13 photos that show how Putin's T-shirts are straight out of the dictator handbook

GlobalPost

When you're a dictator, strongman, or autocrat you rule by consolidating power and by imposing your will through force. You also rule by plastering images of yourself all over the place. What better way to convince people that you're a heroic, all-powerful, savior for your nation than to make sure they see your face everywhere they look? It's called a "cult of personality" and Russian President Vladimir Putin is developing his every day. 

Back in August, a Russian designer released a line of Putin-themed T-shirts that his supporters went crazy for. And when Putin turned 62 years old on Oct. 7, the designer celebrated by releasing new Putin apparel, including a sweatshirt that's selling for $75. Putin's personality cult was on full view for his birthday. And his face is on full view all around Moscow.

photo by Dan Peluschek/GlobalPost

But that's not even a little bit surprising. Silk-screening an autocratic leader's face onto a T-shirt is about as original as erecting a statue in a square. It's all part of projecting your unbending authority and being the worshipful hero you know yourself to be. 

Here are 13 dictators, autocrats, and strongmen who, like Putin, had their faces on T-shirts. Fashion — it always repeats itself, doesn't it?

1) Bashar al-Assad: President of Syria, 2000-present

Three men wear T-shirts with a logo written in Arabic that reads, "You are the Lion of the Arabs and they are half men," as they gather outside the Syrian embassy to show their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Beirut on Oct. 30, 2011 (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images)

2) Robert Mugabe: President of Zimbabwe, 1987-present

A Zimbabwean man, wearing a T-shirt and holding a poster with a portrait of President Robert Mugabe, greets him during his swearing-in ceremony on Aug. 22, 2013 (Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images)

3) Ayatollah Ali Khameini: Supreme Leader of Iran, 1989-present

A boy shows off his T-shirt with the visage of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on June 4, 2014 near Tehran. (John Moore/Getty Images)

4) Omar al-Bashir: President of Sudan, 1989-present

A Sudanese student, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of President Omar al-Bashir, chants slogans during a pro-government rally on July 13, 2010. (Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images)

5) Hugo Chavez: President of Venezuela, 1999-2013

View of caps and T-shirts with slogans supporting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for sale at Simon Bolivar Square in Caracas, Feb. 18, 2013. (Geraldo Caso/AFP/Getty Images)

6) Muammar Gaddafi: Leader (with many titles) of Libya, 1969-2011

Ugandan supporters of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi wait to see the caravan carrying the Libyan Head of State during the 15th African Union Summit in Kampala, Uganda on July 25, 2010. (Boris Bachorz/AFP/Getty Images)

7) Paul Biya: President of Cameroon, 1982-present

People in the seaside village of Kribi, south of Douala, Cameroon on July 19, 2007. (Martin Van Der Belen/AFP/Getty Images)

8) Saddam Hussein: President of Iraq, 1979-2003

Iraqi boys wear T-shirts with portraits of Saddam Hussein on Oct. 13, 2002 in Baghdad, Iraq. (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

9) Paul Kagame: President of Rwanda, 2000-present

Supporters of Rwandan President Paul Kagame wait for his arrival in Gasavo Vumbungo on the last day of the presidential rally ahead of the presidential election on Aug. 7, 2010 in Kigali. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

10) Slobodan Milosevic: President of Serbia, 1989-1997, and Yugoslavia, 1997-2000

Supporters of the former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic wait at the main square of Pozarevac, prior his funeral, March 18, 2006. (Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images)

11) Zine El Abidine Ben Ali: President of Tunisia, 1987-2011

A supporter of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali wears a T-shirt with the portrait of Ben Ali, shouts at a party meeting in Tunis in October 2004. (Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images)

12) Francoise Bozize: President of Central African Republic, 2003-2013

A man poses wearing a T-shirt showing former president Bozize on March 5, 2014 in Bossangoa (Matthieu Alexandre/AFP/Getty Images)

13) Daniel Ortega: President of Nicaragua, 1979-1990, 2007-present

A couple passes next to a street vendor's stand selling T-shirts of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega in Managua on Nov. 1, 2011 (Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images)

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