Hats

I saw a picture of Queen Elizabeth II today. She was wearing a hat. I thought back to the Netflix series the Crown. She was wearing a hat whenever she was outside. My wife wears a hat whenever she is outside. Redheads need sun protection, in addition to the sunscreen she puts on every morning. Skin cancer is not a thing to be messed with, and hats provide protection from the sun. My grandfather always wore a hat when he went outside. It was very typical of his generation. He was born in 1905. Look at old movies. Every man and woman wore a hat. Today, who wears hats? Cowboys and ranchers wear hats. Their hats usually are western wear made by companies like Stetson or Resistol. The only people that routinely wear hats today are those that wear a uniform. Military, police, and firefighters wear hats as part of their uniform. I don’t count caps as hats. Many people wear baseball type hats. These don’t count.

I wear hats because my wife insists I need protection from the sun. And after many years of wearing hats, it seems really strange to step outside without the sun protection a hat provides. I have many hats. Panama straw hats for summer. (Most Panama hats are made in Ecuador.) I have hats made by Stetson and Resistol, both western hats and other styles, like Australian wool and the Stetson Temple design. I have a crushable wool hat and buffalo and sheep wool hat. I have a Borsalino grey fedora (think Indiana Jones) and a Borsalino black Alessandria; both are made in Italy. I have a grey Cavanaugh made in New York City over 50 years ago. I also have a virtually indestructible travel hat, a beret, and a couple of Kangol wool hats. I got a new Kangol hat because the old one is wearing out. The old one will never be thrown out. It is an old friend.

I wear hats to protect my skin from the sun and because I like hats. Wearing a hat sets me apart from most people. When I run into another hat wearer, there is an instant bond. We immediately understand each other and know that we know something the rest of the world does not. We tend to long for an era that had more of an idea of etiquette. Gentlemen held doors. I still do, which often surprises the students. But you know, it is catching. I often see students holding the door for others, even in the rain or snow. And it is not just the gentlemen, but also the ladies. I like gender equality, don’t you?