In a surprising turn of events, one of the world's most questionable hairstyles, the bowl cut, is now a symbol of hate.
Yes, you read that right. However, don't panic if it's a look that you're rocking, it's only a symbol of hate in a very specific place - namely a Jewish civil rights group's online database of hate symbols belonging to white supremacists and far-right extremists.
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Thirty-six new symbols were recently added to the database including the "OK" hand gesture and an anthropomorphic moon wearing sunglasses. But there was a degree of reluctance to include the OK hand gesture, allegedly "because 'OK' has meant just 'OK' for so long."
"At this point, there is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add," a member of the group said.
So how the heck did the bowl cut merit a place in the database? Well, it's due to the actions of Dylann Roof.
In case your memory needs refreshing, he is the white supremacist and mass murderer responsible for the Charleston church shooting on June 17, 2015, in Carolina. It claimed the lives of nine people and injured many more.
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The New York-based database was created 19 years ago in a bid to help law enforcement recognize signs of extremist activity.
In a statement, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: "Even as extremists continue to use symbols that may be years or decades old, they regularly create new symbols, memes and slogans to express their hateful sentiments."
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The "OK" symbol made its way into the database because it was used as part of a 4chain trolling campaign that aimed to trick people into believing that the fingers formed "W" and "P" to mean "white power."
But, more disturbingly, the symbol was used by Brenton Tarrant, an Australian man charged with killing 51 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March, in a courtroom appearance.
The infamous home of internet subculture, 4chan has been associated with various pranks, campaigns and controversies over the years. From persuading iPhone users that their brand new devices could charge in a microwave to its darker ties to malicious hacks, online bullying and suicide, the hands-off approach adopted by its owners has led to various headlines and scandals.
However, in what some are referring to as a “troll campaign”, 4chan users are creating propaganda designed to link the humble hashtag to Nazism and the Third Reich. “We must start using # to represent the swastika on memes and social media,” stated a post on the board /pol/ (“politically incorrect”).
“It will be a perfect win-win situation,” the user explains. “Either Twitter will have to accept blatant Nazism on its forums or it will effectively have to find a way to get rid of the site’s core mechanics.” Dubbed “Bash the Hash”, the campaign’s name is a play on the anti-fascist term “Bash the Fash”. The user adds: “Not only will this f*ck twitter up but it will also force corporations to stop putting hashtags on every f*cking ad ever.”
The idea was met with some criticism. “I notified Twitter, SPLC, and the ADL what you fascist losers are doing. Just another nazi dogwhistle [sic]. You aren't fooling anyone,” stated one user. However, most of the messages were positive, one stating: “Make social media accounts and spam them with this symbol. Every platform. Every news network. Everything.” Many other messages included far-right, racist and homophobic sentiments.
Before long, images began appearing on Twitter which linked the hashtag to fascism. It seems that the most obvious way of doing this is to split it horizontally to create “HH” (“Heil Hitler”). Many of the images supposedly originated from far-left and anti-fascist organisations such as Antifa. “In addition, the hashtag features 8 line [sic] poking out, and 8 gaps,” states Twitter user “Berlin Antifascist” on Twitter. “88 stands for HH, which stands for Heil Hitler.”
“Pretty funny to realize that twitter (and basically all of social media) is built around a nazi symbol. #bashthehash,” stated Twitter user “Matthinator”. Another, “Savage4skin”, stated, “STOP USING IT STOP USING THE HASHTAG” with the hashtag #bashthehash. Others took to using the phrase “fashtag”.
4chan users previously created a successful hoax whereby they claimed the “OK” hand gesture was a symbol of the far right. “Has the simple thumb-and-forefinger ‘OK’ hand gesture become a common white supremacist hand sign?” asked longstanding civil rights organisation the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). “Not quite, but it has become a popular gesture used by people across several segments of the right and far right - including some actual white supremacists - who generally use it to trigger reactions, or what they would describe as ‘trolling the libs.'” In 2017, 4chan users posed as Antifa and promoted a campaign persuading the public to punch white women who voted for Donald Trump.
4chan has, of course, also been linked to a range of other hoaxes. When a video appeared in 2013 which seemed to show Justin Bieber smoking cannabis, 4chan users created the hashtag #CutForBieber as part of a campaign which encouraged diehard fans to self-harm in an attempt to stop the singer-songwriter from smoking the drug again. Those who fell prey to the hoax were generally impressionable, young female fans - creating outrage at 4chan.
In 2014, the Gamergate controversy saw women in the video game industry targeted with online abuse. Ostensibly, the purpose of Gamergate was to highlight issues of ethics within the industry but instead, the hashtag #Gamergate was used alongside rape threats and death threats aimed at women.
Perhaps the most famous 4chan campaign, however, was Pizzagate. This conspiracy theory proposed that a pizza shop in Washington D.C. was at the centre of a child sex trafficking ring run by Democrat politicians. Needless to say, it was fully debunked. There have been numerous other cases of hacks and harassment, many of which - sadly - have been racially motivated.
Luckily, however, not all of 4chan users’ activities are quite so dark. As an online community, they are very effective at mischief. For instance, when a marketing campaign by Walmart asked patrons to vote for which store they would like rapper Pitbull to visit, a journalist made a quip that he should be “exiled” to Alaska.
The Walmart store with the most Facebook likes was to host the rapper and - thanks to 4chan and the hashtag #ExilePitbull - that store was Kodiak, Alaska (pop: 6,000). Pitbull went ahead with it and even invited the journalist along too.
In a separate campaign, Papa John’s teamed up with Taylor Swift for a competition which would see the pop star perform at whichever school received the most votes. 4chan hijacked the campaign and the winner was therefore Boston’s Horace Mann School For The Deaf. While this might seem like a mean hoax, and while the school was taken out of the running, it received $50,000 of donations on top of $10,000 of musical equipment and a concert ticket for each student.
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In 2009, 4chan hijacked a vote conducted by Time Magazine to determine the most influential person of the year, successfully putting the website’s founder Christopher Poole (aka "moot") in the number one spot. The first letters of the names of the top 21 candidates also spelt out two 4chan memes - "mARBLECAKE. ALSO, THE GAME" (m standing for Moot).
In a separate poll, 4chan successfully made Kim Jong-un Time's person of the year (though the magazine discredited the vote and went with Barack Obama). There are also countless nuggets of pop culture which we only have thanks to 4chan. The “Chocolate Rain” song and “Rickrolling” are just a couple of examples.
Of course, the website is often linked with users’ malicious behaviour. However, like the internet itself, it is an anarchic, chaotic and largely unregulated entity. That the freedom to do what one pleases often leads to disinformation and discrimination says more about the human condition than it does about the platform.
FIFA is facing calls to remove a video assistant referee from the 2026 World Cup after an anti-racism monitoring group claimed a hand gesture made during a live broadcast resembled a symbol linked to white supremacist movements.
The controversy centers on Australian official Shaun Evans, who was shown on television before Germany's opening match against Curaçao on Sunday. During the introduction of the VAR team, Evans appeared to make an "OK" sign with his right hand while standing alongside fellow officials.
The incident has drawn criticism from the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory behavior at international football matches. The organization said the gesture appeared similar to a symbol that has been adopted by far-right groups in some contexts.
Fare calls for action
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” the Fare network said in a statement.
“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” it added, also describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”
The gesture in question involves touching the thumb and forefinger together to form a circle while extending the remaining fingers. In 2019, the New York-based Anti-Defamation League designated the symbol as a hate symbol, noting that it had been used by white supremacists and other far-right groups.
Context behind the symbol
It remains unclear whether Evans was making a political statement or taking part in what is commonly known as the "circle game", a prank in which a person flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and attempts to trick others into looking at it.
The gesture gained attention online after being appropriated by far-right groups, following a campaign that reportedly began as a hoax on the message board 4chan before spreading more widely.
Shaun Evans. Credit: Carmen Mandato - FIFA / Getty
When the Anti-Defamation League added the symbol to its hate symbol database in 2019, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Centre on Extremism, stressed the importance of examining the circumstances surrounding its use.
At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Questions raised over broadcast appearance
Evans is one of 30 VAR officials selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The VAR team operates from the tournament's broadcast centre in Dallas, despite Germany's match against Curaçao taking place in Houston.
Fare also questioned why the gesture was made during a televised introduction.
“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”
No decision had been announced by FIFA regarding Evans' role in the tournament at the time of publication.
Featured image credit: Carmen Mandato - FIFA / Getty
A bar in England has come under fire for its "misogynistic" sign.
In the post-MeToo world, tolerance for words that encourage misogyny, victim-blaming, and rape culture is lower than ever - and so it should be. What anyone chooses to do with their body is their choice and their choice alone.
The illuminated sign in Alexander’s Bar in Worcestershire read: "That awkward moment when Halloween is over but you're still a slag."
The sign first came to public attention after a picture of it was posted to social media on Sunday. Since then, it has come under fire from police, politicians and local parenting groups.
"Alexander's promoting misogyny, victim-blaming, rape culture in their bar. This is not OK - anyone should be free to dress, wear, and be whoever they want freely without being labeled for it," a representative for Worcestershire Mums Network wrote on Twitter.
In the video below, Piers Morgan debates whether music should be modernized in the MeToo era:
However, they were far from the only group to slam the sign on Twitter. Others described it as "absolutely disgusting", "terrible" and "not a good look".
"This is just wrong," the West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Center (WMRSASC) wrote. "WMRSASC would support a code of conduct to prevent offensive messages like this."
According to South West News Service (SWNS), a member of Worcestershire Mums Network visited the bar on November 23 and was appalled by the sign, which has allegedly been displayed in Alexander's bar since November 1, Fox News reports.
The group's founder, Siani Driver, said it objectified women for what they wear and therefore has the potential to make them feel unsafe.
A similar statement was made by John-Paul Campion, West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who said that he hoped the backlash over the sign would make the nightclub seriously consider the implications of such a message.
SWNS has reported that local council member Louise Griffiths has reported the sign to Worcestershire Regulatory Services in the hope that it will be removed.
Chrissy Teigen has been criticised online for the alleged associations surrounding her new tattoo. Some people are even going as far as to claim that the tattoo - which features a selection of numbers that represent, amongst other things, the birthdays of her husband, John Legend, and two children, Luna and Miles - gives off "holocaust vibes".
Although the majority of the comments about the ink, which she shared on Instagram, were positive, some have said they find it offensive and insensitive.
Chrissy Teigen shares video of mystery health ailment on Twitter
"Yikes really strong Holocaust vibes," wrote one Instagram user, while another suggested that the model wasn't aware of the connotations: "Chrissy, I love you, I just wish people were more aware of the connection to the Holocaust when they elect to get forearm tattoos of numbers."
Another person commented: "I think this would make any Jewish person very uncomfortable even if unintentionally," while someone else stated "Is anyone else a little bothered by the fact that she got a series of numbers on her forearm? Is the Holocaust really that far removed from our reality? Anyone??"
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In other news, Chrissy Teigen just learned the hard way to never post private information on the internet. The model took to Twitter last month to reveal that she had accidentally posed her email address on social media, which prompted a number of her fans to FaceTime her in hopes that she'd pick up.
One person did get lucky, but to her surprise, she had a call with a friendly stranger, and wasn't confronted by anything inappropriate.
"F*ck I posted my email address lmao," she wrote on Twitter, before adding "Oh my god people are FaceTiming me. was 100% sure this would be a penis but nope just a nice stranger."
"Everything disabled and changed emails. but I love you guys and thank you for the kind words lol," she continued.
In a video shared to Twitter, Chrissy was alongside her mother, Vilailuck "Pepper" Teigen, and chatted with a fan called Ricardo on her laptop. "Hi, Ricardo, nice to meet you. This is my mom,” Chrissy said. "Thanks for calling me!"
When Ricardo asked how the cookbook author was doing, she responded "We’re good, we’re about to eat dinner but just thought we’d answer one of these."
Before hanging up, Chrissy said "[It was] nice to meet you!"
In the wake of the memorial service for Charlie Kirk on Sunday, a bizarre accusation has surfaced online, claiming that his widow, Erika Kirk, made a satanic hand gesture during her appearance at the event in Glendale, Arizona.
The claim, which has gone viral, suggests that Erika’s gesture was intended to invoke the "devil horn" symbol.
At the memorial, Erika, 36, a devout Christian, was seen on stage beside former President Donald Trump, where she made a hand sign that is widely recognized in American Sign Language as a gesture for "I love you."
When did Erika Kirk make the gesture?
After delivering a heartfelt speech about her late husband’s life and legacy, she raised her arm with her index and pinky fingers raised, a common sign used to express love and affection.
However, a number of social media users quickly misinterpreted the gesture, labeling it as a "satanic hand symbol."
"I caught this hand sign from Erika Kirk, which is a Devil/Owl sign people use in dark meetings and rock-on concerts," one person posted.
Erika Kirk's hand gesture confused viewers. Credit: Joe Raedle / Getty
Another questioned her actions, stating, "What is happening? Erika Kirk throwing up a satanic hand symbol to end off Charlie's funeral?!?! I hope she doesn't realize what she's doing, but this is definitely suspicious!"
Despite the hateful claims circulating online, supporters of Erika Kirk quickly rushed to her defense, clarifying that the gesture was, in fact, a widely recognized sign for "I love you" in sign language.
"PSA: Erika Kirk's hand sign at the end was sign language for 'I love you.' Not a satanic hand sign. Dear lord... please give me strength on this app," one user wrote in response.
Others echoed the sentiment, with one posting, "It's sign language for 'love you'. Ignorance is exactly why people commit violence. LEARN THINGS! Don't spew evil where none exists."
Confusion surrounding Erika's hand gesture
The viral claims were fueled by the confusion surrounding the gesture, which is similar to the "rock on" sign often seen at concerts, where the index and pinky fingers are raised while the other fingers are tucked in.
The critical distinction, however, is that in American Sign Language, the sign for "I love you" includes the thumb raised as well, which Erika Kirk had done when making the gesture.
During the service, Erika gave a powerful speech in which she forgave Tyler Robinson, the man allegedly responsible for her husband's death. "I forgive him," she said, referring to Robinson, as the audience erupted in applause.
Erika announced at Charlie Kirk's funeral that she forgives his alleged killer. Credit: Win McNamee / Getty
"I forgive him because it's what Christ did. The answer to hate is not hate."
The memorial, held at State Farm Stadium, also saw former rivals President Trump and tech magnate Elon Musk put aside their differences.
Their strained relationship had boiled over in June 2025, when Musk posted and later deleted a claim alleging that federal authorities had additional information on Trump in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The service drew tens of thousands of mourners, with tight security around the stadium. President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and key Cabinet members were on stage for the occasion.
As Erika Kirk continues to face online criticism and support in equal measure, many are left wondering how such misunderstandings can arise in moments of grief and remembrance, underscoring the importance of looking beyond the surface and considering context.
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