An American Enjoying Disneyland Paris, Humorously

Summary

An American Disney enthusiast, Melissa Herzog, visits Disneyland Paris and humorously reflects on cultural differences in hat-wearing etiquette.

Abstract

Melissa Herzog, a self-proclaimed "Disney girl," shares her humorous experience at Disneyland Paris. While on a last-minute trip to Paris, her primary interest was visiting Disneyland Paris rather than the city's traditional landmarks. She dons her recognizable Mickey Mouse Yin Yang Baseball hat, which she wears worldwide, only to find that baseball hats are not commonly worn in Disneyland Paris. When she inquires about this, a park employee tells her that hats are not considered "classy." Despite this, Melissa enjoys her time in Paris and proudly continues to wear her hat.

Opinions

Melissa Herzog has a strong affinity for Disney, prioritizing a visit to Disneyland Paris over other famous Parisian attractions.
She believes that her Mickey Mouse hat is a universally recognized symbol, reflecting a cultural assumption that what is popular in the U.S. is also popular elsewhere.
The reaction of the French park employee to her hat choice reflects a cultural difference in what is considered fashionable or appropriate attire.
Despite the comment about her hat lacking class, Melissa maintains her pride in wearing it, suggesting a sense of personal identity tied to the hat and Disney culture.
She humorously points out the irony that the park employee works for Disney, the same company that markets such hats, to counter the employee's critique of her hat's classiness.

An American Enjoying Disneyland Paris, Humorously

Photo by Melissa Herzog

I am a Disney girl, all things Disney. I love the theme parks when I can get to them and I love watching the movies.

One of my travel goals was to visit all the Disney parks, and I had only been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, so when a trip came up for Paris at the last minute, was I thinking Eiffel Tower? Notre Dame? The Louvre? No, sorry, Disneyland Paris was on my agenda. Yes, I did see all the other great places including Versailles, but Disneyland Paris was my dream.

I have this travel hat; my Mickey Mouse Yin Yang Baseball hat. I wear this for fun and to help shield the sun. This hat is recognized world wide when I travel and it has a lot of miles on it.

So, I am in Disneyland Paris and I notice that there aren’t very many people wearing baseball hats. It's a very sunny day and no hats. Baseball hats are very popular in the U.S. so naturally I assume it's worldwide.

I am standing in line for a ride and I asked the woman working why people don’t wear hats here. She looks at my hat, looks back at me, and says in her beautiful French accent, “Well, it's not very classy madam”.

Ouch, that stung a little. I just pointed to my hat and said, well, that’s funny, because you work for the guy.

All of Paris was beautiful and I enjoyed Disneyland Paris immensely and wore my hat proudly.

My hat, myself and my husband — photo Melissa / Jack Herzog