Costi wrote:marcelo wrote:Costi,
Thanks for the hint to Mario Talarico's site, also mentioned in the thread about the mysterious umbrella in the "Anonymous Question and Answer" chapter. I must confess though that the idea of men's parasol, outside for instance of a golf club, is rather new for me. I think I would still prefer a hat.
Marcelo
Last summer I went to a couple of dog shows with a group of friends. As I was seated for an hour or more at a time and there was no shadow in sight, my Panama did little to protect my backneck and hands and even my white linen shirt began to heat up. Almost everyone with a little experience in this kind of events sported umbrellas. Some men had modern parasols whose large canopy resembled tin foil - probably a reflective coating of some kind. A canvas parasol on a beech shaft would have been nicer
I fully support this idea - why shouldn't a man make use of such a device if he's under severe sunlight for extended periods of time;; let the parasol be of a simple, masculine design, and how is it any different in principle than the use of a rain umbrella? I can already hear voices raised in protest at what might be perceived as another grotesque postmodern effeminizing of men- but that's silly. The sun umbrella is even more practical than a rain umbrella, as one's own well-being is at stake rather than the dryness of one's clothes. It's ridiculous to suppose that potentially life-threatening exposure to UV is something a man should just soak up, in a civilized environment - one of the hallmarks of civilized life is that men and women don't have to live at the mercy of the elements - this isn't the taming of the American West, is it? Of course, if one actually prefers heatstroke, sunburn, and discomfort, that's their own business...
I noticed that James Smith sells some men's parasols -
http://www.james-smith.co.uk/acatalog/S ... rllas.html - (scroll down to the third and fourth offerings) - and I've every intention of getting one!
(I anticipate that some random troglodytes might chuckle when I use it on vacation, but I expect that I'll be too comfortable to care
)
P.