Tuesday, January 16, 2007

word for word, a diatribe against subs who don't let girls wear hats

So I'm teaching a freshman class today and they're all supposed to be reading quietly, so that's what they're doing. Kinda boring. But this girl launched into a diatribe when she walked into the classroom and saw me and I thought I'd reprint her diatribe here, 'cuz it made me laugh (and she seriously would not stop talking and just went on and on, and I kinda understood why, maybe, this other substitute teacher might have clashed with her).

GIRL: (upon seeing me sitting at the lecturn at the front of class) "Oh my god. Thank you. Yes, you're not Mr. Buca. Yes, oh my god, this is so awesome. I totally thought you were going to be Mr. Buco. Oh my god, I heard we had a substitute today and I was like, "it's so going to be Mr. Buco because Mr. Buco hates me and it's so going to be Mr. Buco" and I am so happy that you're not Mr. Buco. Oh my god, this is so great. You don't even know. He wouldn't let me wear a hat. How stupid is that? Because when guys wear hats it's disrespectful, but when girl's wear hats it's a fashion accessory. Why don't teachers ever understand that?"

She actually went on longer than that, but I was wondering if her hat comment is the consensus in the real world:

Hats on guys = disrespect, while hats on girls = fashion.

True? False? Depending on the circumstances?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally support Mr. Buco's gender-blind insistence on removing all hats, if hat-removal is required by the school or whatnot, but do people actually care about guys wearing hats anymore? The way I was raised a man took off his hat when he entered a building, but a woman was allowed to keep hers on. I just assumed this was a southern manners thing and antiquated, though, and I see men of all ages with hats on in buildings all the time now.

So I did a little googling and found some clearer guidelines:

This is from a website you can find here:

"A woman may leave her hat on indoors or during the playing of The National Anthem, unless it is considered unisex like a baseball cap. When wearing such a unisex cap, a woman should follow the same guidelines as for men.

Why are there different rules for men and women? It may have to do with the difference in the styles of men’s and women's hats.

Men's hats are easily removed, but women's hats with ribbons, bows, flowers and other decorations can be quite a production to remove, especially if they're anchored with hatpins. Women might also risk messing up their hairdos if they had to remove their hats. A lady, however, never wore brimmed hats after 5 PM, a fashion rule that developed because she didn't need a brim after sunset."

Anonymous said...

Ok Kyle, good points. I think it just doesn't really matter. Hats are fine on either sex, unless they are ugly..... like say a "cat in the hat" hat..... or those dopey hats the guys who twirls sticks wear that make them look like a pothead jester. (Wow, I didn't realize my prejudice towards these pothead jesters... where does this come from?) I also have a problem with people who wear those ugly Lisa Klein and Von Dutch trucker hats... it's over... get over it. I don't however have any issues with regards to badazzled hats, like the ones tacky fat women wear. Those are ok, they deserve a break. (A side note to a costumer friend of mine: hats that include the dried corpses of birds your cat killed and you subsequently dried in your oven, are ok. I thought the idea was a little twisted but they sure are beautiful. I also love when you wear that damn hat. Always, some woman almost jumps out of her skin after discovering she isn't petting a fake bird after all.)

Anonymous said...

shirts for the girls for sure, guys shirtless.

...oh wait.

Erik said...

Kyle, thank you for doing my googling for me! That makes me so happy. I love the details you found.

I've never really been a hat-wearer, so hat ettiquette (how the frig do you spell etiquette) is a totally new world for me.

Erik said...

Zacki, I like that catch-all completely subjective rule: all hats are okay unless they're ugly.

(I accidentally typed "all hates are okay unless they're ugly" and suddenly this thread took on a whole new meaning.)

Erik said...

Jesse, amen.

Anonymous said...

I think most people look goofy in hats, so I probably shouldn't vote. But I'm gonna.

I think the etiquette is that guys must remove hats indoors, but women don't have to... however I think that dates back to the dark ages when women had to keep their heads covered at all times. So maybe it shouldn't apply today. Unless it's a fashion accessory.

Except that I think most people look goofy in hats. So it's a moot point anyway.

Anonymous said...

i feel massive amounts of aggression towards women who wear baseball hats. i dont' know why. i'm enjoying your blog.

Erik said...

Rebecca, I think lots of people can pull off the hat thing, however I don't think that I can at all. Nope, never been a hat person here.

Erik said...

MCC, i'm glad you're enjoying my blog.

Some woman wearing a baseball hat must have been really mean to you when you were a kid and you've blocked it out. Did you ever play peewee baseball, or whatever they call it?

I played t-ball when I was in first or second grade and I was so bad that I couldn't even hit the ball and it was on a motherfreaking T.