14. The Shift From a Literal Fashion Police to Policing Fashion Via Public Opinion
Eventually, governments ceased to police fashion, and left that to public opinion. Public opinion being what it is, fashion rules were sometimes enforced by violent mobs, like the time when riots erupted in American cities over the choice of hats. Straw hats for men became popular in the nineteenth century. Light and permeable, they were typically worn in summer, often at sports outings. Most popular was the straw boater, originally worn at boating events. At first, the era’s fashion police gave straw hats the side eye and frowned upon their use. However, they gradually won acceptance, and by the late nineteenth century, straw hats were standard summertime male headgear. However, the acceptance came with a caveat. An unwritten rule developed, that straw hats were strictly summertime wear. September 1st became an arbitrary end date for straw hat season, and woe betide those who broke that fashion rule.
