Etiquette of a gentleman and his hat
To remove or not to remove, that is the question!

Have you ever wondered about a man and his hat
When to remove or not to remove his hat upon his jaunty head

Quite recently I have come to learn a few golden rules
About this little troublesome and debatable, silly conundrum
If following a smooth flow of 'hatfulness'; It somehow goes like this:
A gentleman should remove his hat as he enters a building~~
Buildings...include restaurants, home, classroom, theatre and church
This includes all sorts of hats, baseball caps, dress hats and casual hats
Remember, remove all hats when inside~~

For places deemed lobbies, corridors or elevators in public buildings
A gentleman may leave his hat on as they are akin to public streets~~
A gentleman should remove his hat and hold it in his hand
When a lady enters the elevator in any building
Which is classified as a dwelling
He may put his hat back on in the corridor
The corridor being a thoroughfare, much like the street~~
But be aware:
Elevators in smaller buildings, like hotels, apartments and homes
Require the gentleman to leave his hat off as a sign of respect
As these spaces tend to have the character of a room in a house~~
So to sum up:
Private spaces........Hats off
Public thoroughfares......Hats on, except in the presence of a lady!
Military personnel must not be seen with hats on inside of anywhere
Even when retired they still adhere to the rule~~
Should we bring back this gallant way of behaving
Or have women evolved beyond caring one way or the other
Would we find it silly, if men doffed their hats as we pass by

(I know, not many men wear elegant hats these days, except maybe
In the movies, where sophisticated gentlemen sit around in
Splendid suits and fetching bowler hats and such the likes)
Although I may be wrong, it seems hats are everywhere
So, gentlemen
How's about them hats?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So smooth!
About the Creator
Novel Allen
(Uk based) I Exist within moments, driven by whims and fancies, a free spirited dreamer. I Run wild with the wind.
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Comments (13)
Being originally from the southern USA I found this quite hilarious. My grandfather was an attorney and in the US government and wore the hat in the family. He would be disgusted by those wearing baseball caps inside the house and to family gatherings.
Nice job! Hadn't given this much consideration after my military days. These days, my hat-wearing is pretty much the exclusive domain of the pickleball court!
informative, and I especially appreciated the humor and personal touch you added.
Most men nowadays can't seem to grip the fact that hats are a sign of disrespect. And btw hats off in churches too!
PP conundrum is one of my favorite English words :D
I'm happy that I live in a time when these rules are part of history :) My father used to wear a hat; I think the correct English term for its type is a fedora, but in those days in Bulgaria, there were no rules as strict regarding hats. This story reminds me of an episode from the book 'One-Story America' by two Soviet journalists, written in 1936. I'll try to translate it: 'A woman entered. Then all the men took off their hats, and we followed suit, traveling without hats. This was the first American custom we were introduced to. However, understanding the customs of a foreign country is not always easy and is almost always accompanied by confusion. Once, a few days after that, we were going up in the elevator to our publisher. A woman came in, and we, with the haste of old and seasoned New Yorkers, took off our hats. However, the other men did not follow our chivalrous example and even looked at us curiously. It turned out that hats must be removed only in private and hotel elevators. In those buildings where people conduct business, you can stand with hats on your heads.'
Uh….. I dunno! I don’t wear fancy hats just caps sometimes.. It honestly depends where it is. If everyone (males) were walking around in their best clothes and fancy hats then fine I’m all for it! … 😁
Lol, if a man doffed his hat at me when I pass by, I'd be alarmed. Like what did I do?! Lol. Like I'd overthink it so much. Like do I know him. Does he know me. Etc. It's scary, lol. Loved your poem!
Very informative! I didn't know about these rules.
I think people don't care much anymore. I see men in hat (most baseball) in doors all the great. Wonderful piece though. Smooth indeed.
I only wear a hat when I'm going to be outside for a while. I've noticed most don't take them off for sporting events even when they're in a gymnasium except for the national anthem (& then only when requested).
Daahli 'N' k ~ Bald Man's Disquise ~ 'j'
When should go back to some of the old etiquette and this is one of them.