Generational Hats

When I saw Ma Hat this past weekend, it struck me how much we looked alike, not just in the face but our outfits: we were both wearing hats and sunglasses. She is like a smaller, darker version of me, or perhaps more accurately I am a fatter, paler version of her, since she came first. How much of the way a person dresses is genetic? My grandpa loved everything Hawaiian, and as my regular readers know, I wear Hawaiian shirts almost every day in the summer. (People always tell me, “You look like you’re on vacation!” but maybe my life is a vacation.) I’m not much for skirts, except for on cute little sundresses, and Ma Hat doesn’t usually wear dresses either. Actually, I don’t remember ever seeing her in a cute little sundress, so I am still girlier than she is. When I was about two, she made matching purple pantsuits for us, but I refused to wear mine because back then I ALWAYS wore a dress. I had to emphasize my femininity in contrast to my brother, I suppose. But as people get older, they generally get more practical, and it’s hard to canoe in a dress, other than a cute little sundress if you wear shorts underneath it. I also usually wear sneakers instead of sexy shoes, and so does Ma Hat. If she only wore Hawaiian shirts, we really would look like bizarre twins separated by several decades in age. What would be really funny is if I had a daughter, and she grew up to wear hats, sunglasses, sneakers, and Hawaiian shirts. Then we could be bizarre triplets.

Famous Hat