Love It or Haute It: Carhartt beanies

After a few weeks back on campus, we have noticed a sudden rise in the number of students wearing beanies. Gone are the days of ear warmers and rabbit-skin caps. While a slight increase in the number of warm hats is to be expected in a New England winter, we feel that the sudden surge is much more than usual and may even be 'statistically significant.' Our hypothesis is that more people are wearing these hats not for protection from the harsh elements, but because they think it makes them look fashionable and fly. So, today we will examine whether this is a hot trend or a not trend. In order to maintain our scientific integrity, we have specifically narrowed our analysis to the most popular brand of beanie: Carhartt.

Coco: I think that the beanie is definitely an efficient way to make yourself look cooler than you actually are. The Carhartt beanies come in so many colors that there is really one for every mood or look you are going for. No matter the color, the hats make people look like they were like, “yeah I am cool but I am also not trying too hard.” So, the look understandably became more and more popular. I even forced my sister to buy me one over break because I wanted to up my status like everyone else. However, I am becoming increasingly concerned that this look is becoming too connected to TikTokers and the general aura of hypebeast hipsters. This shift in demographic is disappointing because the beanie was the perfect answer to real-life issues like bad hair days and when you are just feeling a little chilly. So, while I do not think I will be able to make a completely clean break from my beanie, I will be extra cautious to pair it with other non-TikToker-esque clothing items. 

Beans: I hate the beanies. I hate them because I could never pull one off. I hate them because I hate myself. It all started when I was a little girl, living out my days in a cul-de-sac. Razor scooter in one hand, SmartPop in the other. I would sit on my porch every afternoon, hoping, waiting for the skaters to roll through. They were cool high schoolers with four wheels and not a care in the world. They skated with passion and they skated with pride, but most importantly, they skated with style. Oversized graphic tees, Dickies pants, and, oh yeah, little tiny beanies, barely covering their ears. They would taunt me saying, “you will never be as cool as us, scooter nerd. Go buy a baseball hat because that is what you deserve.” I wanted that life, that aesthetic. But I will never be a skater with a warm noggin; I will only ever be a scooter nerd. In conclusion, I think they are a little overdone and maybe too small to offer any real warmth. But, if you do buy a Carhartt hat, I will definitely think you are better than me.