Have you ever walked in the rain with the wind blowing? If you have, you might have realized that umbrellas are useless in said scenario. Have you ever wanted to walk with your umbrella while drinking a hot beverage? Probably one of the most stressful experiences of my short life. What about having to find a space where it can dry after? I don’t even need to comment on this, you get the point. For years I have wondered why umbrellas are so inconvenient, and it turns out it is because umbrellas were created especially for the sun and we, humans, have corrupted its meaning of life. 

First, the word “umbrella” comes from the Latin “umbra” meaning shadow and the ending “ella” comes from Italian which means “little.” Thus, the direct translation of umbrella is “little shadow.” Moreover, according to Rittika Dhar from History Cooperative, umbrellas were first made out of palm leaves or papyrus and were only used to protect the upper classes from the sun. Why only upper classes? Well, because they were so heavy and big that they could only be used if you had servants to carry it for you. 

Later, in the 1750s umbrellas became popular among women as it was a symbol of women’s fragility, protecting their “delicate features” from the sun and the rain. It finally became popularized to all when Jonas Hanway, traveler and writer, carried an umbrella for 30 years inspiring other men to use it as well. 

Notice a pattern yet? Umbrellas were NOT meant to be used for rain. The idea of carrying an umbrella under the rain has become romanticized because of pop culture and romance movies. If I have to describe a funeral in a movie, an image of a rainy day with people carrying black umbrellas might come to your mind. However, the use of umbrellas is not utilitarian, rather it conveys a deeper meaning. I remember watching “How I Met Your Mother” and loving the umbrella scene where Ted, the main character, meets his future wife by offering his yellow umbrella to cover her as she waits for the bus. Would they actually have been covered from the rain in real life? Probably not, but that is the beauty of movies, the rain can be controlled and the wind is nonexistent. 

The whole situation becomes even more stressful when you add other variables, like a crowded street or having to take public transportation. The amount of times I had an umbrella and just carried it in my hand as rain poured on me is embarrassingly high. If the umbrella is too big, there is a risk of poking people around you, and if you need to take the bus, good luck not getting everyone around you wet. 

In conclusion, umbrellas are an important part of the film industry because they help the viewer better understand the feelings and mood of the scenes. However, as we saw from history, umbrellas were never meant to be used for rain, as it does not take into consideration other factors such as direction of the rain, or hand availability.  I refuse to believe that umbrellas are useful when it comes to covering a person from the rain, which is why the only umbrella I like is by Rihanna.