A buddy from college recently said the owner of the place he works and the retired manager tease him for always having to use an umbrella when he goes outside in the rain. They said they were more "manly men" and didn't use it, and my friend was presenting them as foolish, the retired manager even soaking up the rain on his head with a hanky. That made me realize, "yeah, that's true, I don't use an umbrealla, and none of my other male friends do, either." Then I stopped to think about it and I realized it reveals a lot about your personality. John is this friend who might be the rare exception of a guy who uses an umbrella - he's overly cautious, in this case about getting wet and catching a cold. My mom is a constant worrier and would say repeatedly, "Make sure you have an umbrella, in case it rains." Her focus is on being afraid something bad might happen. My girlfriend is more the "be prepared" type. She would say "I think I have an umbrella in the car, in case it's raining." I'm more easy going or carefree and think "well if it rains, that's OK, I love the rain". I mentioned my observation of how an umbrella reflects your personality to my big physical fitness weightlifter buddy and he agreed, saying his wife always makes sure she's prepared, and he never thinks about it. Yet that none of his friends use umbrellas, either. Except then we thought of his old roommate who was also overly protective or a worrier, and my friend said he wouldn't go anywhere without his umbrella if rain was a possibility. I think it might have something to do with how strong you see yourself as, in other words the strong guys don't care if they get wet, and the weeker ones might be more cautious or fearful of getting sick. And I think there might be some nurturing instinct going on here, too, where for example my mom or my weightlifting friend's wife would want to keep the family safe and warm. What are your observations about this? I thought it was kind of interesting, and fun to explore. Warmly, Dan
Hi SMS_Sunder, I'm just interested in what your thoughts are about this, whether you have more to add that something as simple as whether you use an umbrella reflects your major character trait. Thought it would be fun to explore with people in the forum. Thanks, Dan
Hi Cheap SEO, For some reason that reminds me of the Budweiser Frogs... I doubt they would use umbrellas, either Warmly, Dan
No offence, but thats pure bullshit. I dont use umbrellas/raincoats, but can think of quite a lot of umbrella-using guys who could knock me out in a single blow
OK, that's interesting. That's why I put this out there to see if I was right or not. It was curious to me that when I asked my weight-lifting buddy about it, he said they were just talking about it on the radio the other day. He lives in Wisconsin and I live in Arizona, so I thought it was more "the thing" or just the way guys are, not specific to any location.
Of course I realize many affluent or well-dressed guys use a more classy umbrella as part of their wardrobe, as part of conveying their "I am wealthy" look or image. I'm not talking about that. I'm just thinking about guys in general.
That's more about protecting "the look" and not about staying dry or getting wet. For example I would rather use AC in the car then roll down the windows and have my hair get messed up... for the same reason, so keep my hair orderly and presentable. (It's not that I don't like the fresh air blowing on me, it's to protecet "the look".)
If it's Saturday night and they're going on a big date, they would still want to look good.... and they wouldn't want to catch a cold, and croak
Eh, I don't think so. I usually don't carry an umbrella around with me - but I don't like getting rained on either. And it has nothing to do with getting sick - I just don't like the feeling of my clothes after they're wet. They stick to me and get uncomfortable. It's got nothing to do with how weak/strong I see myself as. It also depends on the situation. If you're dressed up nicely and have somewhere to go, you certainly don't want to get rained on.
Hi Tokio, That's a good point I had not considered, having to stay in wet clothes for any length of time. Last time my girlfriend and I went to my spa, I forgot that I only had my swimming trunks that I was wearing. Fortunately I had a towel to cover my carseat with, or it would have gotten wet. I changed right after I got back, out of my wet clothes, so I know what you're saying.