Vice Fashion - The New Conservatives

Photographer: Ocho Libre
Stylist: Emily Nadeau

Shirt by Lockets, pants by Fred Perry, hat by DSL 55 (all available at VICEU.K.), belt & boots by Barbara Bui

There is a new political consciousness developing in the West. They say conservatives are cowards and neo-conservatives are “conservatives that have been castrated by the liberals.” They call themselves The New Conservatives. They define the West as English Canada, America, and Britain and they are proud of Western heritage.

As Michael Kelly, the editor of The Atlantic pointed out, “They want illegal immigration stopped … They regard affirmative action as reverse discrimination and the welfare system as immoral … They are distressed by gay marriage, strongly oppose out-of-wedlock births and would like to see at least some limits on abortion. They believe that these positions are legitimate regardless of whether they violate party orthodoxies or the mainstream media’s sense of propriety. They are angry that their views have been ignored and derided.”

Suit by David Henry Brown, glasses by Ray-Ban, rebel flag by Defend Brooklyn, ring by “A” at Max Fields (LA), turban is model’s own

The New Conservatives do not share their fathers’ values. They believe, for example, that gays are genetically superior because, in an overpopulated society, they are genetically designed unable to breed. On the other hand they believe homosexuals have to embrace their position as deviants and stay away from societal norms like marriage, the military, the Boy Scouts, and the clergy.

The New Conservatives live in urban centers where the true result of wishy-washy liberal legislation is thrown in their faces daily. They believe immigrants should assimilate and embrace their new country’s culture. Though they are made up of all races, The New conservatives use words like nigger, paki and chink with reckless abandon. They claim politically correct words are the result of liberals trying to shape fear and guilt into meaningless syntax.

Top by Helmut Lang, pants by Marithe’ Francois Girbaud, belt by Lynn Park, shoes byBarbara Bui

The New conservatives revere the status quo. They respect the working man, yet they understand the need for entrepreneurs. They are proud of the democracy their forefathers have built. They refuse to blame the West for the world’s problems. They are proud of the West’s history and oppose white guilt. Though many are atheist they strongly support prayer in schools and recognize it is Christianity that built this culture. Education should reflect this pride. The New Conservatives are pro-choice but strongly discourage abortion. They believe third-trimester abortions are a cruel and unusual punishment for a human being and want the procedure only used for emergencies (they also believe the media lies about how often this procedure is done). They say that women have the right to pursue any career they choose but the ones who stay home should be proudest as they have chosen the most honorable profession for a woman.

Belt by Vintage Alexander McQueen, pants by Michael Soheil, shirt and sleeve by Elisa Jiminez, shoes by Hollywould

The New Conservatives see the Western man as totally separate from his government. They believe his government is a corporation that cannot be trusted. It is for this reason they are often vegetarian, always pro-gun, and always pro–drug legalization. The New Conservatives are as pro-environmental as they are anti-communist. They put the earth over man and come at the immigration / overpopulation problem from an environmental perspective. The New Conservatives encourage autonomy. They claim the bigger the country the bigger the corporation and promote cottage industry by promoting more, smaller countries. They advocate Quebec separatism, for example, and admire the French Canadians for having the strength and unity to retain their culture.

Suit by Marithe’ Francois Girbaud, sweatsuit by Adidas (available at VICE), shoes by Redear by Paul Smith (available at VICE), belt by Dirk Bikkenbergs

The New conservatives are anti-censorship. They are open to debate and can make mistakes. As one young man put it at a recent meeting in New Jersey, “If you caught a conservative at a strip club with underage girls his reputation would be over. If you caught a liberal there he would either deny it was happening or claim it was some sort of research project. If you caught a New Conservative there and scolded him for his lack of ethics he would say ‘excellent point’ and make a point of not going as often.” Inspirations: Emily Dickinson, Noam Chomsky, Pat Buchanan, William McGowan (Coloring the News), Craig Nelson (projectusa.org), vdare.com. Camille Paglia, French separatist Raymond Villeneuve, George Washington etc.

Correction, 11/15/18: An earlier version of this article incorrectly named Tim Barber as the author and photographer. We regret the error.