A hat made of tinfoil was said to be worn by conspiracy theorists and alien-invasion believers in the 1990s.

The term was adopted for fannish use to mean, "Our ability to believe that these written-as-straight characters are secretly sharing their queer love."

"Slash goggles" are another fannish accessory. They permit us to see directly through the haze of heterosexual context to the true M/M love beneath.