# Why are some people so insistent on wearing a hat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2019, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600 "2019-10-10T19:02:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/61 "2019-10-12T21:07:48Z")
I saw an elderly man at a fast food place that could’ve been a poster child for “wear a hat when you’re out in the sun, goddamnit”. His mostly bare scalp was covered with what looked like actinic (solar) damage to varying degrees, and an area about the diameter of and half the length of an NFL football was outlined in blue ink, demarcating a zone where he’d evidently had recent surgery and which contained several sutured incisions. That guy alone probably allows the dermatology clinic and/or plastic surgery practice to cover their monthly expenses. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/62 "2019-10-13T02:48:26Z")
I know people who just think they look better in a hat, and a lot of them aren’t wrong. I’ve never been much into them, as I have a big head and find it hard to get a hat that is both the right size and looks good, rather than making me look like I have a tiny top of my head and a bigger face/chin. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/63 "2019-10-13T03:25:18Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If it’s an adult male, my assumption (unless demonstrated otherwise) is that he’s losing his hair (or has lost it already), and doesn’t want people to see this. > > It’s not uncommon at all for guys who are suffering from hair loss to be insecure about this, and to try to cover it up, either with a hat, a toupee (less common these days), or even a clearly-unnatural-looking combover (not naming any names here for political reasons 😃 ). That’s been my experience as well. I remember during my first year in law school there were several other first year guys that you would never see without a baseball cap. During the fall semester of our second year, which was on campus job interview season and everyone was walking around in business attire, it was obvious that they were experiencing premature baldness. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/64 "2019-10-13T09:37:50Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > That’s been my experience as well. I remember during my first year in law school there were several other first year guys that you would never see without a baseball cap. During the fall semester of our second year, which was on campus job interview season and everyone was walking around in business attire, it was obvious that they were experiencing premature baldness. But then you have people like my Great Uncle; almost never seen without a baseball cap, and his hair’s just visibly thinning now at 82. I think he just… likes them. I don’t think there’s anything more to it. Mind you, he does wear Hawaiian shirts, shorts and sandals most of the time as well, in England, so I wouldn’t judge the majority by his dress sense. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/65 "2019-10-13T11:28:23Z")
Honestly, I think most people feel comfortable in what they are accustomed to wearing. Cut your long hair short? It takes days to get used to how different it feels. Take off the hat you routinely wear? You feel weird. For that matter, the same is true about wearing a hat if you aren’t accustomed to it. One of my children developed a liking for wearing a hat. As a toddler, he wore a hat every day for at least a year. He had plenty of hair, was outgoing,… I don’t think it was anything more than he liked it. We had a small collection of hats for a while. Now he wears a mane. Long hair and beard. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/66 "2019-10-13T15:19:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know people who just think they look better in a hat, and a lot of them aren’t wrong. > > I’ve never been much into them, as I have a big head and find it hard to get a hat that is both the right size and looks good, rather than making me look like I have a tiny top of my head and a bigger face/chin. [Big Hat Store.](https://bighatstore.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-Njvn8SZ5QIVAdvACh3r3QoBEAAYASAAEgJBBvD_BwE) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/67 "2019-10-13T16:12:35Z")
I don’t think it’s been mentioned yet - visibility. I often wear a bright red 49ers cap while on family outings because it makes it really easy for my wife and son to spot me in a crowd. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/68 "2019-10-13T16:47:21Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > But then you have people like my Great Uncle; almost never seen without a baseball cap, and his hair’s just visibly thinning now at 82. > > **I think he just… likes them. I don’t think there’s anything more to it.** > > Mind you, he does wear Hawaiian shirts, shorts and sandals most of the time as well, in England, so I wouldn’t judge the majority by his dress sense. Bolding mine. Yep. Now I’m not a hat guy, but often wish I had one for rain or sun. I will not go anywhere without sunglasses. The sun and snow of Colorado makes them necessary. So, I may find myself in Pittsburgh on a cloudy day, and yep, I have my sunglasses on. No, I’m not trying to be ‘cool’, it’s just what I do. I won’t leave home without them. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/69 "2019-10-13T18:54:21Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I saw an elderly man at a fast food place that could’ve been a poster child for “wear a hat when you’re out in the sun, goddamnit”. > > His mostly bare scalp was covered with what looked like actinic (solar) damage to varying degrees, and an area about the diameter of and half the length of an NFL football (…). Yeah, that’s part of it. I’ve got brown spots on my hands, forehead, and face; some of them worry my doctor. My daughter gave me a nice high-SPF hat, and I wear it on sunny days. Also I wear glasses ground from high refractive glass —so the lenses won’t be thick as a pancake— and wearing a hat at my desk cuts down on random reflections that lower the contrast of what’s on my computer screen. The hat serves as a lens hood for my glasses. I grew a beard last year, got a lot of compliments, and the beard seems to work very well with a hat. So, I don’t **always** wear a hat, but several times a week — and I often wear hats while sitting at my work desk. The biggest reason for wearing them indoors is to shield my glasses from reflections from the overhead light fixtures. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/70 "2019-10-13T18:59:41Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > I grew a beard last year, got a lot of compliments, and the beard seems to work very well with a hat. Doesn’t the brim block your view? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/71 "2019-10-14T13:10:38Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And any grown-assed man who wears a ball cap \*backwards \* (and is not a catcher) gets both eyebrows. So, what’s left to raise for [this dude](https://ralphfriedly.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/backwardscap.jpg?w=394&h=460)? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/72 "2019-10-14T13:30:10Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know people who just think they look better in a hat, and a lot of them aren’t wrong. When I’m walking around town wearing a hat like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Aimy-Womens-Winter-Fashion/dp/B07HKC9DC8/ref=asc_df_B07HKC9DC8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312714131246&hvpos=1o14&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11361835299033362976&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-574378799190&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60332554697&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312714131246&hvpos=1o14&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11361835299033362976&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-574378799190), it is not unusual at all for people (almost always guys of a certain age) to honk their horns at me and shout through their windows, “That’s a nice looking hat!” But I never get compliments on the street when I’m without it. My hypothesis is that my hat creates the illusion that I’m more feminine than I am since it hides my short hair. It also creates the illusion that I’m more stylish than I am. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/73 "2019-10-14T13:44:47Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > But any male over the age of 18 who wears a ball cap out in public - unless his business is playing baseball - automatically gets a WTF and a raised eyebrow from me. > > And any grown-assed man who wears a ball cap \*backwards \* (and is not a catcher) gets both eyebrows. There’s a common saying on SDMB: You can’t reason someone out of a position they did not reason themself into. I don’t believe that at all. Everyone has opinions that they accept through inertia and early indoctrination. And then when someone explains basic facts about those situations the unexamined beliefs get discarded. Ball caps have a shape that’s highly efficient. They keep the sun out of your eyes and off your face, and they only have a brim where the brim is needed. That makes them half the size of a full brim hat, and much easier to store and often less expensive. And the brim is longer than almost every full brim hat, for even better efficiency. Compared to most hats ball caps have a wind resistant brim. You can buy specialized boating hats that will not expose your eyes with every passing breeze, but … cost, availability, size, etc. You can buy a lacquered cowboy hat that stands up to the wind, but … same thing. Please reexamine your bias against ball caps. ———- I’ve worn a backward cap many times, but it’s always accidental. I’ll head to a photo shoot wearing a ball cap (see above paragraphs for reasons), and then remember I can’t use an on-camera flash unit while I’m wearing a hat. Unless I turn the ball cap’s brim to the back. So raise your eye brows at my ball cap, forward or backward — my only thought will be, “…rookies, sigh.” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/74 "2019-10-14T14:46:36Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > There you go assumpting things; when I said hat I meant hat. > > [https://www.nouilles.info/illustrations/sdmb\_portraits/68402.jpg](https://www.nouilles.info/illustrations/sdmb_portraits/68402.jpg) Ever since you first posted that photo a few years back I’ve wanted an Amish straw hat. I wear hats to avoid sunburn, and figure the Amish have a similar skin tone to mine and know what they’re doing by now. Last July we did a weekend trip to Lancaster county and I went on the prowl. All the hats in general stores and farmers markets were tourist-looking and expensive, so I started asking the locals. An old Amish woman finally gave me a pitying look and said “Uh, why don’t you go to the HATMAKER?” So I follow a long country road to the end to a big house, peer in the side door, and there’s hundreds of Amish straw hats on dozens of racks. A lady lets me in; I choose one with the broadest brim and highest crown. Nineteen bucks! Now, I don’t look much different than you…rimless glasses, bushy beard, more red than gray in my case…but I don’t look anything as awesome as you do in the hat. In fact, I think I look like the Cat in the Hat. I think I overdid the brim/crown thing to the point of parody. In any case, I don’t have the balls to wear it on city streets. But it looks nice on the top of the roll top desk. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/75 "2019-10-14T15:42:40Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > In any case, I don’t have the balls to wear it on city streets. Heh, **kopec** could tell some stories about what he (and I as well) have worn on the streets of Pittsburgh!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/76 "2019-10-14T17:23:56Z")
_Not wear a hat?_ How am I supposed to signal to other drivers that a clueless a-hole is behind the wheel? Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got three more exits to drive past while I leave my left turn signal on. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/77 "2019-10-14T17:27:22Z")
I never notice hats outdoors or in public spaces. But if you wear one inside a house or a restaurant, I think you’re a rube. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/78 "2019-10-14T19:27:01Z")
For whatever reason, my gym seems to have an abundance of very short men, many of whom are just barely over 5 ft. tall, who attend regularly. A large percentage of these men wear baseball caps indoors, at night, in warm weather, while working out. I suppose one reason for this may be that the ball cap makes them appear slightly taller. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/79 "2019-10-15T00:49:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Heh, **kopec** could tell some stories about what he (and I as well) have worn on the streets of Pittsburgh!🙂 Tell, tell! The Amish hat is the stupidest one I’ve ever bought. I DID have a top hat I bought during my college years, but I used it on two Halloween’s and was a Mad Hatter during a costumed croquet game. ---
**Author:** ![TheMightyFro](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themightyfro/32/20081_2.png) [@TheMightyFro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMightyFro)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600/80 "2019-10-15T11:39:29Z")
As a 100% blad man, I find hats extremely useful whenever outside. Even in a moderate UV environment, (like a partly cloudy day) I have been sunburned on my scalp. Also, from my memories of having hair, it kept the sun and rain out of my face (to the extent approaching having a hat on). Other than that, I suspect some just like the aesthetic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-people-so-insistent-on-wearing-a-hat/841600.md?page=5)