A viral TikTok has sparked a surprisingly heated debate over how fur-lined winter coats are meant to be worn.
Fitness creator Jessica Alzamora (@jessica.alzamora.xo) claimed that the fur on hooded jackets should be folded inward—not outward—to better block wind and keep wearers warm.
While millions watched her demonstrate the technique, commenters quickly pushed back, citing Indigenous Arctic traditions and coat design history. Now we’re all learning a lot about the history of winter coats.
How to wear a fur-lined hooded jacket
On Dec. 14, Alzamora posted a video declaring that everyone’s been wearing their fur-lined coats wrong. She gained over 6.1 million views so far by explaining how you’re allegedly supposed to orient the hoods.
“This is not meant to be stylish, it’s meant to be functional,” she claimed. “You’re supposed to fold it in like this and it covers your ears and blocks air.”
@jessica.alzamora.xo You’re wearing your winter coat wrong, and I’m sorry to be this person but it’s 8 degrees in Chicago and you need to stay warm 😭 this is how you wear the fur part of your coat properly. #fyp #chicago #winter ♬ original sound – Jessica Alzamora
She demonstrated by tucking the fur lining of her own coat inside the hood and zipping it up all the way to create a seal around her face.
“It blocks air from coming in, and you stay so so so much warmer” she explained. “If you leave it like this, all that air is still hitting you and you’re not warm.”
Alzamora lives in Chicago, where temperatures can plummet to well below freezing in winter. Without the right gear, that cold can quickly become dangerous to your health even if you’re only out for a short time.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 1,024 people died in the U.S. in 2023 due to excessive cold or hypothermia.
“Have you never seen any Inuit people?”
Whether she meant to or not, Alzamora set off an online debate over the right way to wear these jackets. Many argued that Indigenous Canadians like the Inuit historically wore their own coats with the fur lining facing outward because the fur blocks wind and snow better than the other material.
“Nope that is definitely not how you’re supposed to wear it,” declared @craig_nc on TikTok. “The fur is supposed to be out to block wind. Have you never seen any Inuit people?”
“Um actually no. It’s meant to trap snow from hitting your face just how squirrels use their tales,” @jxpsntz claimed. “But you do you girl.”
People made similar claims via the Community Notes feature on X.
“The fur ruff on parka hoods is intentionally on the outside,” the note on one post reads. “Traditional Inuit designs use it to disrupt wind, create a boundary layer of warm air around the face, reduce heat loss, and prevent frost buildup from breath (especially with wolverine/wolf fur).”
This may have been true for them, but people should know that most of the coats they see with “fur” linings are not sporting real fur. That’s polyester, folks. The situation for people in Chicago wearing fast fashion garbage might be different from those surviving within the Arctic circle.
Alzamora said as much in a follow-up video.
@jessica.alzamora.xo Replying to @killuaxcanary ♬ original sound – Jessica Alzamora
“I wasn’t talking to anybody that lives in Alaska,” she said. “I’ve never been to Alaska! I wasn’t talking about blizzards. I wasn’t talking to you.”
She went on to say that she “Googled it” and found she was wrong, but her way still works for her.
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