Hat on and hat off
Hats are an interesting piece of a man’s wardrobe. For years, a hat was considered an important part of each and every outfit that a man would wear. Now, men and boys most often wear hats only during cold weather or caps to go with casual clothing to keep sun off of the face or for safety during sports or certain types of work. Hats also can denote a person’s belonging to a certain kind of group, such as a “cowboy” hat is often worn in the United States of America to show that one is affiliated in some way with country or western places, baseball caps often have sports team logos on them or the logos of a company or group, and construction workers are usually required to wear hard hats provided by the employer.
How and when one should wear a hat does come into our discussion of manners and what should be a correct way for a gentleman to show respect. To make things easy, I have made two lists:
Hats Off (no matter if it is a top hat, a fedora, a cowboy hat, or a baseball cap, you always have to take it off)
- any time you are in someone’s house
- while sitting at a table or having a meal
- at a restaurant, bar or coffee shop
- at the office, unless your job requires you to wear one
- at a movie or any indoor performance
- any time in an introduction, no matter if you are indoors or out
- in a religious place unless the religion requires you to cover your head
- inside public buildings such as a library, the courthouse or a school
- when the national anthem is played
Hats On
- outdoor
- on public transportation
- in an elevator
-in some public buildings such as hotel or office lobbies, airports and bus stations, and post offices
- any sports event no matter if it is indoors or outdoors
It helps to remember that when you remove your hat, you are showing respect. I hope that people will try to find tactful ways of asking a boy or a man to remove his hat at a dining table or in a place of worship or in a person’s home. Doing so helps educate a person who may not have any idea that his actions are showing disrespect.
As usual, I would enjoy hearing from you if you have comments or questions.
Marco
