'Young Rock' Uncovers the Hilarious Truth Behind Dwayne Johnson's Infamous Turtleneck and Fanny Pack Picture

Entertainment

| LAST UPDATE 07/18/2021

By Eliott Tanner
Young Rock Fanny Pack
IMDb- Young Rock via NBC

A few years ago, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson uploaded a photo on his Instagram that would later turn into a viral meme. For those who don't know or remember, that was the infamous turtle neck x fanny pack picture. It became an internet sensation, with many celebrities replicating the quirky style. Fast forward to 2021, and NBC's series Young Rock has given us a deeper look at what and who influenced Dwayne Johnson over the years, which includes the hilarious '90s shot too.

Dwayne, or "Dewey" as he was nicknamed at the University of Miami in 1990, had his first taste of popularity when he made the football team. Thanks to his impressive weightlifting, he had enough strength to make the perfect defensive linebacker, which led to countless success stories on the field. But the celeb-to-be didn't know how to balance his newfound popularity with his "inner geek," as shown on Young Rock. That essentially led him to use interesting fashion choices as a way to express himself.

Young Rock Fanny Turtleneck
Sean Zanni via Getty Images

The moment of truth came when Johnson caught the attention of NFL star Michael Irvin and Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell. Thanks to his football successes, Rock was invited by the two to an exclusive South Beach party. And you can bet he was dying to impress them!

So what did he do? The WWE star-to-be decided it was best to channel his inner '80s and put on a stylish fanny pack, accompanied by the iconic black turtleneck. The series also shows us that the young Rock thought his smooth style would capture all the ladies. Shout out to Young Rock for finally providing the explanation we needed!

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The infamous picture has a hilarious little detail that many people seem to overlook. "Alright, so here's the thing," the Rock explained in an interview for People Magazine. "I've got a tissue underneath my elbow because I felt like my turtleneck was expensive," he said, holding back laughter. "The funniest thing about this picture is, this is not a joke. I walked out of the house like this. Like: Hey baby, this is it, right?" At least Coco Chanel once said that his wardrobe choice wasn't a "faux pas," but what do we know?