'If these United States can be called a body, then Kentucky can be called its heart.'
Jesse Stuart
People often stereotype people who wear hats, but like almost every trope out there, this are reasons behind it. I grew up in a city, and the only headwear I wore were a helmet for hockey and a baseball cap, when I actually played baseball. I hated wearing hats, and fought with my mother when she tried to force me to wear a toque before going out. Every Christmas I'd get a new toque and always scowled and swore I'd never wear it.
In my mid-twenties though, I moved to the country. During my first trip back home, I stuffed all those multi-colored Christmas gifts toques in a bag, and took them back home with me. Weather hits you differently in the country. The wind is harsher, the wind is colder. There are not office building and stores to block it from hitting you.
When I lived in the city, a walk meant walking down streets and through neighborhoods. In the country, it means nature trails, fields and often heading into or near the woods. This means snow, rain and especially bird shit are far more likely to fall from the sky than when walking down a busy city street. You get hit once in the head with bird shit in the woods, you'll remember to take your hat next time.
When I first moved to the country I took one winter hat. Within a month, I need an almost entirely new wardrobe, focused on head wear, and feet wear. I never owned a rain coat when I lived in the city, as well as the many different varieties of shoes and hats for every form of weather possible.
I now have a selection of ball caps, toques and even a couple of newsboy hats for special occasions. I don't wear them much, but one of my newsboy hats saved me during a cemetery visit when a wind and storm came through.
Andrew Sky love his many hats, and is definitely a Kentucky boy trough and through. If you check out his Twitter, (
HERE:) you'll see he's often outside on the farm, in the woods, and even rolling around naked in the mud. With those particular outside activities, a variety of hats are a definite necessity!
Andrew often poses in ball caps, cowboy hats and fur trapper hats. Although there a ton of pictures of Andrew both hatless and pantless, most of my favorite shots included Andrew, completely naked of course, donning a variety of chapeaus.
Thanks to English singer Joe Cocker, and the movie The Full Monty, keeping a hat on has a strong nexus with the nude male form. The English singer knew what he was talking about, growing up in the rainy rural community of Crookes, Sheffield in the UK. We all also know, that regardless of which head the hat is covering, (as Andrew shows us below) eventually they are destined to come off.
I first discovered Andrew's images on Twitter, and was initially drawn to his outside self portraits. The first shots I saw was Andrew outside, showing off both his spectacular body, and the spectacular rural landscapes of Kentucky. Most of the world get to see a glimpse of Kentucky each year when the State hosts the Derby, but Andrew takes a more intimate look in more private places and spaces.
Andrew Sky on Twitter