Bucket hat
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A bucket hat is a soft cotton hat with a wide and downwards sloping brim which is worn by both men and women. The brim offers shade from the sun for the eyes and face. They are usually made from heavy-duty cotton fabrics such as denim, or canvas. Two metal eyelets are commonly placed on each side of the hat so that it is cool to wear on hot days.
A similar hat is used officially by the U.S. Navy for enlisted service dress uniforms, commonly referred to as a Dixie Cup hat, as in the manufacturer brand, because the brim is flipped upward forming the shape of a paper cup. In some sub culture groups, these hats were modified by flipping the brim downward, forming the similar look of a bucket hat.
Bucket hats are favored by sailplane (glider) pilots, who require shade in their cockpits but cannot wear wide-brimmed hats because their visibility would be obscured.
In the UK, it is known as a "fishing hat" and is associated with the Mod/Indie scene.
[edit] History
In Israel, the bucket hat dates back to the beginning of the Israeli War of Independence. Israeli soldiers needed something that would protect them from the hot sun. At first, they used the Arab keffiyeh but realized they needed to distinguish themselves from the Arab soldiers. They used a local heavy-duty cotton fabric for simple hats, the "kova tembel" or "fool's hat". To this day, the "kova tembel" is used in the Israeli Defense Forces, and is a national symbol.
[edit] Popular culture
In American popular culture, the bucket hat is associated with the character Gilligan, from the 1960s television comedy Gilligan's Island, who habitually wore one. Also, Col. Henry Blake of M*A*S*H wore a bucket hat decorated with fly fishing lures.
Bucket hats were also quite popular in old school hip hop fashion namely those from the Kangol brand. Rappers who were often seen wearing this type of hat were LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C. and Sen Dog also most recently Tony Yayo
Another musician known for his use of bucket hats is Reni, drummer for the band The Stone Roses. The hat is still sometimes called a "Reni hat" in the UK particularly by people who grew up in that musical era. Gregg Alexander from the band New Radicals is also known to wear a bucket hat.
Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson was also famously known for wearing them, and is depicted as doing so in both films Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Where the Buffalo Roam.
The bucket hat can be seen in the apocalyptic sci-fi film The Day After Tomorrow and is worn in a crucial sequence in the film in which the main female lead (Emmy Rossum) trudges through a flooded New York City.
One of the opening scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope had the character, Luke Skywalker, wearing a bucket hat. The scene was ultimately cut from the movie.
The bucket hat is also featured in select Japanese anime. Two of the more well-known characters that sport them are Kisuke Urahara of the widely popular Bleach, and the character Moondoggie from the anime Eureka 7.
Professor Henry Jones, Sr. wears a bucket hat in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
British boxer Ricky Hatton often wears a bucket hat at press conferances and weigh-ins.
Kisuke Urahara from the manga/anime Bleach wears a bucket hat.
[edit] See also
