History Main / HighlyConspicuousUniform

* France from ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' has a bright blue and red military uniform as opposed to the dull colored uniforms his fellow Allied Forces wear. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in one strip where France wears a boring grey inform instead of his usual one, when England questions why France explains that French army's colorful garb made it ridiculously easy for the Italians to aim at them.

In historical works taking place before the time around UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, this is TruthInTelevision, as a lot of armies really did wear ridiculous uniforms back then; uniforms with adaptive coloring didn't become widespread until the twentieth century. France in particular didn't adopt some sort of camouflage for regular soldiers until ''1914''. Indeed, using bright colors to aid identification of allies during combat made a lot of sense at the time, given that muskets tended to be extremely inaccurate at distances over 100 yards and a lot of the combat infantry fire was conducted at even closer range. Meanwhile the commanding officers had to know where their units were, which was the reason why even units with less conspicuous uniforms (e. g. Russians dressed in dark green, Prussians dressed in dark blue, Swedes dressed in dark blue or grey, Portuguese dressed in brown) carried large and highly conspicuous colours, standards or guidons. Even when breechloading rifles were introduced in European armies, colored uniforms still served a purpose in identification amongst the gunpowder smoke until smokeless powder was adopted.

* The [=US=] Army's infamous "Universal Camouflage Pattern" ("[[LetsPlay/MikeBurnFire So named]] [[https://youtu.be/gq2x6d5G2KI?t=358 because it]] ''universally'' doesn't blend in with JACK FUCKING SHIT!"), a grey-ish mess of a bad idea that fit in absolutely nowhere. A [[https://soldiersystems.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/img_6425.jpg picture of a soldier]] laying down on a couch that actually matched the pattern went memetic, sometimes captioned as 'It finally blends in with something!". The Amry eventually issued [=MultiCam=], an actually-universal camo pattern that lost to [=UCP=], for troops in Afganistan starting in 2010, and eventually phased [=UCP=] out completely in favor of its own [=MultiCam=] knockoff.

* Admiral UsefulNotes/HoratioNelson wearing one of these [[StraightForTheCommander led to his being shot by a French marksman]] at the cusp of his greatest victory at Trafalgar.
** Although what rendered him conspicuous was probably less his officer's uniform than the decorations he wore.

* The [=US=] Army's infamous "Universal Camouflage Pattern" ("[[LetsPlay/MikeBurnFire So named]] [[https://youtu.be/gq2x6d5G2KI?t=358 because it]] ''universally'' doesn't blend in with JACK FUCKING SHIT!"), a grey-ish mess of a bad idea that fit in absolutely nowhere. A [[https://soldiersystems.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/img_6425.jpg picture of a soldier]] laying down on a couch that actually matched the pattern went memetic, sometimes captioned as 'It finally blends in with something!". The Amry eventually issued [=MultiCam=], an actually-universal camo pattern that lost to [=UCP=], for troops in Afganistan starting in 2010, and eventually phased [=UCP=] out completly for its own [=MultiCam=] knockoff.

Still, the setting may justify doing away with visual camouflage, especially in case the enemy doesn't depend on human spectrum vision to target the opponents, be it using infrared, echolocation or some kind of Main/AuraVision (or just different visual recognition patterns, because most camouflages are adapted to deceive the human perception). Another justification is (ab)use of civilian equipment like a Main/HazmatSuit or a [[Main/MiniMecha cargo manipulation exoskeleton]] in combat.

** The typical Starfleet uniform is a single-color shirt with matching pants. In many situations, representing the Federation is partly shown via uniform-wearing (especially in ''Insurrection'' when Picard [[spoiler:resigns his commission temporarily]]). Therefore, if they are acting as diplomats or ambassadors, then they need to be easily identified. Many times in the various series, characters disguised themselves to blend in when on a hostile planet. In the original it was usually via costume, and in the later series surgical alteration was used to transform the characters. However, somewhat justified in that Starfleet personnel, as their name suggests, on board a spaceship most of the time and are thus in theory unlikely to be personally shot at (though this doesn't explain why away teams didn't wear subdued colors as a matter of course).
** The later series gradually phased out the bright colors in the uniforms in favor of black and gray. Limiting the colored part to the shoulders and eventually just an undershirt. ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' also has quite reasonable dark blue uniforms.

Still, the setting may justify doing away with visual camouflage, especially in case the enemy doesn't depend on human spectrum vision to target the opponents, be it using infrared, echolocation or some kind of ''Main/AuraVision'' (or just different visual recognition patterns, because most camouflages are adapted to deceive the human perception). Another justification is (ab)use of civilian equipment like a ''Main/HazmatSuit'' or a [[Main/MiniMecha cargo manipulation exoskeleton]] in combat.

** The new Navy Working Uniform or NWU. Similar to the new style of camouflage worn by the Marines, with a digital pattern of the standard fatigue design, the NWU is meant to evoke the style of tactical gear worn by other services. All well and good except for the color, a blend of blue and grey. For extra mileage, officers and senior enlisted have spots of gold coloring on them. Arguably subverted however, [=NWUs=] are meant to be worn in a shipboard or industrial environment and are designed not to hide the sailor, but to hide any paint or oil stains the uniform accumulates. Thus, while they might "look" more military than the utilities they replaced, they would be almost useless in an actual tactical environment. Not to mention that it's pointless for a ship's crew to camouflage themselves.
*** This is being replaced with a uniform of the same cut and general pattern, but different coloration (the new colors being relatively similar to the OCP pattern for the ACU).

** Averted with the parts of the Navy (like the Seabees and [[UsefulNotes/NavySEALs SEALs]]) who work where they might actually get shot at, generally with a copy of the more traditional fatigues from another service.

* Some characters and military groups in ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'' and its [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse expanded universe]] are guilty of this. In many [[EliteArmy prestigious units]], mechwarriors do not bother putting camouflage on their [[HumongousMecha BattleMechs]], such as the Knights Of the Inner Sphere painting their mechs a [[http://www.camospecs.com/images/schemes/29_Urbie1stKnightsInnerSphereAlbatross.jpg blindingly obvious white]] or chrome with gold highlights. The 1st Marik Militia likewise uses highly conspicuous liveries - their primary color setup is bright purple with blue and red highlights. However, more pragmatic units and units in the field tend to use more realistic camouflage on their mechs. Infantry, tanks, and aerospace fighters, on the other hand, are generally in more appropriate camouflage. Somewhat justified, as a Battlemech is too large to hide and is easily seen on thermal/radar/magnetic sensors unless using ECM.

* Another modern example, the U.S. Army's combat uniforms (the Army Combat Uniform, and before it, the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Combat Uniform) all feature a patch with a reflected United States flag on their right shoulder [[note]][[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle It is depicted the way the flag would actually appear if a soldier were carrying it.]] The flag typically goes on the right side because that is the position of seniority when more than one soldier are marching side by side. If the soldier is moving forward, as if he were advancing, the flag would trail behind him, and would thus appear reversed from the right side, because the blue field is always closest to the flagpole. [[ButIDigress Of course, if you had a strong wind at your back, the flag would be the other way.]] The same observation can be made with aircraft bearing the US flag, when viewed from the right.[[/note]] When deploying into a location where red, white and blue blend in poorly, it's switched out for a less visible monochromatic version.
** A more prominent example is the ACU uniform itself, which many soldiers complain is noticeably more visible than the older BDU/DCU color schemes. The Army is already fielding a replacement for a uniform that has only been in issue for a few years, using a camo pattern not entirely unlike the old woodland pattern, but with more brown and tan. The Air Force, having problems with their own ABU fatigues (thick permanent-press uniforms using an unrealistic "tiger stripe" camouflage pattern in urban colors), is also issuing the new Army uniform. Both services recently began issuing it for general use.

** In ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' Tiger Tanaka's {{Ninja}} troops wear gray while SPECTRE's soldiers wear red and yellow.

** In ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', Stomberg's mooks also wear orange, as contrast to the British, Russian and US sailors with proper coloring though those mooks aren't proper soldiers, but rather workers and builders with guns for defense. And such workers (like aboard oil rigs) occasionally wear orange, so they could be spotted easily during rescue missions.

** Sort of averted in ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', as the mooks wear grey.

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%%* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' gives [[http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/Zen00/Random/Far%20Side%20Madness/Gary_Larson_bad_new_uniforms.jpg a great example of this]].
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[[caption-width-right:300:[-Bright colors + [[SigilSpam large sigil]] = [[{{Mooks}} Shoot me]]!-] ]]

** The original game subverts with the female Black Ops, but plays it straighter in the expansion pack ''Opposing Force''. The female operatives had incredibly fast movements and jumped very high in seconds, but both they and the more conspicuous [=MP5=]-toting male grunts ''always'' wore black outfits regardless of where they were deployed. This is lampshaded in the web series ''Shephard's Mind''.

** In ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', when the squad makes makeshift ghillie-like camouflage uniforms, Sergeant Jackrum refuses, saying it is beneath his dignity and is about as "treelike as a big red rubber ball" in Polly's view. Earlier, she {{lampshades}} the impracticality of wearing a bright red uniform in a green, brown, and grey forest when Jackrum grills her on sentry duty.

** ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' also lampshades it:

* In ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'', going by the old war veteran René Arnoux, who is StillWearingTheOldColors, it appears this was very much the case with the old royal army of Revachol. How else can a bright blue jacket with canary yellow markings and an accompanying pair of almost fluorescent orange riding-pants be described? René even acknowledges that taking it into combat looks glorious, but it's amazingly impractical, and royalist forces suffered for it over the course of that war.

[[folder:Film]]
* Both sides in ''Film/StreetFighter''. The A.N. wear ''blue and mauve'' camouflage (seriously), and the Bison Troopers wear bright red stormtrooperish armor. Ironically, back on base (and during the time Guile [[spoiler:actually ''wanted'' to be shot]]) they wear typical olive drab colors.
* [[Film/AustinPowers Dr. Evil's]] legion of {{Mooks}} sport large badges with his triangular logo over their left chest.
* Discussed in ''Film/AFewGoodMen''. Three Navy officers arrive at the Marine Corp base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Two of them are in Navy dress white uniform, while the third is wearing a far more subdued kahki work uniform. The private that drives them from the airfield mentions to the first two officers that he has some camouflage jackets in the back of the jeep, saying, "If the Cubans see an officer wearing white, they might figure it's something they want to take a shot at."
* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Star Wars: Return of the Jedi]]'', Imperial Stormtroopers wearing eye-watering white armor (with contrasting black undersuit) in the Endor forest is just as good as wearing a "please, shoot me" bullseye on your chest, suggesting that the guy who runs [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy their marksmanship academy]] must have also designed their fatigues. Oddly, they do wear more appropriate no-contrast white gear during the battle of Hoth and, incidentally, it's one of the only times we see them winning a skirmish in the films. Popular FanWank tries to justify this by pointing to how the Stormtrooper uniform is such horrible camouflage because it's meant to intimidate and instill fear in the enemy (or possibly just the locals of whatever planet they're enforcing), but tactically speaking, this makes as much sense as soldiers going into battle wearing their parade dress uniforms. The actual explanation given in the Episode II Visual Dictionary (canon status questionable as of the EU-reboot) is that clone troopers fear no-one and ''want'' their enemies to see them coming; in ''The Clone Wars'', ''Episode III'', and ''Rogue One'' there are some camouflage variants seen. Ironically, their stark white uniforms with black bits would have been perfect on Kamino, given the white halls. [[note]] This is primarily because the Kaminoians made the original armor. There are also said in legends to see in the ultraviolet spectrum so it is possible that didn't see camouflage as a priority near the start of the clone wars [[/note]]

* The various troops of Ming the Merciless in the film adaptation of ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'' have assorted fancy uniforms in various shades of shiny gold and bright red (also powder blue and carnation!). The top officers (such as Klytus and Kala) and some of the bridge crew wear a more practical black.

* Hicks in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', like most of the SpaceMarines, wears camouflaged, dark armor... Except he has a bright heart and padlock on his chest. Micheal Biehn , the actor who portrayed him, really did not like this and thought it made him a obvious target, but as he was brought in as replacement for another actor shortly after filming began, it was there to stay.
* Parodied in ''Film/AliGInDaHouse''. Ali and his fellow 'gangsters' go to raid the antagonist's base wearing gear with camouflage patterns. Unfortunately they all choose garish, day-glo colours.
* In ''Film/OperationDumboDrop'', the Vietcong soldiers try to avoid this by wearing civvies like everyone else; it fails because, as Cahill points out, "they all got the same damn haircut."
* Averted in ''Film/MaxManus''. On their first mission someone wants to know why their commando uniforms don't have the Norwegian flag on the shoulder, but it's pointed out they're posing as British commandos in the hope that the Germans won't retaliate against the locals. After the liberation when they're escorting the King for his TickertapeParade, Max notes their uniform now proudly shows off their flag.

* The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse has Stormtroopers after Endor use camouflaged armor when on missions that need it. In the Literature/XWingSeries, Stormtroopers on commando/assassination missions wear slate gray armor. Lampshaded at one point, where Imperial troops raiding a jungle village in their shiny whites is taken as proof that they're local militia not Stormtroopers, since "getting whipped by one Wookie and a bunch of Ewoks persuaded the Empire to institute some reforms".
* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'': The Heralds serve as everything from diplomats to special forces. Normally, their all-white uniform is a respected symbol of authority, but the lack of any other option on the battlefield is subject to much LampshadeHanging. However, it is implied that the Heralds intentionally draw attention to themselves because they're so [[IncorruptiblePurePureness noble]] that they would rather be hit than some random soldier, [[HonorBeforeReason no matter how irreplaceable and tactically valuable they are.]] The two most militaristic Heralds (a [[DefectorFromDecadence former enemy captain]] and a former mercenary) wear dark gray instead whenever possible. The regular Valdemar army wears dark blue and silver which are the nation's colors.
** The standard-issue steeds of said Heralds are no less conspicuous between the indelible white coats, silver hooves, and blue eyes. However a sentient warhorse with more speed and stamina than anything remotely natural is usually useful enough to make up for it even without factoring in the various psionic and arcane abilities.
** Part of it is also proof of identity: the stories take place in a pre-industrialized world, so bleach is not easy to come by. Very few people are able to afford a pure white outfit and the expenses involved in ''keeping'' it white, which means that it's very difficult for someone to impersonate a Herald, due to the costs involved in faking the uniform. The shades used in Healer Green and Bardic Scarlet were chosen for similar reasons.

** In ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', when the squad makes makeshift ghillie-like camouflage uniforms, Sergeant Jackrum refuses, saying it is beneath his dignity and is about as "treelike as a big red rubber ball" in Polly's view. Earlier, she {{lampshades}} the impracticality of wearing a bright red uniform in green, brown, and grey forest when Jackrum grills her on sentry duty.
--->'''Jackrum''': Ashamed of your lovely, lovely uniform, Perks?
--->'''Polly''': Don't want to be seen dead in it, Sarge.

* The Blue Hordes in the {{Literature/Redwall}} book ''Lord Brocktree'' have their fur dyed blue from head to tail. Then again, they rely far more on numbers and fear factor than camouflage.
* Commented on by Creator/DianaWynneJones' protagonist in ''Literature/TheHomewardBounders''. Here the characters get transported from world to world at a moment's notice, each world being at different technology levels. On finding themselves trapped in a war zone, Jamie immediately starts to look out to see if uniforms are brightly coloured or mud brown. In terms of civilians trying to go their own way, the former is good, the latter, pretty bad.

* The marine battlesuits in ''Literature/InvasionOfKzarch'' are big, black, and not in the slightest inconspicuous. However, to be fair, they ''do'' include a camouflage function, which is to be used at all times in a battle zone.

* ''[[Literature/CiaphasCain Duty Calls]]'': Cain snarks regularly about the varied uniforms worn by the Periremundan Planetary Defense Forces. Each plateau of the planet has their own design, and almost all of them are this trope -- one plateau issued green and purple striped body armor, with orange fatigues.
* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'': One Army of God general thinks that his Charisian opponents don't understand that the whole point of an officer's uniform is to make him easily seen by his men ... then remembers how many [=AoG=] officers got sniped by Charisian riflemen.

* ''Literature/{{Destroyermen}}'' mentions the US Navy practice of dyeing officers' white uniforms with coffee in wartime to make them less conspicuous.

* Parodied in ''{{Series/Dinosaurs}}'' when the dinosaurs go to war. Their uniforms have the national flag on the back... which just happens to resemble a bullseye.

* The Alliance soldiers in ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' got the nickname "purple bellies" from the purple-painted armor they wore on their abdomens. And while the coats that gave the Independent "Browncoats" their nickname would probably help blend into the arid environments of most outer worlds, the red vests they wore underneath would definitely not.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy Summers invokes it by goes patrolling in brightly-colored outfits, because vampires are attracted to bright colors, and genre savvy citizens wear muted colors.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Night's Watch wear pitch-black uniforms. This would be reasonable in any other location, but the Night's Watch patrol [[GrimUpNorth the North]], and when they're out in the snows beyond the thick forests just north of the Wall, they kind of stand out.
* In ''Series/GenerationKill'', the Marines wear a mixture of desert camouflage [=BDUs=] and [=MCUs=][[note]]the initial 2003 Iraq invasion occurred when the US Army and Marine Corps were switching over to digital camouflage schemes and not everyone had been issued the new uniforms[[/note]] while training in Kuwait. In preparation for the invasion of Iraq, they are issued [=MOPP=] suits to be worn over their fatigues just in case Saddam Hussein decided to deploy chemical weapons. The Marines are issued [=MOPP=] suits in woodland camouflage to their vocal displeasure. The only person given a desert pattern [=MOPP=] suit is [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname Rolling Stone]] and it's rendered unusable almost immediately because it's too small and the Marines have to tear open the crotch because it's painfully squeezing the journalist's genitals.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' gives [[http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/Zen00/Random/Far%20Side%20Madness/Gary_Larson_bad_new_uniforms.jpg a great example of this]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary.'': Lampshaded in [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20041119.html this comic]]. Captain Andreyasn designs a new logo for the company, and some grunt says "From here, it looks like a bullseye in your mass center." While characters tend to wear brightly-colored ''bulletproof'' uniforms, they usually change when they know they're going to want to be sneaky. For a mercenary company, being highly visible means being intimidating, and is also viewed as an asset.
* Webcomic/LastRes0rt:

* All three armies - Reds, Blues and Yellows - in ''Webcomic/GoneWithTheBlastwave'' wear drab brown coats and [[GasMaskMooks gas masks]] set off by a bright white-and-their-colour helmet, meaning that the most brightly coloured part is the one you least want to be shot in. On the other hand, the world of GWTBW is so [[CrapsackWorld crapsack]] a character ''not'' having a death wish is considered a twist, so this could be seen as an advantage.
* The Cinnabar Army in ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'' has uniforms that are intensely red and have very distinct - end ever brighter red - visors in their helmets, which... may not be much of a tactically-sound decision.

* In ''Film/StarWars: Film/ReturnOfTheJedi,'' Imperial Stormtroopers wearing eye-watering white armor (with contrasting black undersuit) in the Endor forest is just as good as wearing a "please, shoot me" bullseye on your chest, suggesting that the guy who runs [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy their marksmanship academy]] must have also designed their fatigues. Oddly, they do wear more appropriate no-contrast white gear during the battle of Hoth and, incidentally, it's one of the only times we see them winning a skirmish in the films. Popular FanWank tries to justify this by pointing to how the Stormtrooper uniform is such horrible camouflage because it's meant to intimidate and instill fear in the enemy (or possibly just the locals of whatever planet they're enforcing), but tactically speaking, this makes as much sense as soldiers going into battle wearing their parade dress uniforms. The actual explanation given in the Episode II Visual Dictionary (canon status questionable as of the EU-reboot) is that clone troopers fear no-one and ''want'' their enemies to see them coming; in ''The Clone Wars'', ''Episode III'', and ''Rogue One'' there are some camouflage variants seen. Ironically, their stark white uniforms with black bits would have been perfect on Kamino, given the white halls. [[note]] This is primarily because the Kaminoians made the original armor. There are also said in legends to see in the ultraviolet spectrum so it is possible that didn't see camouflage as a priority near the start of the clone wars [[/note]]