In my eclectic career, I’ve put in plenty of hours in long layers of costumes, including outside during hot Philadelphia summers.  I portrayed a colonial housewife one summer and enjoyed playing Betsy Ross the summer after that.  Temperatures often went above 90 degrees, and that’s a humid heat, my friends.  In order to portray these historic personae, our troupe spent many hours studying, attending lectures, even passing tests so that we could be as knowledgeable as possible about the Revolutionary War era when we conversed with our visitors.  We could talk with confidence about the events of the day, assuming the day was sometime in the 1770s or 1780s.  We prided ourselves on the authenticity we were ready to provide, albeit in the middle of a busy, modern city.

Well, we seldom got to use all that knowledge.  We were asked questions, though, and here are the top three:  “Where is the Liberty Bell?”  “Where are the closest restrooms?”  And, our very favorite (not!),  “Aren’t you hot in those clothes?” or some variation thereof.  While we tried to stay in shaded areas as much as possible, there was still little relief from the heat.  And honestly folks, we didn’t enjoy being reminded of how hot we really were.

So, as a public service to all my friends who find themselves historically attired in warm climates, or who are inside a mascot costume, or who don’t have the immediate luxury of air conditioning or cooler clothing choices, I appeal to all of you NOT to ask us if we’re hot in those clothes.  For the record, the answer is “YES!!!”  Please, let’s not talk about it.