# what would have happened if I hadn't worn a hat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740 "2005-01-08T12:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/1 "2005-01-08T12:42:21Z")
If you look at photos of men outside say 80 years ago they all wore hats without exception (e.g. see [http://library.bloomu.edu/Archives/football/crowd.JPG](http://library.bloomu.edu/Archives/football/crowd.JPG) ). Possibly no factual answer, but would I have been arrested, harrassed etc for not wearing one? ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/2 "2005-01-08T12:55:02Z")
you would’ve been immediately socially outcasted and forced to live a life of solitude… Thank god for the internet! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/3 "2005-01-08T15:47:34Z")
One of my favorite family stories is about my grandfather, the rebel. He was an engineer; the building things kind, not the train kind. It seems that when he was fresh out of college he and his buddies decided to go to work hatless. This would show how “modern” they were. Their older coworkers ended up taking up a collection for the younger men so that they could afford to buy hats. So at the very least, you would be hatted by your elders, who felt bad for your economic disadvantage. \<)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/4 "2005-01-08T15:54:10Z")
From what I can tell, it’s pretty much the social equivalent of going around shirtless today (for a man, of course). There are certain, very informal situations where it might be OK or even expected, but most of the time it would just shock people to be able to see the top of your head. They might not have the nerve to say something to your face, but there would be lots of whispers, and you would not be invited to hang out in polite company. As well it should be. I love hats on men. Bring back the bowlers, I say! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/5 "2005-01-08T16:04:06Z")
Without a hat? Oh, the danger! :eek: > [@](#): > > … > Tha’s bahn t’catch thi deeath o’cowd > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > Tha’s bahn t’catch thi deeath o’cowd > Tha’s bahn t’catch thi deeath o’cowd > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > Then we shall ha’ to bury thee > On Ilkla Moor baht ‘at vThen we shall ha’ to bury thee > Then we shall ha’ to bury thee > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > Then t’worms 'll cum and eat thee oop > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > Then t’worms 'll cum and eat thee oop > Then t’worms 'll cum and eat thee oop > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > Then ducks 'll cum and eat oop t’worms > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > Then ducks 'll cum and eat oop t’worms > Then ducks 'll cum and eat oop t’worms > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > Then we shall go an’ ate oop ducks > On Ilkla Moor baht ‘at > Then we shall go an’ ate oop ducks > Then we shall go an’ ate oop ducks > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > Then we shall all 'ave etten thee > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > Then we shall all 'ave etten thee > Then we shall all 'ave etten thee > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > On Ilkla Moor baht 'at > > … [http://www.ilkley.org/iguide/baht.htm](http://www.ilkley.org/iguide/baht.htm) So there! ☹ I have often wondered the same thing - (re. hats, that is, not worms or ducks. )Well, rather less sensibly, I often wondered whether people were somehow so much _colder_ that hat-wearing was actually needed, but that didn’t make a complete lot of sense. I liek the tale of the older workers _helping_ the “unfortunate” younger ones to buy hats! 🙂 (btw - that is not the complete song, but I am _very_ sure it is out of copyright anyway) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/6 "2005-01-08T16:51:12Z")
You’d have been seen as odd, just as if you wore a fedora today. 🆒 I don’t care. I wear 'em anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/7 "2005-01-08T18:20:05Z")
I tend to agree with **AskNott**. Personally, I don’t understand why so few people wear hats these days. I usually wear a Stetson. Keeps the sun out of my eyes and off the back of my neck, keeps my head and fact dry(er) in the rain, keeps my head warm in the winter, and so forth. I just don’t feel as comfortable outside when I’m hatless. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/8 "2005-01-08T21:10:16Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > I tend to agree with **AskNott**. Personally, I don’t understand why so few people wear hats these days. I usually wear a Stetson. Keeps the sun out of my eyes and off the back of my neck, keeps my head and fact dry(er) in the rain, keeps my head warm in the winter, and so forth. I just don’t feel as comfortable outside when I’m hatless. While I agree that I like how hats look on me and on other men, I must say that you’d be teased mercilessly for being a hick if you wore a cowboy hat like a Stetson in Saskatchewan! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/9 "2005-01-09T02:41:35Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > I tend to agree with **AskNott**. Personally, I don’t understand why so few people wear hats these days. I usually wear a Stetson. Keeps the sun out of my eyes and off the back of my neck, keeps my head and fact dry(er) in the rain, keeps my head warm in the winter, and so forth. I just don’t feel as comfortable outside when I’m hatless. I hate having some so restrictive and tight on my head, personally. Even when baseball caps were extremely popular a decade or so ago (are they still? I never notice them much anymore), I never wore them. I’m just now getting used to the feeling of wearing a toque and I wear it for purely thermal reasons. If it’s not cool out, it doesn’t get worn. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@The\_Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tim)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/10 "2005-01-09T02:53:59Z")
While shelving in the Fashion section at Border’s I found a book about the decline of the hat industry. Evidently hat makers blame JFK for the hat’s loss of popularity. He was inaugerated without a hat and fashion folklore has that as a trend setting moment. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/11 "2005-01-09T02:57:32Z")
> [@The Tim](#): > > Evidently hat makers blame JFK for the hat’s loss of popularity. He was inaugerated without a hat and fashion folklore has that as a trend setting moment. The obligatory [snopes](http://www.snopes.com/history/american/jfkhat.htm) link ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/12 "2005-01-09T03:22:38Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > While I agree that I like how hats look on me and on other men, I must say that you’d be teased mercilessly for being a hick if you wore a cowboy hat like a Stetson in Saskatchewan! Another Saskatchewanian, eh? If you don’t have the obligatory farmer/trucker style hat or a ball cap, you are an outcast here. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/13 "2005-01-09T04:05:57Z")
I also love hats, something I have in common with my brothers and my father. Baseball caps in the summer to keep the sun from my eyes; other styles in winter (I don’t like knit caps) to keep my head warm. My favorite winter hat is a fleece hat with one of those tiny brims and a crown that snaps to it. On cold days, I can just put on my hat and feel warm enough to go outside. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/14 "2005-01-09T04:16:00Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > You’d have been seen as odd, just as if you wore a fedora today. 🆒 I don’t care. I wear 'em anyway. Heh heh. Me, too. I get sideways looks, but nothing beyond that… with one exception; a friend of a friend who’s not known for his social skills saw my grey fedora and guilelessly said, “Oh, cool hat - do you think they’re going to come back in style?” ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/15 "2005-01-09T04:43:21Z")
It would depend entirely on your social circle, or caste if you will. Being of the lowest caste, I never wore a hat and none of my circle did either. In fact I didn’t even own a dress hat. When I first went to work on the desert I wore a fake topee. We called it a [Frank Buck](http://www.topps.com/Entertainment/Flashback/FrankBuck/FrankBuck.html) hat for protection from the sun. However I soon abandoned that and ran around hatless for 30 years. The expected happened and I began to develop skin lesions. I now wear a floppy, broad brimmen bucket hat, long sleeved shirts and long pants at all times when outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/16 "2005-01-09T05:39:03Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > While I agree that I like how hats look on me and on other men, I must say that you’d be teased mercilessly for being a hick if you wore a cowboy hat like a Stetson in Saskatchewan! [Stetson makes fedoras](http://www.stetsonshop.com/lineDetail.php?lineId=2) too, y’know. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/17 "2005-01-09T08:49:58Z")
I don’t have an answer for the OP, but I’m a Pork Pie hat guy myself. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/18 "2005-01-09T09:00:06Z")
As a multi skin cancer sufferer, hats are an integral part of my life, as are long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever I go outdoors. Both my grandfathers were inveterate hat wearers, though my father and uncles were not. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/19 "2005-01-09T12:28:51Z")
thinking aboout it, it would probably be similar to someone turning up to work without a tie - it would be cause for gossip and snide comments and wondering what they were trying to prove. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740/20 "2005-01-09T14:45:07Z")
> [@scm1001](#): > > thinking aboout it, it would probably be similar to someone turning up to work without a tie - it would be cause for gossip and snide comments and wondering what they were trying to prove. Possibly in the UK - here, I don’t think anyone even looks twice if someone isn’t wearing a tie. Our business wear is a little more relaxed than the UK’s I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadnt-worn-a-hat/283740.md?page=2)