![1]


"You're not American! You're not even wearing a flag on your head!"
—Bandit Keith,[2] Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series

Displaying a flag like a banner, such as the American flag, is the typical way to show a flag. In fact, we've Seen It a Million Times, in America.

Basically, it's become a Cliché. Anyone can show off a flag like that... if they have a pole and a way to secure the flag to it. These days, there are plenty of better ways to show off flags, especially the American flag.

Perhaps you can paint the flag all over your car, preferably an American made car. Or you can get a tattoo. Or you can make clothing out of the flag. That way you know your clothes are made in America... as long as it's the American flag.

Heck, why stick with the same old flag designs? Flags change all the time, like the American flag. Perhaps you can have some fun with the flag, and put your cool new design on a T-shirt. I'd say "an American made T-shirt," but we all know that now T-shirts are made in China!

Particularly amusing is the ubiquitous use of the American flag for all this, when the US flag code has such great lines as: "The flag should not be used as 'wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery,'" and "The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform." Since the Flag Code does not have the force of law, and since the American Supreme Court has said things like flag burning are protected free speech, this does nothing to stop any of the more creative uses of the American flag.

You must make sure that your flag is displayed correctly, however, because flying an American flag upside-down is a way to call for help, and you don't want to look pathetic while wearing your flag, now do you?

Either way, have fun with your cool way to show off your flag, but it helps if your flag has a cool design in the first place. Also, you should first make sure this is actually legal in your country, like America (and America today, a few decades ago it was quite illegal[3])!

Often overlaps with Captain Geographic, and occasionally overlaps with Goofy Print Underwear (when the flag's not on your head).

A Super-Trope to Flag Bikini.

Compare Sigil Spam, Symbol Motif Clothing.

Not to be confused with Star-Spangled Spandex.

Examples of Wearing a Flag on Your Head include:

Albanian Double-Headed Eagle

Real Life

  • In every Miss Universe National Costume competition, the Albanian contestant has always worn the flag wrapped somehow.
  • This is very popular with artists too.

Australian Blue Ensign

Comic Books

  • In recent Marvel Comics, Australian Captain Ethnic Boomerang (brash, dimwitted criminal, uses boomerangs, you know how it is) has begun masquerading as the heroic Outback as part of Norman Osborn's corruption of the 50 States Initiative. Outback's entire costume is the Australian flag, except with a bizarre emphasis on the British flag parts and the Southern Cross only being on his head.

Tabletop Games

  • Captain Australia from Champions Universe. Unlike the Outback example above, her costume emphasises the Southern Cross, with the Union Jack being worn as a shoulder pauldron.

Western Animation

Real Life

  • Unfortunately, thanks to a few idiot politicians like Pauline Hanson, racist yobbos have taken to wearing the Australian flag as a cape while beating up minorities and generally being a menace to society and disgrace to said flag. Beating the daylights out of these yobbos and removing their flags is entirely encouraged. The jury is still out on whether this would be encouraged if they were wearing American flags.
    • Looks like the average outing of bogans to the AFL...
    • Also, if they have the southern cross tatooed anywhere upon their person, aforementioned removal is not only perfectly legal, but most local police forces will make the tatoo-wearer pay for any and all hospital fees that may incur.


Brazilian Auriverde

Western Animation

Music

  • Max Cavalera from Sepultura and Soulfy displayed the Auriverde on his guitars for a while (Sepultura was the very first brazilian band to achieve worldwide recognition, and he was quite proud of it). ESP Guitars even issued a signature guitar that sported the Auriverde. Later, he used one with the AMERICAN flag... also sold as a signature guitar.

Real Life

  • Brazil banned bikinis with the national flag print a few years back (because these bikinis are considered flag profanity). Does this mean it's okay to wear bikinis with the American flag on them?
    • No. While not binding or enforcible, wearing the US flag as clothing violates the flag code.
    • I never heard anything about that ban here in Brazil. Specially when there is a Fifa World Cup. Everything gets a brazilian flag theme, even underwears, bikinis, etc etc. Everything, trust me.
    • The ban exists. The government simply isn't keen enough on enforcing it.


Canadian Maple Leaf / l'Unifolié

Anime and Manga

  • In Axis Powers Hetalia, Canada puts a sticker of his flag on his forehead to distinguish himself from America, since no one ever noticed him. (If they did, they mistaken him for America.) However, America sticks the American flag on his head saying it makes him more awesome.
  • Canadianman in Kinnikuman's entire costume is patterned after the Canadian flag. His special moves include the Canadian Backbreaker and swinging an axe like a lumberjack.

Comic Books

  • The old (late 80s/early 90s) Alpha Flight uniforms had a maple-leaf motif on them, making them look like the flag of Canada, which is right to the north of The United States Of America!
    • The best example being Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian (and he went by the latter two names twice!) and his red-white-maple-leaved costume. His Ultimate version follows suit even though each of the Ultimate Alpha Flight members have their own peculiar costumes.
    • When Heather (who first took the name Vindicator after Mac's apparent death) took the name Guardian, the recently-returned Mac (who went back to Vindicator) wore a version with the red and white switched (since Heather had the original design). After he returned a second time, Heather (like the rest of the team) was wearing the standardized (and distinctively different enough) team costume, allowing Mac to return to his original look. Heather's geothermal suit from the second series was green and white.
  • There are also various Canadian superheroes such as Captain Canuck and the like and wear the Maple Leaf with pride to show that they're the toughest Canadian not called Wolverine there is in North America.

Live Action TV

Professional Wrestling

  • Trish Stratus fought at least one match while wearing a pair of butt-hugging Canadian flag-themed shorts. It was truly a glorious sight to see.
  • TNA Power Stable Team Canada all wore outfits adorned with Canadian-flag imagery. What else did you expect, eh?

Video Games

Web Original

  • In Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Bandit Keith wears one after the credits of the episode where he admits he's actually Canadian... IN (North) America!
    • The show actually takes place in in Japan. So he's a Canadian pretending to be an American while living in Japan.
      • However, he seems to genuinely believe that every country in the world belongs to America.
  • In the Whateley Universe, Captain Canada has an outfit and round shield that's a blatant ripoff of the 'Captain America' costume, except for the Canadian flag. It's lampshaded repeatedly. The other Canadian mutants at Whateley Academy think he's an embarrassment.

Western Animation

Real Life

  • Canadian travelers abroad used to sew the Maple Leaf on their backpacks so as not to be confused with Americans. Nowadays this seems to be more common among American travelers pretending to be Canadian while not in America.
    • "Real" Canadian travelers can now be identified by comparing spill-proof travel mugs. If it's from Tim Hortons (a ubiquitous coffee chain found almost exclusively in Canada), you've got a genuine Canuck.
      • Or an American with a credit card.
      • Buffalo, New York subverts this, hardcore. Buffalo is one of the larger markets for Tim Horton. So between that, and the natural close proximity to the Canadian border, you'd be hard pressed to find much difference between them.
      • Or an American from one of the states that puts the "almost" onto the "exclusively".
    • Just ask the suspect to spell colour, centre or catalogue. Or ask them to speak some french - most Canadians can manage to muddle through telling you 'Je parle un petit peu de francais'. Most Americans manage to look confused.
  • On Canadian money, the buildings have the Red Ensign flag flying over them, but this looks so much like the American flag from a distance that everyone thinks they printed the American flag on Canadian money!
      • Except that we've been using new bills since 2005.
  • Shawn Ashmore once posed for a magazine wearing nothing but the Canadian flag.


Confederate Battle Flag ("Confederate Flag")

Note the famous flag is the sign of the army of the Confederacy, not the state itself. The actual flag of the Confederacy proper, which looks like a cross between the flags of the European Union and Texas, never appears in non-historical fiction (and even then only rarely).

Anime and Manga

  • Gorgeousman from Kinnikuman Nisei wears the Confederate battle flag as his costume.

Live Action TV

Comic Books

  • There's also a Captain Confederacy comic book. Knowing the independent comic landscape in the 80s, which is when it seemed to have been published, it's not unlikely that it came out only in America.

Professional Wrestling

  • Bubba Ray Dudley wore one early in his WWF career.

Toys

  • G.I. Joe H.A.V.O.C. driver Cross-Country toys, mainly sold in America, wear a confederate battle flag belt buckle. A later toy featured him in a Civil War Confederate jacket with the flag printed on the back, and the aforementioned belt buckle. In the first case, "Heritage, Not Hatred" is stitched under the flag to let you know he's not a complete lunatic.
    • Both figures also sport grey Confederate kepi caps.

Video Games

  • The Confederacy in Starcraft had the Confederate battle flag applied to armor. Expanded universe content from the series shows they were big fans of putting it on everything, really.
    • Interestingly, the connotation of the Confederate battle flag being a symbol of rebellion is reversed, as the Confederacy is the oppressive powerbase in the sector until they get overthrown by Mengsk. Though the Confederate battle flag was picked from the ATLAS computer's history database, so the irony probably isn't evident to character in-universe.

Real Life

  • This trope is quite common in Real Life....in southeastern AMERICA! (and oddly enough, even other regions...in America!)
  • The Confederate battle flag is known only as the Rebel Flag by many, thus associating it with a general attitude of rebellion.

Dannebrog

Real Life

  • The Danish flag (dannebrog) is for some reason considered more to be a general symbol of joy than a national symbol, leading to it being traditionally displayed in miniature on Christmas trees, birthday cakes and party accessories, and being waved obnoxiously in the face of friends returning from overseas in the airport.
  • Football brings out dannebrog facepaint, shirts, flags worn as capes and the ever-present red-and-white clapping cat.
  • It's also flown in pretty much every garden, with actual laws regulating when and how to fly it.


Estonian Sinimustvalge

Real Life


European Union Star Halo

Comic Books

  • In Nextwave, Elissa Bloodstone famously wore an EU t-shirt on one of the team's excursions, eventually causing her to say "Victim? Do you think this letter on my chest stands for America?!"

Western Animation

  • It is not a country, but this does not mean that no embarrassing nationalism exists, such as in the form of Captain Euro, who is in no way related to the infinitely manlier Captain America.


German Bundesflagge

Anime and Manga

  • Schwarz Bruder from G Gundam wears a mask with the color arrangement of the flag of Germany. Perhaps if he wore an American flag pattern instead, he wouldn't have died.

Webcomics

Western Animation

Real Life

  • Germans usually are not very fond of displaying flags and when they do it's usually regional or local flags, since the last time the country went through a craze of flags and national symbols, it ended up very badly for everyone. Except when the national football team is playing in an international competition. Then you see the three colors everywhere and on everything! It probably has been copied from football fans of other nations, like England or Brazil, who have been appearing in stadiums in their national colors for much longer. Germans see it as a way to support their team, having nothing to do with national pride.


Israeli Star Of David

Comic Books

  • Sabra, the national superhero of Israel in Marvel Comics, wears a Star of David-themed costume.

Real Life

  • The Israeli flag itself is an inversion - its design is based on the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl. Rather than using a flag for clothing, they used clothing for a flag.
    • The Star of David, which appears on the Israeli flag and is also the symbol of Judaism, is known in Hebrew as the Magen David - literally, the shield of David. According to legend, in order to save metal, David's first shield was made by stretching leather over the simplest metal frame that could hold a round shield - two interlaced triangles. This makes the Star of David another inversion, and the Israeli flag is a complete inversion of this trope.


Japanese Rising Sun

Anime and Manga

  • In Axis Powers Hetalia Korea give suggestions for uses of the Japanese flag such as wearing it as a t-shirt.
  • Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs: The leader of the group has a headband with a red dot, like the Japanese flag. In the American version, it became a fireball, and a westerner (albeit an Englishman) became the supposed leader, because that's what we want to see in our American cartoons.

Comic Books

  • Quick Kick, G.I. Joe's Japanese-Korean-American martial arts expert, often wore a Japanese flag headband.
  • Sunfire from Marvel Comics has had costumes inspired by the Japanese naval ensign (the version of the Japanese flag with the red rays extruding from the sun).
  • Hondo-City Judges in the Dreddverse wear white one-piece uniforms with a red circle on the chest, meant to evoke the Japanese flag.

Film

  • Buckaroo Banzai, son of a Japanese father and American mother, wore a Rising Sun bandana when he tested the Jet Car and the Oscillation Overthruster.
  • Karate Kid (the original), for God's sake. Notably, Daniel's headband has a reproduction of the Japanese imperial seal imprinted.
  • Shu Todoroki from Cars 2.

Music

  • Visual Kei arm bands with with a Rising Sun or Japanese Flag design are around, but I think they're actually sold more on sites that ship to America, or cater mainly to Americans, like Lolita Kisama. I made one with the rising sun and "Japan Land of The Rising Sun" written on it in Japanese.

Video Games

  • Samurai Goroh from F-Zero wears a Japanese flag on his head, as does his son Daigoro. Good to see he's taking fashion tips from me, in America.
  • In Super Mario RPG, boss character Boomer has a Japanese flag imprinted on his head for no conceivable reason besides his resemblance to a samurai, even in the American release.
  • Fatal Fury's Joe Higashi and King of Fighters' Goro Daimon also wear Japanese flag headbands.
    • In some artworks, Joe's bandanna has the kanji for flame instead of the Hinomaru.

Web Animation

  • Pom Pom, when showing of his mastery of martial arts, suddenly acquires a Japanese flag headband... IN AMERICA.

Real Life

  • Soldiers often wore their nation's flag as headbands. Of course they never looked as good as American flags.
  • A headband with the rising sun seems to be a standard motif. Why can't we wear headbands with the American flag on them?
  • The launch version of the Honda Fit's trunk badge had the "I" dotted with a rising sun. When Honda launched the Fit in America (after four years of dawdling!) it was changed to a blue dot for whatever reason.
  • Probably because the Imperial Flag of Japan (the "rising sun flag", still used by the navy) was unfairly associated in people's minds with the Japanese Empire of World War II, and in American minds, guys wearing rising sun headbands must all be kamikaze death-strike ninjas.
  • Japanese Bento lunches sometimes have an Umiboshi (A salty sour pickled plum) in the center of rice. It's there for two reasons, 1) Flavor, 2) It resembles the Japanese Flag. American lunchboxes have to make do with the occasional flag-frosted cupcake, usually available only around the Fourth of July.

Korean Taegukgi

Anime and Manga

  • Chijimiman from Kinnikuman, wears the yin-yang center on his breastplate

Video Games

  • Kim Kaphwan from King of Fighters has the yin and yang part on his uniform, while his student May Lee has it on her belt


Mexican Tricolour

Comic Books

  • DC Comics once introduced a bunch of international heroes in their Annuals one year, including three new Mexican heroes. Most of the heroes had their national flag as the background of their book's cover. Since it's illegal for anyone to use the Mexican flag in anything but an official capacity, DC had to change the cover of the book when it was released in Mexico. The cover ran unaltered... in America.
    • Also of note is the Janissary, a Turkish heroine whose costume resembled her country's flag by literally utter coincidence; it's a relic from the age of Camelot.

Western Animation

  • A car only appearing in the Mexican dub of Cars 2.

Real Life

  • There was a case in which Paulina Rubio, a pop singer, caused controversy because of a picture taken from her only covered with the flag. In the American continent, this is considered disrespectful to it and illegal.
    • A similar instance occurred with the Burger King restaurants in Spain. The publicity in question was about a cowboy and some other guy dressed in a sarape with the Mexican flag on it, promoting the "Texican Burger."
  • Juan Escutia, one of the Niños Héroes, is often shown throwing himself from the Chapultepec Castle, wrapped in a Mexican flag to prevent the American troops from taking it.


Norweigan Nordic Cross

Live Action TV

  • In Pushing Daisies, the Norwegian detectives have a SUV-based lab painted with the Norwegian flag, and always dress in jackets that make them look like they're members of the Norwegian Olympic Team. Disappointingly, the American detectives do not follow suit.


Flag of Puerto Rico

Professional Wrestling

  • Wrestlers Eddie"Primo" Colon and Savio Vega both use ring gear designed from the flag. TNA's Homicide wears a bandana designed from the flag. Some wrestlers in Puerto Rican promotions have done this too.

Video Games

  • In Grand Theft Auto IV, some civilians can be seen wearing shirts with the Puerto Rican flag design on them. This started a weird rumor from fans who Did Not Do the Research that Captain America was an unlockable character in the game.

Real Life

  • A lot of Puerto Ricans from the island tend to wear clothes designed from the flag (bandanas, shirts, etc.).
  • Around June, and throughout Summer actually, in NYC expect a lot of flag wearing.


Quebec Fleur-de-lis

Video Games

  • In SSX Blur, Felix Levesque wears a hat with a strong Quebecois flag motif, a province in Canada, a nation in North America.

Real Life

  • Everywhere. Many Québécois are extremely nationalistic, and Quebec flags are seen on articles of clothing (and everything else) pretty much all the time, but especially around the holiday of St-Jean-Baptiste (particularly as a Take That to Canada).

Soviet Red Banner

Video Games

  • "Cold War" is one of the unlockable camouflage suits in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It's a combat suit with the entire front end painted in a Soviet flag while the back is covered with an American flag. The joke is that since the enemy soldiers are Russian, they will hesitate to shoot you when you're facing them with their flag showing, but will be more than happy to shoot as soon as you turn around and reveal the American flag.
    • There are also unlockable face paints of the flags of various countries, including the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union... In Soviet Russia!
    • In Soviet Russia, flag wears you.
  • In Red Alert 2, the Soviet Premier wears hammer and sickle boxers.
  • For some reason, Soviet heroes are EXTREMELY popular in City of Heroes; naturally, many wear the flag as a costume.


US Stars And Stripes

Anime and Manga

  • In the Midori no Hibi manga, foreign exchange student Lucy wears American flag underwear.
  • Leonard Apollo in Eyeshield 21 wore an American flag tie during the NASA Aliens' game ith the Deimon Devil Bats in Japan. He's such a dick that he probably only did it to rub it into the Japanese peoples' faces, especially considering how racist he was. It's sort of hard to believe that such a huge racist could have gotten so far in America.
  • A member of the American team in Yakitate!! Japan was wearing an American flag themed bikini while on the deserted island.
  • As noted above, this is a common occurrence in Kinnikuman, but this happens most often with American characters like The Rigany or Mr. American (whose mask has the flag pattern, making this another literal example).
  • Pictured above is Bandit Keith from Yu-Gi-Oh!. The abridged series takes this and provides both the page quote and the trope name.
  • Jackie Gudelhian in Future GPX Cyber Formula wears the American flag-patterned trunks in EP 5 of Double-One.

Comic Books

  • Captain America (comics)'s shield: great shield or the greatest shield?
    • Being a spoof of Captain America, an American spoof, Major Glory from Dexters Laboratory has a costume with a flag motif.
      • The latter gets taken to its logical conclusion upon being beatened by a Tournament Big Bad in Dial M for Monkey, the man waves Major Glory's unconscious body so he does look like a flag. An American flag!
      • In another episode, Major Glory wore a flag towel!
    • Not to mention the dozens of other heroes with a flag motif to their costume, from Marvel's own Superpatriot, Defender, Jack Flagg, Free Spirit, Patriots I and II, the Spirit of '76, US Agent, etc, to DC's Shield, Commander and Citizen Steel (not to mention the original Steel), Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy, Agent Liberty, Major Victory, and Uncle Sam himself.
    • In Earth X, Cap wears an actual flag in place of his uniform shirt (he still seems to have the old pants). He's probably not in violation of the Flag Code anyway—President Osborne (yes, that Osborne) has introduced a new, kinda ugly, flag.
    • And the above-mentioned Jack Flagg actually literally wears the flag on his head as a bandana over his mouth. You know, Western outlaw style. And his hair is dyed red, white, and blue - though this actually makes it look like the French flag.
    • Also, much fun has been had with the newest Captain America costume worn by James Buchanan Barnes. How to put this... many people call him "Captain Puerto Rico" because the suit's design indeed recalls the Puerto Rican flag more readily than the American.
    • Supersolder of the Amalgam Universe wears a Stars-and-Stripes suit somewhat similar to Captain America's, but exchanges the original shield with one bearing Superman's "S" emblem.
  • Nuke, a drug-fueled super-tough and utterly insane Super Soldier hired by the Kingpin to take out Daredevil, had the American flag painted on his face. He also took pills, red ones to rile him up, blue ones to bring him down, and white ones to sedate him completely. At one point, while flying in an airplane, he violently insisted on knowing whether the beer he was about to drink was brewed... in America.
  • Wonder Woman pretty much walks around in a star spangled bathing suit, even though she's technically not an American.
    • But she chose to come to America, and now lives in America. Because even a tropical paradise full of hot women was not as good... As America.
    • This is explained in the comics that Steve Trevor's mother crashlanded on the Amazon's island in the 1940s, died helping the inhabitants and thus was a honored hero whose American Flag patch was considered in her personal crest. Furthermore, the God Ares had Steve Trevor manipulated to try to bomb the Amazons in part because he couldn't resist the irony of their great hero's son killing them. When Diana stopped the military pilot's attempt (which he tried to break off, but was attacked by his evil copilot) and saw his US Flag patch, she decided she had to go to the USA.
  • In Astro City, the Old Soldier is a benevolent spirit that has taken part in virtually every armed conflict the world has ever known, but he started appearing draped partially in the American flag in 1775 and has never been seen without it since. Even when his conscience has occasionally forced him to fight against American troops.
    • There's also the All-American, an American football themed hero whose athletic uniform has a distinctive flag motif to it.
  • When Ronald Reagan appeared in Strontium Dog, it turned out his underwear was patterned with the American flag.
  • In Judge Dredd, all American Judges have a Stars and Stripes pattern on their belt buckles. Judges in other areas have their own nationalistic variants.
  • Both the Superpatriot and Commander Capitalism, among others, in the larger Image Comics universe. Commander Capitalism probably deserves special mention: his entire costume is patterned exactly after the US flag. A field of 50 stars in the upper left and 13 stripes - anything else would just be unamerican.
  • The cover to the first issue of Supreme Power shows the baby Hyperion wrapped in the American flag. It's much more sinister than it sounds.

Film

  • The two heroines of the film Dick make flag bikinis for themselves at the end, in America.
  • We can't forget Apollo Creed's shorts in Rocky, one of the greatest American movies ever.
    • There is also his TNA Expy Consequences Creed.
    • And his real-life counterpart Eric "Butterbean" Esch.
  • On the poster for Bob Roberts, Tim Robbins has an American flag wrapped around him.
  • Disney's Rocketman. When Fred Randall accidentally drops the flag he was supposed to plant on the surface of Mars into a deep crater, he offers a substitute: his own stars-and-stripes print boxers. How he managed to get them off without taking off his space suit is left as an exercise for the viewers.
  • Jeff Gorvette from Cars 2.
  • Since she's Austin Powers' Distaff Counterpart in America, Felicity Shagwell drives the American version of the Shaguar: a Corvette with the Star-Spangled Banner painted all over it.

Live Action TV

  • Subverted on Top Gear, where the British presenters are offered an American flag themed motorcycle to drive should their own bikes break down. In Vietnam. Naturally, none of them wants it. Of course, being dumpy white men who appear[4] to only speak English with one knowing basic tourist Vietnamese, most of the natives probably assumed they were Americans anyway.
    • That said, there was another issue at work there - it was blaring Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" on a constant loop. No matter where you were riding it, you'd inevitably be driven mad by the repetition if not the noise.
  • Lampshaded on The Daily Show by Aasif Mandvi. In this segment, involving a Muslim extremist group that sent death threats to Matt Stone and Trey Parker over depictions of Mohammed in an episode of South Park, Aasif, himself a Muslim, was upset over people using his faith as an excuse for violence.

Aasif Mandvi: Well, A, it's just so 12th Century, and B, I don't like having to walk around wearing this suit.
(Aasif turns around and shows a huge American flag appliqued to the back of his sports jacket.)
Jon Stewart: Wow. You had to have a special suit made?
Aasif Mandvi: No, it's a Tommy Hilfiger, but I had to buy it!

Music

Professional Wrestling

  • Contrary to popular belief, Hulk Hogan did not normally wear the American flag. But Lex Luger and Kurt Angle have, which means that this does still get used in Professional Wrestling in America. On the other hand, WWE had a stable called the Un-Americans, who wore an upside-down American flag as their logo to show how very not American they were.
  • In Real Life, The Iron Sheik wears an American flag on his head.

Video Games

  • Ulysses, a mysterious character from Fallout: New Vegas wears a duster with the Old World Flag on the back.

Ulysses: America sleeps. And until it's dead, I carry it. Just like I carried you. More than hope. Belief.

    • By the end of Lonesome Road, the Courier is given a coat of their own symbolizing the faction that they choose to support for the official endgame, with the Old World coat representing Mr. House.
  • In a much less serious example, Liberty Prime from Fallout 3 has an engraving of the Statue of Liberty on the soles of both of its feet.
  • In City of Heroes, Statesman apparently used to wear a US flag as his cape, but removed it after the First Rikti War, and later shifted to another design with similar colors but not the same design. What a disgrace for an American!
    • The full story is, he removed his cape to replace the American flag atop Paragon City Hall, and in respect to Hero 1 (mentioned below). This is used as the in-game justification for why characters cannot wear a cape until they reach level 20 and do a specific mission to earn one.
  • Guile from the Street Fighter franchise has a tattoo of the American flag on both of his arms.
    • It's flying in the other direction on one of his arms. While soldiers do wear flag patches like this, it was originally done that way to facilitate Sprite Mirroring.
    • If you get flag tats, that's the way you're supposed to do it: the field should always face forward (toward the heart). Most artists have done it wrong, actually (including the art in SF2 and the in-game textures in SF4): if you look at his sprite (in SF2, for example) when both arms are visible, it's clear that they intended for both flags to be facing with the field to the left, but didn't bother to make it any different for mirroring purposes. Bah! (N.B.: you shouldn't get flag tats if you want to adhere to the flag code, since that's, like, not really an approved use. But who's going to pick a fight with a guy who can Sonic Boom over that?)
  • Candi Suxx from Grand Theft Auto Vice City wears nothing more than a American flag themed bikini.
  • Tiffany from Rival Schools wears very revealing cheerleading outfits patterned after the American flag. Now that's the kind of girl I'd cheer for... in America!
  • Metal Wolf Chaos has the stars and stripes as a color scheme. As if you're surprised.
  • The appropriately-named Patriot from Quake III Arena wears a flag on his head literally. The fluff says he has an overly patriotic appearance basically to make fun of the time of humans still fighting each other.
  • Izzy Sparks from Guitar Hero has some outfits with the American Flag on them.
  • One character in Day of the Tentacle wears a (slightly revamped) American Flag as a disguise.
  • In the Hitman games, Agent Smith wears American Flag boxer shorts.

Web Comics

Web Original

Real Life

  • When you're as American as Stephen Colbert, an American flag is the only clothing you need.
    • Then why is he wearing socks?
    • And does that mean the new eagle wears clothing?
  • Abby Hoffman wore American flag print shirts, something that got him beat up by policeman because "people died for that flag."
  • Amanda Tapping caused a small controversy by posing for a magazine wearing nothing BUT an American flag. Which is funny, considering that she's an English-born Canadian...in America! However, Rule of Sexy applies: Amanda Tapping is HOT.
  • Lord TNK made a comic showing off his cool flag designs, and they're all American flags.
  • Ke$ha's performance on SNL involved her wearing a sparkly American flag-patterned cape (in addition to another flag hanging off her mic stand).
  • In 2010 Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill kicked several students off campus for wearing American flags on Cinco de Mayo causing a national controversy.
  • And of course, American soldiers wear a patch shoulder depecting an American Flag. When worn on the right shoulder, the flag has to be "reversed" so that it looks like the flag is waving in the correct way when the soldier walks forward.
  • Old Navy stores in the US sell US flag t-shirts for five dollars each from March to July 4 every year. Generally the shirts feature an image of the flag with an Old Navy logo and the current year.
  • The AR15 is the most popular firearm in America and has no active patents so everyone can and does make parts for it. The ejection port cover is a relatively simple piece of metal (cheap) with prominent flat surfaces on it. As a result engraved covers are common and the most common design displayed on these is the American flag, with the Revolutionary War era Gadsden flag a close runner up. Skulls that are suspiciously Frank Castle like are also common, though pretty much anything that will fit can be custom ordered.

Texas Flag

Video Games

  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Whenever you see General Carville, you'll see his "Don't Mess With Texas" flag mug.
    • In Red Alert 2, you see a highway sign emblazoned with the Texas Flag reminding drivers to "Drive Friendly, The Texas Way!" shortly before a Soviet tank runs it over. The sign, of course, is a real highway sign displayed at state border crossings.

Real Life

  • Willie Nelson has been quite fond of this. If he's not wearing a Texas bandanna, expect to see a Texas flag in the background while he's performing.
  • Texas State Guard members wear Texas flags on their uniforms, which are otherwise identical to active military and National Guard uniforms. In the civilian world, this is sometimes misconstrued into a belief that soldiers from Texas wear the Texan flag patches instead of American flags.
    • For those who don't know, the Texas State Guard is a part of the Military Forces of Texas and is a sister branch to the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Air National Guard. Members of that organization where the same pattern uniform, but the flag and the branch tape (which says TEXAS STATE GUARD instead of US ARMY) are distinct so that anyone looking closely could tell that they are a state force instead of a federal one.
    • Apparently at one point the Texas government wanted all non-Federalized Texas National Guard troops to wear the Texas Flag and a branch tape that said Texas Military Forces when they not Title 10, presumably because then they are under the state government's military chain of command until specifically federalized. The US Army shot that idea down very quickly[5]
  • Big Tex, the iconic (and huge) statue from the Texas State Fair, wears a button-up shirt patterned like the Texas Flag.
  • Many products in Texas have a Texas flag somewhere on them, although generally as a part of the design and not as THE design.
  • This troper has seen a barn in Texas with a hug flag painted across the entire roof.
  • Really, you can find the Texas Flag all over the place if you look hard enough, although most Texans likely filter most of it out because it's always been that way, and thus, by its very nature, is not worth noticing.
    • The filter lifts upon crossing state lines, so the humor can once again be appreciated when one encounters a sequined Texas flag handbag in a department store in Colorado!


UK Union Jack

Anime and Manga

  • Once again in Kinnikuman we have The Jack, a minor, minor, minor choujin who failed to graduate from the Hercules Factory and literally wears the Union Flag over his entire head.
  • Yotsuba of Sister Princess, being British born, sometimes wears articles of clothing with the Union Flag design on them.
  • Axis Powers Hetalia: In the artwork for the new version of Gauken Hetalia England is wearing a Union Jack T-shirt as part of his casual outift.

Comic Books

  • Captain Britain. Sure his outfit hasn't always been a perfect Union Jack design, but it's meant to invoke the image. Maybe he's not as memorable as Captain America.
    • In the new Captain Britain and MI:13 series, after dying the good Captain is resurrected by Merlin - who pulls his body together out of British flags, in order that he be one symbol representing many, like the flag itself.
    • Union Jack, as the name suggests, even more so. Union Jack was in The Invaders, with Captain America.
    • Jack Staff was inspired directly by both of the above (though the latter moreso); his archenemy Kapitan Krieg and his ally Sergeant States have costumes evocative of their homelands' flags, as well.
  • Jenny Sparx of The Authority wears a Union Flag T-shirt. In America.
  • Brit-Cit Judges in Judge Dredd wear a uniform with is mostly the same as those of the Mega-Cities, except the Stars and Stripes belt buckle is replaced by one with a Union Jack.
  • The Elseworlds tale Superman: True Brit told the story of Superman had he landed in the UK rather than America. Colin Clark dons a costume featuring the Union Jack on the chest - and his signature S symbol in the center. At the end of the story he emigrates to America and adopts the suit we're all familiar with.
  • Superman villain Manchester Black always wore a Union Flag shirt under his trench coat.

Fan Fiction

Film

  • Austin Powers' Shaguar, in a movie that was technically made in America.
    • Austin Powers wears Union Flag knickers.
  • There is a Finnish James Bond parody where Bond (played by Heikki Kahila who is better known as a newscaster and unknown in America) is wearing Union Jack underpants.
  • The opening action sequence of The Spy Who Loved Me ended with James Bond deploying a Union Flag parachute.
  • Nigel Gearsley from Cars 2.

Live Action TV

  • Rose's Union Jack T-shirt in Doctor Who episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances," which were aired in America, so I was able to watch them. Rose ends up hanging from a barrage balloon in the middle of a German air raid and notes that it perhaps wasn't such a good idea.
    • Though Rose would also tell you that it's properly called the Union Flag, not the Union Jack. It's only a Jack when it's being flown on a ship.
  • Amanda Holden wore a gorgeous dress mimicking the Union Jack to the finale of the 2008 Britains Got Talent, which did not air in America.
  • Bear Grylls of Man vs. Wild, a show popular in America, wears Union Jack undies.
  • Joey in Friends buys a Union Flag top hat from a souvenir stand in London. The seller tells him that all real Brits wear them. When Joey asks why he doesn't see anybody else with one on, the man tells him that they're all tourists. Joey seems to accept this.
  • Mason from Dead Like Me has boxer shorts with the Union Jack on the backside.
  • Tim Brooke-Taylor of The Goodies often wore the flag not only as a waistcoat but flag boxers too.
  • CeCe Jones of Shake It Up (an American from Chicago) is fond of wearing the Union Jack on everything from jackets to karate uniforms.

Music

  • The Union Jack became somewhat of a symbol of the band Def Leppard thanks to some iconic clothing worn in their early music videos back when MTV actually showed videos. Funny how at that time the band wasn't very popular in their home country of Britain, but they topped the charts...in America.
  • During the Tribute to Freddy Mercury concert in 1991 Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses wore a Union Jacket. His Guilty Gear British counterpart Axl Low wears a Union Jack shirt.
  • Noel Gallagher has an Epiphone Supernova electric/acoustic with the Union Jack design. Epiphone is a brand... STARTED IN AMERICA!
  • Singer Lauren Bennett wore a silver and glittery Union Jack swimsuit during the Party Rock Anthem.
  • Ginger Spice from The Spice Girls was famous for wearing a Union Jack dress. Naturally, during their reunion in 2007 it was the dress she wore for the concert.

Professional Wrestling

  • "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith usually wore the Union Jack on his tights, even when wrestling in America.

Radio

  • In The Goon Show (China Story), Neddie Seagoon comments: "As I walked the streets, people seemed to know I was British. Was it my bearing? The cut of my denture? Or was it the six-foot floodlit Union Jack wrapped round my head?"

Video Games

  • Doug Swallow was said to wear a shirt with this design in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, a game that's available in America. Phoenix testified that he was wearing the shirt, but when Doug was killed he was wearing a jacket that covered the shirt. It became a bit of a problem for the case.
  • In City of Heroes, the legendary Hero One wore this flag as a cape... in America.
    • He still does, only it's a bit tattered after his... adventures... in the Rikti home dimension.
  • Steve Fox from the Tekken games, as an Englishman, has one costume featuring Union Flag trunks. Umm... in America.
  • In SSX 3, Brit Moby Jones' default costume has him wearing a shirt with a dicolored Union Jack on it... and one of his helmets displays the Jolly Roger. But no American flags.
    • One of his later costume options has him shirtless, revealing a giant Union Flag pattern tattooed on his entire upper body. That's one patriotic guy. And a tough one, too; it takes a real man to brave the tundra of Alaska, which is in America, without a shirt on just to show your national pride.
  • Billy Kane wore overalls with a Union Jack on them in the original Fatal Fury (and KoF'95), and a sleeveless Union Jack shirt in Fatal Fury 2/Special.
  • Axl Low of Guilty Gear wears a Union Jack shirt.
  • The Hero in Fable wears Union Flag underpants. Because American ones just wouldn't make sense, in Albion!
  • In the first Guitar Hero game, Johnny Napalm wore a sleeveless shirt whose space was taken up by one half of the Union Jack.

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation

Real Life

  • One thing that's technically illegal in the UK is writing on the flag - the horizontal arm of the cross seems perfect for it. Local government authorities occasionally bring civil actions, for example against traders showing a flag with "Buy British" written on it - but mostly don't because of the adverse headlines that would be generated. Likewise, a blind eye is generally turned to the quantities of Union Jacks at football games with the name of a club written across. Looks like they can't be consistent in enforcing their own laws, just like America.
    • Actually there aren't any laws against defacing the flag in Great Britain (although Northern Ireland has some kind of code), so this kind of thing isn't really commented upon.
  • This flag design originated from a poll to design a version of the flag with a dragon on it to represent Wales; clearly the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann fan-base (some of whom are American) got hold of it.
  • Union Jacks are worn in America mainly for show. It's connected to the British Punk movement and Mod styles, so it's considered fashionable in some groups.
  • Ginger Spice from The Spice Girls was known for wearing a Union Jack dress.
    • Ironically, Union Jack-patterned tank tops seem to be popular among some American women. Gwen Stacy wore one in an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man.
  • Flying a Union flag from private dwellings is generally frowned upon these days, being seen as symptomatic of the sort of Hot-Blooded Patriotic Fervour that caused two World Wars and many many smaller ones since.
    • Doubly frowned upon in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, where The Troubles established it as a symbol of the Unionist community, and so can be seen as somewhat antagonistic. In Scotland, the neutral Scottish flag is preferred, while in Northern Ireland there is limited consensus, although some favour the unaligned (but unpopular) St. Patrick's cross.
      • In Northern Ireland, the Scottish flag is one of the symbols of the Unionist community (many Ulster Protestant families originate from Scotland).
  • Most Fook Mi and Fook Yu cosplayers including Yaya Han worn a Union Flag belt buckle.
  • Old Mini Coopers with white roofs were and are still fit with aftermarket Union Flag decals on top, making the car practically wear a flag on its head. The new Mini can be ordered with a factory-fit Union Flag.


Other

Live Action TV

  • In A Bit of Fry and Laurie's "Treaty of Westphalia" sketch, the characters representing England, Sweden, and France all wear badges depicting their flags. Hugh Laurie's France wears the Tricolore in a bit of Anachronism Stew.

Web Original

  • Everyone in Scandinavia and The World wears their flag as a shirt. Except North Korea, who appears draped entirely in his/her(?) flag, leaving only a pair of eyeballs visible.
  • Same applies to everyone in Flagland, seeing as they are all countries.
  • Also in Polandball, where everyone is a ball with their nation's colors.
  • This trope originally had a mention of America in every example, making it a Self Deomnstrating Article. As time went on, this was moved away from but the existing ones haven't been edited out.

Western Animation

  • Captain Lichtenstein of the All-Captains Squad in The Superhero Squad Show.
  • Francesco Bernoulli, Miguel Camino, Raoul Caroule, and Rip Clutchgoneski from Cars 2.

In Canada!

  1. ↑ Just don't tell him about the "made in China" tag on its inside.
  2. ↑ Actually a Canadian
  3. ↑ Technically it is still illegal in the USA, but there is no penalty for the offense in order to comply with the first amendment.
  4. ↑ James May knows Farsi and Richard Hammond knows a little French though neither is likely to be apparent or of much use
  5. ↑ Because even though National Guard troops may not be under federal orders, their base pay is still funded by the federal government.
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