Thread by @visakanv

David Bowie experimented a lot with his appearance and image – you could say maybe he tried 100 styles – and of all of his looks, it's the lightning bolt – Aladdin Sane – that has become the designated Bowie Schelling point, the universal Icon

when writing an earlier tweet I found myself assuming that the lightning bolt persona was Ziggy Stardust, because that's the name I've heard most often associated with Bowie. But no, Ziggy predated Aladdin Sane, and there's a moderately iconic outfit associated with that persona

I suppose the sun(?) on the forehead was an attempt – and to be clear, people do still appreciate this. it succeeded at what he was trying to do

the eyepatch and neckscarf combination is another memorable and distinctive motif

this too is a look that gets recreated. another success

Bowie was prolific. He released 27 studio albums. Y'know, that's what I admire about him. I get the sense that he didn't think of himself as a great artist with talent oozing out of his pores (eg Prince, for example). I sense he was having fun, experimenting, fooling around

when artists choose to depict bowie, they almost invariably throw in the Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. it's just too distinctive and arresting for you *not* to include it. People even mash it up with his other images

I personally prefer it when tattoos of icons are a little abstract rather than overly photorealistic or detailed

oh yeah and he's been immortalized in emoji ⚡️