The Social Network's depiction of Harvard president Larry Summers' interaction with the lawsuit-happy twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss may have been right on. Summers talked about the twins at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference on Wednesday, saying, "One of the things you learn as a college president is that if an undergraduate is wearing a tie and jacket on Thursday afternoon at three o'clock, there are two possibilities. One is that they're looking for a job and have an interview; the other is that they are an asshole. This was the latter case.”
But do midday suits an undergraduate asshole make? Not according to them. In an open letter to Harvard's current president via The Wall Street Journal, the Winklevii responded to Summers' fashion-turned-character criticism. "It is deeply disturbing that a professor of this university openly admits to making character judgments of students based on their appearance... Every student should feel free to bring issues forward [and] dress how they see fit... Ironically, our choice of attire that day was made out of respect and deference to the office of the president." See the Winklevoss’ style through the years and decide: Assholes or respectful young men?
They may have missed out on Facebook, but Tyler Winklevoss, left, and Cameron Winklevoss, right, and their friend Divya Narendra did join together to launch ConnectU. In 2004, the three Harvard graduates filed a lawsuit against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for taking their idea, but by the spring of 2007, the case was dismissed. On July 25, 2007, the Winklevoss twins—clad in the suits Summers mentioned—and Narendra—in a sweater—held a press conference in Boston, after a federal judge gave them until Aug. 8 to flesh out their allegations. It may have been the middle of the day, but since they were working Harvard graduates, is the look less of a jerk indicator?
Charles Krupa / AP Photo
At their July 2007 press conference, seemingly less a--holey twin Tyler went with a green tie—perhaps indicating his Facebook jealousy, while Cameron’s pink one (not visible here) may have had a more subtle, but even more malicious, intention. Whether or not Cameron was aware, pink has such a tranquilizing effect that “football stadiums… used to paint their visitor locker rooms pink in the hope it would pacify and physically weaken their opponents,” according to the Georgia Daily News. Was he trying to win over Zuckerberg with a wardrobe sedative?
2008 was a good year for the Winklevii—they won $65 million in a settlement with Zuckerberg and became members of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team. But before their trip to the Beijing Games, they posed with then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Olympics processing center at San Jose State University. While their crisp, collared, USA-emblazoned white shirts scream patriotism, the man in the photo with them does not defuse one’s a--hole reputation.
Kimberly White / Reuters / Corbis
In their early days in Greenwich, Connecticut, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss founded the crew program at the Brunswick School. They went on to bring their skills to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. When not suing Mark Zuckerberg, the brothers devoted much of their lives to the sport and set aside their collared shirts, jackets, ties, and khakis in favor of spandex and shorts.
Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo
Of course, wearing one’s sunglasses indoors or at night is the true sign of an a--hole, but the Winklevii have reasons to wear shades on the water. They finished 6th out of 14th in the men's pair without coxswain final in Beijing.
Gregory Bull / AP Photo
After graduating from Harvard, the Winklevoss twins headed to Oxford to study at the Said Business School. While there, the brothers rowed in the Blue Boat in the 156th Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race. This time, the spandex extended to full-arm length. Sexy? No. A--holes? Maybe.
Toby Melville / Landov / Reuters
There were not one, not two, but three (and a half) Winklevii at the Henley Royal Regatta in July 2010, where The Social Network, based on the Facebook case, filmed some of its crew scenes. Taylor and Cameron changed up their suits a bit with some piping and varying colored ties when they posed with their friend Divya Narendra (far right), Armie Hammer, the actor who played both of them on screen (second from left), and Josh Pence (second from right), who played Hammer’s body double. So many suits, so many smiles—it’s hard to see their spite. (Photo via Guest of a Guest)
Even before The Social Network increased the Winklevoss’ fame factor when it was released in late 2010, Cameron was proving to be quite the ladies’ man at this Guest of a Guest and Curbed event in the Hamptons in August. His navy Polo T-shirt and boat shoes scream preppy, but he dared to keep his collar down, seemingly defying his WASP roots. (Photo via Guest of a Guest)
Since they’re often wearing suits in their day-to-day lives, how could the Winklevoss twins up their game for the Parisian premiere of The Social Network in October 2010? The brothers suited up in modern tuxes with shiny black ties as they watched Hammer play both of them on the big screen. When asked if the stylists got their look right, Tyler Winklevoss told Newsweek, “We definitely joked about the earwarmers.” The big event was no big deal to the brothers, who were already used to hanging out with celebrities. Though sweatshirt-devotee Mark Zuckerberg didn’t run in their circle, Natalie Portman told Newsweek that she did spend time with the Winklevoss twins while at Harvard. “I know the Winklevoss twins. I partied with them,” she admitted.
David Silpa / Landov / UPI
Even for a midday TV appearance on Bloomberg in October 2010, the Winklevoss twins couldn’t let go of their jackets. They did, however, go with jeans for the occasion to discuss Zuckerberg’s “sabotage,” as they called it. Does the denim count for some un-jerkification, Mr. Summers?
As the Winklevosses became even more well-known with The Social Network gaining awards season buzz, the twins made more appearances in late 2010. They posed at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston in October 2010 in some navy warmup suits, looking ever-so athletic.
Adam Hunger / Landov / Reuters
By the end of 2010, the Winklevoss boys had officially infiltrated Hollywood. At the afterparty for the Cinema Society screening of Made in Dagenham in New York in November, Tyler went with a baby blue, V-neck sweater while Cameron opted for a denim button down. Despite their increasingly casual—and presumably less a--hole-like—attire, the twins were in for a surprise. In December, they were sued by their former developer Wayne Chang, who claimed they cut him out of his fair share of the $65 million Facebook settlement. "They pretty much treated me the way they say Facebook treated them,” Chang told ABC News. And cue the a--hole suit…
Nicholas Hunt / Sipa Press / AP Photo
On January 11, 2011, pinstripe-clad Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, requesting that a three-judge panel void a 2008 agreement that would pay the twins $65 million, citing that Facebook did not give an accurate valuation of its shares before agreeing to the settlement. Eventually, the twins lost the appeal and in June, they dropped the lawsuit. But the following day, the Winklevoss brothers launched a new lawsuit against Facebook and therefore, one can only assume there are more suits to come.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
