Hatless Jack: The President, the
Fedora, and the History of American
Style by Neil Steinberg
A Fascinating Look At A Major Cultural Change
Boaters, derbies, fedoras—until just a generation or two ago, a man’s
social status, if not his very masculinity, was defined by his hat. For
centuries, men owned hats for all seasons and occasions. But in the
1960s, the male hat became obsolete. Just as women shed their white
gloves for the sexual revolution, men cast aside centuries of tradition and
stopped wearing hats. The hat’s demise has over time been credited to
President Kennedy, or Hatless Jack, due to his reluctance to be
photographed wearing a hat for fear it made him look old. But one
president alone did not make or break a trend. In this quirky social history,
Neil Steinberg traces the evolution of the hat over centuries, as a costly
but necessary investment, as a symbol of social status, and masculinity,
and as a global industry.

Personal Review: Hatless Jack: The President, the Fedora, and
the History of American Style by Neil Steinberg
Imagine if all of a sudden men starting going outside without pants on.
(Let's for the moment ignore the teenagers who wear them so low they are
essentially pantless, wearing tall socks rather than trousers.) We would be
startled, shocked, confused, and wonder what had happened. Well, this is
what occurred during the 20th Century with hats. Look at old photos of
busy New York streets and you'll see every head covered. Rich, poor,
young, old. No difference. Yet this essential piece of attire virtually
disappeared within a generation. And no one really noticed.
The traditional tale is that Kennedy's inauguration did it in. But this book
clearly establishes that is not true. No, it was a gradual slide that picked up
steam, and in my father's generation (born in 1930) completely vanished.
For him a hat was what old men wore, and though he had one for the rare
occasion when he wanted to look more mature, after about 1960 he never
wore it again. Look at the famous photo of Ruby shooting Oswald. The old
guys in authority, and Ruby himself, are all wearing their hats; the younger
guys are not. A fedora today is an affectation, an attempt to stand out.
Whereas, as Steinberg so vividly points out, NOT wearing a hat, or
wearing the out of season hat, could bring anything from insults to
assaults.
I was fascinated by the entire book. Well written, well organized, well
constructed. I only wish there had been illustrations to show me what all
these various headpieces were. But as social history, this is one of the
most illuminating and insightful looks at cultural change I've ever read.
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