The running joke between genders is that women obsess over their shoes. Whether it be Converse or Steve Madden, women need any shoe they can get their hands on. In recent years, men have also gained a clothing obsession. Most men no longer mock a woman’s obsession over shoes because they are just as obsessed, if not more with hats. Whether it be fedoras, baseball caps, or beanies, men create an admiration for their dawnings on their heads.
“Guys can obsess over hats just as much as girls obsess over shoes,” sophomore communication major Jordan Bloom said. “I know guys who obsess over shoes more than girls; it’s different for everyone. Personally, I’m obsessed with hats more than most girls are with shoes and I’m fine with that.”
Although the fashion of the hat has only begun to rise again, hats on men have been seen throughout history. For instance, recall the famous pictures of former President Abraham Lincoln. What was he always wearing? A hat. For a more modern example, look towards fiction legend Indiana Jones. What was he always wearing? A hat. In neither of these examples was a hat necessary to wear, but instead they were put to use for ornamental reasons.
While these two cases are outdated, men still can be seen sporting hats for fashion purposes. Business professor David Paul believes the sole reason hats have come back in style is in fact only because the style has changed to fit the generation.
“It’s a style thing. Hats will go in and out of style. You’ll see hats come in and then you will see hats go. It’s a fashion product. Why is it stylish? I haven’t got a clue,” Paul said.
A recent style change seen in the latest hat productions is the introduction of the snap back. According to Bloom, this is one reason hats have grown in popularity amongst college men.
“Snap backs were just bringing back an old thing and it fit,” Bloom said. He also added that he preferred fitted hats over snap backs but believes snap backs are “a nice change of pace.”
When men do wear hats, they often dawn a professional sports teams logo. In 2009, the New York Times reported in an average week, they produce 72,000 baseball from their factories.
The twist in contemporary years is that men no longer feel it is necessary for them to wear only their favorite sport teams’ logo, but instead they wear hats with designs they like.
Bloom, a diehard Yankees fan, explained how his hat collection spans past the pinstripes. “I have at least 50-60 hats and at least 15 of them are Yankees. The rest are just all hats that I like of all different teams, but I never wear Red Sox, Mets, Celtics, Cowboys, or Eagles hats.”
Another notion on why men are likely to buy hats of other teams is that they are attracted to teams that play well even if it is not their own.
For example, an ESPN article written by Darren Rovell notes that since the team had their first winning season in 14 years, the article said sales of authentic on-field Orioles New Era caps which usually sell for $34.99 went up by 102 percent and most of those purchases were not in Maryland.
Whatever the reason may be, hats are on the rise and will continue to escalate in sales.
