The Crocheted Bucket Hat

I’m not a trendy or hip person. I’m not down on myself by saying that, either. I’ve always had my interests. They never really lined up with what was “cool,” and that’s okay. However, my job as a content creator means my finger is always on the pulse of trends, so imagine my shock when I found an article on GQ titled “How the Humble Crochet Hat Took Over Instagram.”

To be clear, this article isn’t exactly kind to the art. When posing a question as to why someone would wear a crocheted hat:

“It could mean that you had recently shaved your head due to a lice outbreak at your elementary school, and needed to keep your noggin warm in the interim. It could mean you were forced into wearing one at summer camp to prevent sunburn. Or perhaps you wore a crochet hat because you went to Hampshire College, and along with cultivating a kombucha scoby, that’s just what people did there.”

GQ

But of course, as with all things trendy, some designer made a crocheted hat, and people decided they were cool again, specifically the crocheted bucket hat:

“The fancy quarantine crochet hat is strikingly genderless. More than that, it’s the opposite of sexy, one of those pieces that look inherently virginal. They’re all over the place. In the little enclave of Brooklyn that I live in, I’ve seen teens wearing crochet hats. When I’ve ventured into lower Manhattan, I’ve seen them on scenesters of all stripes, skulking down Canal Street, probably while also wearing some baggy jeans. And of course, they’re all over social media.”

GQ

The reason this is notable enough to me to merit a blog post, rather than just a funny note of interest, is that I already have a crocheted bucket hat I made over a decade ago. The first thought that came to me when I realized this “Yeah! I’m ahead of the curve! Look at me being trendy after all!” The second thought I had was “You can’t be a decade ahead of a trend, Emma. It’s come full circle. You’re just old.”

I’m not actually that old, but this is the first time this has ever happened to me. So, I sat with it for a moment. It doesn’t make me sad at all that I’m not trendy, truly, but this did bring me down a bit. What can I do about that? I can resign myself to my old age, being ashamed of how uncool I am, and crochet in my apartment by myself until the end of my days. The other option is to bust out that old bucket hat, rock it out and about, and ride that Instagram engagement boost while I can.

Welcome to the Cool Crocheted Hat club, kids. It took you a while to get here, but I’m glad you finally did!