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Global Politics

The US flag doesn’t fly from poles in Cuba, but it’s the latest fashion trend

The World
A Cuban woman waits for costumers in her private cafeteria, while wearing a scarf with the colors of the US flag, in Havana April 11, 2015.

A Cuban woman waits for costumers in her private cafeteria, while wearing a scarf with the colors of the US flag, in Havana April 11, 2015.

Stringer/Reuters

The US and Cuba's strained relationship seems to be on the mend. President Barack Obama just had an historic meeting with Cuban President Raúl Castro.

And President Obama recommended the island nation be removed from the US list of states that sponsor terror.

Lately, some in Cuba have noticed that the US flag is showing up on the streets of Havana — not flying from a flag pole, but on pants, scarves, shorts and dresses.

New York Times journalist Randal Achibald, who wrote about seeing the US flag recently around Cuba, says in recent years, other foreign flags, like the United Kingdom's Union Jack became fashionable in Cuba. But, he writes, American flag clothing has lately "been proliferating."

Achibald posted some great examples on his Instagram feed:

 

A lot of American flag apparel on streets of #Havana. This girl was spotted in #Trinidad #Cuba

A photo posted by Randal Archibold (@latampix) on

And Archibald isn't the only one seeing the stars and stripes in their sartorial glory. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has also spotted the US flag being worn by Cubans.

It seems the US flag-as-fashion may have been on the rise in Cuba for a while now. Here's an image that a Reuters photographer snapped back in December, around the time when President Obama announced the US would begin normalizing relations with Cuba.

A woman wearing pants with the colors of the US flag walks on a street in Havana, December 2014.
A woman wearing pants with the colors of the US flag walks on a street in Havana, December 2014.Stringer/Reuters

And in March, this gentleman shows that it's not just the ladies donning US flag apparel.

A man wears a shirt with a US flag design in Santiago, Cuba, March, 2015.
A man wears a shirt with a US flag design in Santiago, Cuba, March, 2015.Ramon Espinosa/AP

And recently, it's not just fashion. Oppmann has also seen the US flag on bicycle taxi.

Fashion is a great expression of a person's personality and perhaps their outlook. So, if you're inclined to read between the lines, these photos seem to suggest Cubans are hopeful diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba will continue to improve.

Or, Old Glory-printed shorts could just be a great look.

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