Most sites have hats enabled by default--you see the hats unless you explicitly opt out.
This means that the hats are visible on mod messages as well.
Now, mod messages are supposed to be a bit professional. While some of them are for users who clearly are just spammers (where we shouldn't care much if they think us frivolous), others are for warnings, as well as short suspensions of users. I feel that having these hats in the mod message area is a bit unprofessional. Even if I look so spiffing in my moustache1,
is the mod message area really the place for this? My personal opinion is no, but that's just me. What say?
1. Yes, I know I look like the Pringles guy