Fans for Men
Fans aren't just for girls, although they played a much more significant role in social interactions for women than for men. It is known that gentlemen carried fans during the 17th century on, but it is harder to know how they differed from ladies’ fans. Some gentlemen carried huge fans with handles half a yard long, which worked as protection and a way to correct his children, which says a lot about either the weakness of would-be thieves or the severity of childhood punishment in those days. Schoolmasters were also known to rap students across the knuckles with fans when a ruler wasn't available. There were even fans designed for vest pockets that were only three and a half inches long.
