Hats off to caps

Teen-age boys love to wear caps. They like to put them on in the morning and wear them all day, at school, at work, at meals, and (who knows?) maybe in church. Except for the few who wear them backward, boys keep curling the visor down on the sides.

The first question about this phenomenon is, why? An informal survey discloses various explanations. Some kids say, “because it’s the style” or, “it’s cool.” A high school counselor in western Maine says boys wear caps because they are afraid their hair doesn’t look good enough. A local father confirms this, as to his own son, who wears a cap when he feels he has gone too long without a shampoo. A local high school principal sees a deeper meaning. He says wearing a cap is a means of partly concealing the face and avoiding eye contact with others, out of shyness. The curled-down visor may reinforce this view, since the reshaped visor may restrict side vision, like blinders on a horse.

A further question is, what if anything should be done about it? The western Maine school absolutely forbids caps in school. It has incorporated the ban into the school’s dress code. The local principal leaves it up to individual teachers. Some let their students wear caps, some don’t.

A final question worth pondering is whether there might be some good to come out of the wearing of caps. Attention to dress may lead to a general realization that appearances, especially first impressions, are important in getting a job or applying for, say, a fellowship to help finance education. Maybe these young men will wear a necktie occasionally, instead of just to the senior prom.