When the New York Police Department (NYPD) dropped photos of Luigi Mangione’s perp walk last Thursday, social media instantly exploded with questions.
First of all, why is a man indicted on federal charges including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and soliciting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals walking behind Mangione? Did nobody involved consider how flanking a 26-year-old with more than a dozen heavily armed cops might evoke martyr imagery, maybe even comparisons to the most famous martyr of all? And most importantly, did Mangione get hotter in jail?
Fans of Mangione’s pointed out that he appeared to have a fresh taper fade and threaded eyebrows despite his time in a Pennsylvania prison after being charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024.
And according to @kissing_whiskey—a vintage shop owner and TikTok creator—Mangione’s prison glow-up isn’t just aesthetic. It’s a message.
Does Mangione’s taper fade mean he’s being protected in prison?
“Luigi’s taper fade is a signal to the correctional officers not to beat him up,” said the TikToker in a video posted on Dec. 20, 2024. “It’s a signal to the correctional officers that the other inmates care about him and have his back.”
She was quick to explain that both her parents had been to prison, she has spent much of her life around that world, and so has a unique perspective and understanding of the politics of prison.
“And the politics of prison,” she goes on to say, “are that taper fade and threading that man’s eyebrows were not about making him look good to the media, it was about sending a signal to the correctional officers that he is taken care of. That he is looked after. That he is not isolated, alone, and in lock-up without any friends.”
@kissing_whiskey explains how correctional officers often have to follow their own set of unwritten rules—particularly in facilities where prisoners are locked up for the rest of their natural lives—to keep the peace.
@kissing_whiskey That man is taken CARE OF #yap #fyp #haircut ♬ Carmen Habanera, classical opera(1283412) – perfectpanda
“So the correctional officers understand that at any moment, they could have a riot on their hands. The correctional officers understand that they have to toe a line in order for the prisoners to toe their line, and for everybody to go home at the end of the night,” she says.
“That taper fade was to send a message that Luigi is surrounded, protected, looked after, and that if any of the correctional officers decided they wanted to beat him up a little too much, they would have a problem on their hands.”
Of course, Mangione’s groomed look can also be explained away by an attorney whose best interests include cleaning him up for his perp walk photo opp. But if the many former inmates and current correctional officers in the comments section of @kissing_whiskey’s video are to be believed, the boys behind the wall are indeed looking out for Mangione. Because in da prison, they all Luigi’s fam.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
