Slate Magazine: "In Praise of Parasols "

“If you weren’t carrying a sun umbrella this summer, you blew it.”

Writer Danny Engber of Slate magazine puts it succinctly, and from a guy’s point of view, when he said :

It’s truly strange that people don’t use parasols. Here we are, not long past the planet’s hottest-ever month, and most of us still rely on second-rate technologies for warding off the sun. We’ll put on UV-protectant creams and lip balms. We’ll hide our faces under wide-brimmed hats. At times, we’ll even put on pants and long-sleeve shirts in the middle of a heat wave. But no one seems to think about the better, cheaper, older option: an umbrella.

Take it from a convert. I’ve remade myself, in recent months, into what the Japanese refer to as higasa danshi: a “parasol man.” Since midsummer, I’ve been trotting through my New York City neighborhood underneath my purple Totes umbrella, free of bulky clothes or greasy ointments, and rolling in a private patch of shade. In pursuing this auspicious habit, I’ve learned (and felt) firsthand what’s been known from lab experiments: Umbrellas are among the most efficient means of staying safe and cool in the summer sun.

Slate does a great job covering the history and benefits of carrying an umbrella or sunshade. It doesn’t have to be a luxury sunshade (hint, hint). It’s nice to have an array of options! Read their full article here: https://slate.com/technology/2019/09/parasols-better-than-sunscreen.html