How come you guys don’t use umbrellas during sunny or summer days?

34 comments

1. People generally don’t care if they tan, and the ones that do will wear sunscreen and sun hats.

2. Baseball caps, cowboy hats, wearing sunscreen, and just walking in the shade are generally enough.

3. I just wear a hat. I don’t really want something extra to carry around.

4. I do, sometimes, but it’s not common. It’s just another thing to carry around. People are more likely to wear protective clothing and a big hat.

5. Most Americans aren’t walking around outside for a long time in summer….usually we go from building to building and quickly get into the car (also with AC) most of the time unless we are at the beach or lake or whatever.

   If there were more people walking outside for long periods than the shade would make more sense. I don’t think this kind of lifestyle is happening in US cities outside of Manhattan.

6. A lot of people see a tan as a sign of wealth.

7. The first time I saw someone do it, I thought that’s fucking genius. I think it just didn’t occur to us early on in our cultural development, and now it feels a little too precious to do it.

   Umbrella hats are relatively common*, but not a full on umbrella. *Edit: I’ve seen a lot of children and elderly use them at outdoor events for the purpose of sun protection, but I agree it’s not a common everyday item.

8. They wear big wide brimmed hats and use sunscreen here. Umbrellas are used on beaches and when camping or picnicking and you’re in one spot for a while 

9. We have AC basically everywhere. We also don’t care about getting tan. And much of the country doesn’t get hot enough to make too much of a fuss over it

10. the vast majority of buildings in high humidity regions have central air conditioning, and baseball caps are super common.

11. I wear a hat.

    But many Americans go out of their way to tan, so an umbrella would prevent that.

    And nearly anyone in the hottest parts of the US has an air conditioner.

12. I personally hate carrying and using umbrellas unless absolutely necessary like if it’s pouring down hard.

13. I live in an area where temperatures over 100° F are fairly common during the summer, but I’ll usually just stick to sunscreen and a hat if I’m going to be outside for extended periods of time. An umbrella is just too inconvenient to use since it takes up one of your hands and can be a pain to carry and store even when you’re not using it.

14. Because I’m constantly working and need both of my hands. I will wear a sun hat and sunscreen when I’m on my tractor or lawn mower, fishing, doing yard work etc.

15. People used to, up until about a century ago! Especially women. Now I only see it with Americans who have relatives in Asia. 

16. More trouble than theyre worth. Sure they can keep the sun off you, but for most people, needing to carry and extra thing is worse than just having to be in the sun for a bit. Wearing a hat is a lot easier and provides most of the same protection without having to carry something.

    Personally I find they can also sorta trap humidity around you, and we generally see humidity worse than heat.

17. Most people aren’t out in the sun like that. I use an umbrella sometimes and just get called Wednesday Addams

18. Maybe we should but it’s not part of our culture you would look very out of place with an umbrella

19. First of all, a vast majority of American homes have air conditioning. Using an umbrella for shade is something I think most Americans would associate with Victorian women.

20. People here use parasols or umbrellas if they’re going to be outside for a while. I wouldn’t say everybody does, but it’s not uncommon. Especially for gatherings in parks or for parades or that kind of thing.

21. I do

22. I do it often. Portable shade.

    I get a lot of, “good idea, I wish I did that” from people.

23. I live in NYC; and yes, sometimes you’ll see someone with a sun umbrella. Super rare though.

    But who knows, that could change: this last summer the heat was NUTS.

24. An umbrella made to give you shade in the hot sun is called a parasol. They were more common in America in the 1800’s. I just wear a hat.

25. I live in GA. People use umbrellas as parasols here.

26. Sunscreen is a lot more common than parasols. Most of the US doesn’t have quite the tropical climate of the Philippines

27. We really should. I knew the sun was going to be intense at Disney World in July, so I packed one. I got a lot of “Wish I had brought one” but I definitely stuck out. It’s just not in our cultural norm.

28. I’ve been using an umbrella on sunny days for many years as I am pale and overheat easily. It really makes a huge difference between a miserable day and a tolerable one.

29. Because most places in the USA are not as hot and humid as the Philippines and we also do not have the colorism you have (like the rest of Asia). In places that have similar summer weather to the Philippines (Florida and Texas for example), you also have significantly more rain and sticky hot weather. In the US, I rarely see umbrellas carried for sunny days, but when I do, 9 times out of 10, it will be Asians who carry them. I think Americans tolerate the heat well and nearly everyone has air-conditioning and don’t spend tons of time outside during excessive heat.

30. I have three kids in various sports and I have a sun umbrella that attaches onto my field chairs.

31. I don’t even carry an umbrella when it rains.

    In the sun I wear sunscreen and a hat.

    In the rain I wear a waterproof parka with a hood.

    I like having my hands free and one less thing to accidentally leave places.

32. White middle aged American lady here. I do! I hate the sun.

33. As an American who has lived in Asia, I’ve observed that people (especially women) in Asia tend to care about maintaining light-color skin, so they avoid getting tanned. In the US, being tanned is preferable to being pasty white.

34. I use a parasol. I’m 67 and don’t need melanoma.