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Why?

Messages
11,369
Location
Alabama
Why do people have to look like movie or TV stars?

Why do they have to wear an Indiana Jones hat, or a John Wayne hat, or a Matt Dillon hat?

This is a complete mystery to me.
Interesting question. I’ve been inspired by what I’ve seen on screen but I’ve never wanted “that” hat or specific look. Don’t forget we have a Justified thread.
 

ChicagoWayVito

Practically Family
Messages
699
Why do people have to look like movie or TV stars?

Why do they have to wear an Indiana Jones hat, or a John Wayne hat, or a Matt Dillon hat?

This is a complete mystery to me.
Just speculating here. People want to look "good". When you see something on the screen that inspires you and universally most everyone else likes that item too then you are likely fooled into the sense that you too will look good in that hat or that outfit. Most of us who saw Raider's remember the opening scene that backlit Harrison Ford and cast the Fedora capped shadow on the wall and I believe it brings most of us chills.

The fooled part is that something that looks good on one person, does not translate to it looking good on everyone. One has to learn to really consider the all the different shapes that are in a persons head and the rest of their body for that matter. Personally, I am learning the hard way about how to properly fit jeans on myself.

Psychology is super interesting and how it plays out in our minds in how we perceive things. I mean I still want to look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club but that ain't ever gonna happen.

Great question.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,074
Location
London, UK
Why do people have to look like movie or TV stars?

Why do they have to wear an Indiana Jones hat, or a John Wayne hat, or a Matt Dillon hat?

This is a complete mystery to me.

I suppose everybody has to take inspiration from somewhere. They'll see something cool they like on someone else - or someone else looking cool in their eyes gives whatever that person wears an aura of cool - and then want to emulate it. I don't think it's necessarily always wanting to dress up as a specific person or character, more that they're a frame of reference. I knew what an Indiana Jones hat was long before I'd ever heard of a fedora. 'Brando jacket' made sense to me a good nearly four decades before I'd ever heard of a 'Durable'. Brimmed hats and much else of what I now like having all but disappeared (certainly entirely in that style) where I grew up, my entire frame of reference for the mid-century look was via tv, films, old photos - invariably tied in particular to the characters that crossed my consciousness. I've no doubt that while I've long gone past it being an Indy thing, that - and later Bogart, and others - was a big influence in my 'in' to hats.


I don't think many folks will ever move fully away from referring to individuals in that way - it's just easy shorthand, especially for folks who don't yet know any different.
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
Why do people have to look like movie or TV stars?

Why do they have to wear an Indiana Jones hat, or a John Wayne hat, or a Matt Dillon hat?

This is a complete mystery to me.


I don’t get dressing ip like someone else, but there are loads of folks who enjoy it and I don’t see any harm. Whether it’s informal or actual cosplay: to each their own.

There is a reason every year billions are spent on advertising. We are all susceptible to the desire of o be more like others we see. I don’t understand the desire to want “the exact hat” etc. rather than just the look, but it works for some people and I’m cool with that.
 

Yancy.41

New in Town
Messages
17
I’d say most people newly interested in hats today are the product of what they’ve seen and liked on TV or in the movies. Western hats are being promoted these days due to a few very popular TV shows. Even so, Iit’s not like there are tons of people wearing hats in public for others to appreciate. Perhaps prior to movies and TV people emulated what they saw in public? In my experience there are very few people wearing felt hats these days. As a result, I form likes based on movies and TV…. and this forum too. Truth is this forum is one of a kind and a rarity most people never see. In my case I liked why I saw on TV and movies… which eventually led me straight to this place.
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,099
Location
San Francisco, CA
Probably for the same reason Fender (and Gibson/Epiphone, etc, etc, etc) sell a whole line of 'Signature' instruments. Everybody has to draw inspiration from somewhere. The celebrity endorsement, implicit or no, seems to carry a lot of cache.

The recent (last decade or so) explosion of interest in cosplay, I think can largely be attributed to the internet. But emulating TV and movie stars in and of itself is not particularly new.

 

Rmccamey

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,838
Location
Central Texas
Exactly. No different than motor oil or kitchen appliances. That's why they are called endorsements.

Probably for the same reason Fender (and Gibson/Epiphone, etc, etc, etc) sell a whole line of 'Signature' instruments. Everybody has to draw inspiration from somewhere. The celebrity endorsement, implicit or no, seems to carry a lot of cache.

The recent (last decade or so) explosion of interest in cosplay, I think can largely be attributed to the internet. But emulating TV and movie stars in and of itself is not particularly new.

 
In the 50's Stetson had an enormous amount of "celebrity endorsed" hat ads. I have most all of them featured in my Stetson Way thread....

And I even have celebrity hat ads from the 20's with Dobbs and others, NOT to mention all the silent star western hats available back then like the "Tom Mix" et al. Before all that I have seen western hats carrying the names of famous cowboys and rodeo stars....and even army generals.

And today we see...........


AND


Kind of says it all.........NOW I don'd think everyone wanted to look just like those ads ( I am sure there were some, even 100 years ago) but rather they wanted what was current, fashionable (dare I say trendy) at the time.
 
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