The other etiquette thread reminded me about this.

Why was it considered "proper etiquette" that men are supposed to take their hats off when they go inside but women are allowed to keep their hats on?

I remember my dad doing this when he was in the Air Force. Then when I was in traffic court (not recently but several years ago) a man walked into the court room with a hat on the the Judge admonished him for not taking his hat off. I don't wear hats, but had it been been me, I wouldn't have worn one into the court room to begin with but that's beside the point.

 

Emily Post, on hat etiquette:
"Basically, hats are removed when going indoors as a measure of respect. Therefore, caps and hats should be removed when entering a home (which includes while eating at the table), when entering a place of religion, or when going to a restaurant. When entering a store or other "public area" like a train station, the hat or cap may remain on. This applies to baseball caps worn by men or women. Hats and caps are always removed for the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem.

Women's hats that are part of their ensembles and therefore fashion accessories may be worn indoors, including at a restaurant table, etc. If they are large-brimmed, they should be removed in a theater or other place where they block the vision of the person behind. Aside from garden parties and formal teas where hats are often left on, women generally remove their hats when dinning in someone's home.

The guidelines for wearing of hats by men and women are still an important part of our manners today. Hat traditions and manners may have originated in medieval times when knights lifted their face guard to show who they were, or in the days of the cowboys when a hat was lifted and removed to show there was no weapon hidden underneath. It became a sign of respect to others that has always remained."

 

It all comes down to whether or not you have a giant chrome dome at the top of your head.

 

SO what.... My hat isn't part of my "ensemble"? I wear my hats to match my outfits daily.

Seems like a sexually biased comment. to me. (flame suit on)

 

I was thinking that too. If you wear a military uniform, then the hat is part of the ensemble too. Same could be said of the cowboy hat with his outfit. How is a woman's hat part of her "ensemble" but a man's isn't?

 

almost any rule of etiquette is sexist

 

You don't see anything in Emily Post's book that recommends a woman should hold a door open for a man, do you? Women get preferential treatment. Get used to it. And just be glad you'll never have to pop a 10lb watermelon out of your vagina.

 

na.. etiquette just dictates expected social behavior according to norms. Washing your hands after shitting, chewing with your mouth closed, etc are examples of proper etiquette, but are not sexist.

 

Washing your hands after dropping a deuce would be hygiene, not etiquette. You ought to do that for yourself let alone others.

 

If you wear ensemble's and outfit's then you are basically a woman.