NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The American Hat Council (AHC) has finally recognized the importance of the Muir cap in BDSM and Leather culture for the first time in its 81 year history.
Founded in 1933 by a collection of Haberdashers to counter the “disturbing trend of men wearing fewer hats,” the Council has long promoted the importance of hats not only for fashion and warmth, but also for their historical and symbolic value.
While Cowboy and Fireman retained their long standing ranks of numbers 1 and 2, the Muir cap snuck into the top 50 list this year for the first time at number 47.
Motorcycle helmets have been excluded from the rankings as they “aren’t really hats even though you put them on your head.”
There was speculation the motorcycle caps would be included on the list following Marlon Brando’s 1953 performance in The Wild One, but the hat’s inclusion was tainted by rumors of deviant behavior and claims linking the cap to juvenile delinquency.
This year’s inclusion of the cap has its listed profession as “Leatherman.”
Hat fetishist and Leather Master, who goes by the name Al Capp, was happy with the ranking, but found the occupation confusing. “Leatherman is not exactly a job; it is more a way of life.”
Professor Marcia Lewis, from the UCLA’s Anthropology Department has been studying Leather culture for more than a decade and isn’t surprised. “There has been a near frenzy of people putting hats on each other in the Leather community. It is a pattern we have seen in cultures since time immemorial. A nice hat can tell you a lot about a person.”
