Real men don't carry umbrellas?

The Egyptian pharaohs sat under ceremonial umbrellas, which were said to bring them power from heaven.
In ancient Greece and China, parasols were used in religious ceremonies. And in Japan, the emperor was followed by an attendant with a red sunshade, symbolizing absolute power.
In Europe, however, umbrellas were used only by women until some 300 years ago  men wore hats and got drenched.
Robert Louis Stevenson felt that an umbrella displayed a lack of character - too much concern about getting wet.
Carrying an umbrella also betrayed a lack of social status; it suggested you did not own a carriage. Another good reason not to carry one was that the early models weighed some 10 pounds.
It wasn't until the 16th century, when the pope decided that the umbrella was a symbol of honor, that bumbershoots gained favor in European society. Even so, the first Englishman to tote a rain shield, one Jonas Hanway, suffered public ridicule. And coachmen  steered through puddles in order to splash him with mud.
When  the fashionable "Beau" Macdonald began carrying a silk umbrella in 1778, his sister refused to be seen with him. Nevertheless , he persisted, and others soon followed suit. Men had finally out that one umbrella costs a lot less than catching a cab every rainy day.