When looking into its history it quickly comes apparent that it has been both, Head-wear for women began in earnest during the Middle Ages when the church decreed that their hair must be covered. During the eighteenth century, milliners took the hat-making out of the home and established the millinery profession. In western culture, it has always been considered rude or disrespectful for a man to wear a hat inside a building including outdoors in the presence of a woman.