Assuming Hat

It must be the hat.  I stepped into the Union Newsstand this morning to grab a bottle of water and checked out with the lady who manages the place.  I’ve talked to her a few times before but today she asked me, “Horses? Or cattle?” Mind you, I’m wearing business casual with my Purdue fleece and my barmah hat.  Apparently, the presence of such a hat causes people to immediately assume ‘livestock.’ And not just any livestock but a specific subset of livestock.  There followed a conversation about horses, as her family works with paints, but I was amused at the instant assumption.  Fortunately for her, I didn’t buy the hat just because I liked it and her assumption played out correctly.  It certainly would have been embarrassing for her, otherwise.