Theory: The Famous Northam Yearbook Photo Actually IS Northam’s Michael Jackson Costume
So my wife looked at that famous photo of Ralph Northam, and heard me mention his press conference story that he had dressed up as Michael Jackson. She said: wait, so isn’t that photo the photo of him dressing up as Michael Jackson?
It’s not supposed to be. But she has a point, doesn’t she?
Northam’s claim is, of course, that there were no photos of him dressed up as Michael Jackson. But what if the photo we have been looking at all along actually is the photo of him dressed as Michael Jackson?
Here’s the thing: the famous photo has an ostensibly black guy (obviously a white guy in blackface) with a white fedora with a black brim, a bow tie, and giant oversized glasses.
All of which were things Michael Jackson favored.
Fedoras? You bet. Now, beware: the fedora (or perhaps a Panama straw hat, as nk notes) that Jackson wears in the following image was from a photo in 1987, taken three years after the Northam photo. But stay with me:
Michael Jackson wore the hat Northam wears in the famous photo. pic.twitter.com/PvhsLKfBbS
— Patterico (@Patterico) February 3, 2019
There is also a photo of Jackson from February 1984 holding a white hat with a black band. I mean, the guy wore hats:
Yup, noticed that — but check out this image from February 1984. The guy wore hats. https://t.co/N9CZ8fWyQE
— Patterico (@Patterico) February 3, 2019
Michael Jackson also liked bow ties:
Bow tie, bow tie. pic.twitter.com/YWmw1a1C7J
— Patterico (@Patterico) February 3, 2019
Michael Jackson also favored giant sunglasses:
Giant sunglasses, giant sunglasses. pic.twitter.com/vzj309UKa9
— Patterico (@Patterico) February 3, 2019
Put it all together:
I think there’s a pretty good argument to be made that the famous Northam photo actually is his Michael Jackson costume.
UPDATE: Northam also appears to be wearing a black glove in his yearbook photo:
This Twitter user notes that, while we typically think of Michael Jackson as wearing a white glove, he did wear a black one in 1984:
For the most part. But he did rock a black glove for the 1984 American Music Awards. pic.twitter.com/T7ayiyQohr
— CounterPuncher (@puncher_counter) February 4, 2019
Click the photo to see the glove.
Interesting.
[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]