Neckties always struck me as phallic symbols. A long article of clothing worn only by men that starts at the base of the head and points at the crotch.
Opposition to and problems with neckties
11–20 of 32 posts
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#12I have needed to wear neckties and suits with varying regularity across various jobs that I have had (I've been a web developer of some kind for most of my professional career).
What gets me the most about suits and neckties is that even in countries such as mine, where the weather gets very warm for a large portion of the year, many people are still expected to wear neckties and suits year round. It reminds me of a saying that my mother (who grew up in the Philipines) is quite fond of, that I gather is paraphrased from an old song: "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun". What she meant to convey when she used this saying was to comment on the propensity of western cultures to continue the use of their own cultural norms, behaviours and clothing styles even when the environment in the places they colonised and began living in made no sense for them to do so.
I also see footage of "salary men" in Japan walking to work in their suits and ties for example, and I think it's kind of sad that most everyone seems to have conformed to the western suit and tie style regardless of whether it makes sense to do so for their country's climate or cultural heritage.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#13I've never worn a tie to work, nor worked anywhere with any sort of dress code. Living in northern california, the whole concept seems a bit foreign to me. Bankers and doctors don't even wear ties. If you're wearing a suit and tie you're probably a used car salesman or 2nd rate real estate broker.
However, I've worn suits and ties to things like new year's eve parties and art gallery openings and I felt like it helped me pick up women, if only because I looked different than the hordes of shaggy guys with their ill-fitting hipster gear. Note to dudes: if you weigh more than 150 lbs you don't look good in a tight t-shirt and skinny pants.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#14It's hard to see neckties as anything more than a way to discourage independent thought and creativity.
How can an article of clothing do that?
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#15Neckties have always struck me as anachronistic, even sexist. What item of women's clothing has been around for 100 years and is still regularly worn without modification? Especially one that serves no functional purpose? Why are men still expected to wear fashion designed literally centuries ago? I feel the same applies to suits, but people who (unlike me) actually wear suits assure me the designs change frequently…
I don't like ties either... but I don't like them because they are uncomfortable. In the right place, they still look good, I just don't care to sacrifice myself to look that good.
Suits live on because they can make anyone look good and can make a lot of people look stunning. You do want to avoid the spate of incredibly ugly suits from around the 70s and 80s (which my father still wears, bleh) made from material that would look best upholstering a couch, but otherwise, they've lasted for reason.
That said, I have one suit and I've worn it once in 10 years. (To a series of 2001 computer science job fairs. Which is to say, "waste of money".) But I have to admit I do look relatively good in it.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#16Neckties have always struck me as anachronistic, even sexist. What item of women's clothing has been around for 100 years and is still regularly worn without modification? Especially one that serves no functional purpose? Why are men still expected to wear fashion designed literally centuries ago? I feel the same applies to suits, but people who (unlike me) actually wear suits assure me the designs change frequently…
>Neckties have always struck me as anachronistic, even sexist. What item of women's clothing has been around for 100 years and is still regularly worn without modification? Especially one that serves no functional purpose?
High heels strike me as much worse than ties.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#17I wear neckties whenever the mood strikes me, and I'm a Java developer. I was well into clothing before I became a programmer. I like neckties for aesthetic reasons, and the same goes for suits and sport jackets. Yes, I've been harassed for this, but I just ignore the snide remarks. If you're a developer who has always been into elegance and grooming, then check out these blogs: http://englishcut.com/ and http://asui…
English cut is fantastic, I'd love a suit from Thomas. The London Lounge is also good for information and discussions:
http://thelondonlounge.net/
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't see that at all. I don't see how a knotted piece of silk that completes a certain sartorial ensemble; and that comes in a variety of colours, patterns, and textures; discourages independent thought and creativity... especially creativity. Maybe you're associating it with stuffy "suits"...? It's like saying, "all Asians are good at math," "all white men can't dance," and "all Italians are in the Mafia."
A necktie serves no practical purpose. And forcing people to wear one who couldn't care less about fashion is simply a method of encouraging conformity (e.g., to get employees to do as they are told without question).
Neither do the collars on polo shirts, or the patterns (or dye, for that matter) on the t-shirt you're probably wearing. If all we wanted was practicality, everyone would be wearing un-dyed ponchos - but we're not.
Some people like ties - they see creativity and individuality in the patterns, the material, the composition, the knot, and the ensemble. Just like other people see the same things in the patterns and designs on their t-shirts.
All of fashion serves no practical purpose - no need to single out people who wear one particular implementation of this.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#19Neckties have always struck me as anachronistic, even sexist. What item of women's clothing has been around for 100 years and is still regularly worn without modification? Especially one that serves no functional purpose? Why are men still expected to wear fashion designed literally centuries ago? I feel the same applies to suits, but people who (unlike me) actually wear suits assure me the designs change frequently…
I don't like ties either... but I don't like them because they are uncomfortable. In the right place, they still look good, I just don't care to sacrifice myself to look that good. Suits live on because they can make anyone look good and can make a lot of people look stunning. You do want to avoid the spate of incredibly ugly suits from around the 70s and 80s (which my father still wears, bleh) made from material tha…
If you think your tie is uncomfortable, it's likely that the real culprit is a too-small shirt and an improperly-tied knot.
When the two of those things are done right, you shouldn't even notice that you're wearing a tie.
Re: Opposition to and problems with neckties
#20For those of you (us?) that wear ties, what knot do you use?