--- description: Those attending the Area 51 raid were impressed with the out of this world fashion look of one alien enthusiast who wore a tin foil hat. title: Alien Hopefuls at the Area 51 Raid Love This Guy's Tin Foil Hat image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70df19c882f79296/698a033b457a524fedd62d1f/area-51-fashion.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Area 51 Raid But Make It Fashion: It Takes a Lot to Stand Out at Alien-Themed Festival But This Guy's Tin Foil Hat Is Working  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 20, 2019 5:46 PM CUT  Attendee Daniel Rodriguez wears at tinfoil hat as he and other Alien hunters gathered to "storm" Area 51 at an entrance near Rachel, Nevada on September 20, 2019\. - Alien-hunters are arriving near Area 51 after a viral craze that saw them commit to storm the mysterious US military base as a variety of events are taking place to mark the weekend, including music festivals in a variety of locations. (Photo by Bridget BENNETT / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRIDGET BENNETT/AFP/Getty Images) Attendee Daniel Rodriguez wears at tinfoil hat as he and other Alien hunters gathered to "storm" Area 51 at an entrance near Rachel, Nevada on September 20, 2019\. - Alien-hunters are arriving near Area 51 after a viral craze that saw them commit to storm the mysterious US military base as a variety of events are taking place to mark the weekend, including music festivals in a variety of locations. (Photo by Bridget BENNETT / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRIDGET BENNETT/AFP/Getty Images)BRIDGET BENNETT&AFP/Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 20, 2019 5:46 PM CUT Alien enthusiasts have arrived in hordes to [Area 51](https://time.com/5681348/area-51-naruto-run/ "undefined") for the much-anticipated [“Storm Area 51” raid](https://time.com/5628391/area-51-meme-explained/ "undefined") that [took the Internet by storm](https://time.com/5625420/area-51-petition/ "undefined") this summer and some of the enthusiasts have definitely come to the famed and allegedly extraterrestrial military base in style. Case in point? Attendee Daniel Rodriguez, who sported a tin foil hat, to equal reactions of derision and fanfare from both his [fellow attendees](https://time.com/5675782/area-51-arrest/ "undefined") and those following the [buzzy Area 51 raid](https://time.com/5682343/area-51-raid-signs/ "undefined") online. The tin foil hat looms large in pop culture as a sort of signifier for both the extraterrestrial and those who believe in conspiracy theories, making notable appearances in media like _The X Files_ and M. Night Shyamalan’s film, _Signs_. According to [_Vice_](https://www.vice.com/en%5Fus/article/mgbk4b/a-brief-cultural-history-of-the-tin-foil-hat "undefined"), the origin of the tin foil hat came from a short story called “The Tissue-Culture King” by Julian Huxley, a eugenicist and the brother of _A Brave New World_ author, Aldous Huxley. In the story, the protagonist resists mind control by wearing a hat made of metal foil. Now, the term is used to describe those who believe in [conspiracy theories](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tinfoil-hat "undefined"), which makes Rodriguez’s accessory fitting for an event that’s rooted in a curiosity about supposed extraterrestrial activity. While there’s been no alien spotting at the Area 51 raid yet, there’s been plenty of reactions to this tin hat. See the best of them below. > [](https://twitter.com/Gurrlly007LIVE/status/1175047786372489216) > [](https://twitter.com/twitla/status/1175057429647810560) Area 51 Raid Attendee Makes Fashion Look With Tin Foil Hat ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5682464/area-51-raid-hat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5682464/area-51-raid-hat/"},"headline":"Area 51 Raid But Make It Fashion: It Takes a Lot to Stand Out at Alien-Themed Festival But This Guy's Tin Foil Hat Is Working","datePublished":"2019-09-20T17:46:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:00:22.555Z","description":"Totally out of this world","url":"https://time.com/5682464/area-51-raid-hat/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","onetime","AREA 51"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70df19c882f79296/698a033b457a524fedd62d1f/area-51-fashion.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70df19c882f79296/698a033b457a524fedd62d1f/area-51-fashion.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-PEOPLE-AREA 51","caption":"US-PEOPLE-AREA 51","creditText":"BRIDGET BENNETT&AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5682464/area-51-raid-hat/","name":"Area 51 Raid But Make It Fashion: It Takes a Lot to Stand Out at Alien-Themed Festival But This Guy's Tin Foil Hat Is Working"}}]}] ```