The Ties that Bind
Nov. 25th, 2008 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penfield"My father used to say, 'Let them see you and not the suit. That should be secondary.'"
- Cary Grant
Just in case I had to attend a meeting on Capitol Hill today, I wore a tie and sportjacket to work. Sometimes it's nice to get all sharp-dressed; I know that I for one feel more confident and effective when I am at my most spiffy.
It's actually sort of puzzling to me that Clark Kent/Superman would take off a fine three-piece suit to fight crime in a skin-tight body stocking. Imagine the combination of heat vision and the silky-smooth savoir-faire of Armani.
That said, I've never really understood the point of the necktie. The whole idea seems symbolic of despair (like a hangman's noose) or bondage (like a leash or chain). It certainly has no comfort value, cinching our collars within millimeters of asphyxiation. Visually, the necktie is reminiscent of a limp, dangling phallus, while functionally pointing to the wearer's own genital bulge.
(There is a certain irony in this distinctively male imagery, in that such subtextually loaded fashion accessories are normally the baileywick of women, who are not only cursed with a panoply of uncomfortable accoutrements but also have such an innate awareness of the casual-to-formal spectrum that they can coordinate a distinct and precise symphony of accessories for any given instance.)
So I would not mind too much if the necktie were to go the way of the ascot. I would not be the first person to point out that our President-Elect has, on occasion, shown a disinclination toward neckties. During the primaries, in particular, his tie-less, rolled-up shirtsleeves look suggested a new paradigm for the white-collar worker.
As legend has it, President John F. Kennedy's presidency effectively destroyed the hat industry. Until the 1960s, America was a bald man's paradise, with fedoras and porkpies as far as the eye could see. But Kennedy didn't wear hats, probably because he enjoyed showing off his lustrous wavy 'do.
Obama could have that effect on neckties. There's just one thing that worries me: Iranian President and fission enthusiast Mahmoud Ahmadinejad doesn't wear a tie, either. What if Ahmadinejad's infamy has the inverse effect of popularizing ties? It will be like the 1980s all over again -- we'll be surrounded by Annie Halls and Andrew McCarthys and Alex P. Keatons from Family Ties. Ties! They even snuck ties into Must-See TV. We can't let this happen again.
Maybe the CIA can somehow get Ahmadinejad to start tight-rolling his acid-washed jeans or something. That's a fad that the American People can resist.
- Cary Grant
Just in case I had to attend a meeting on Capitol Hill today, I wore a tie and sportjacket to work. Sometimes it's nice to get all sharp-dressed; I know that I for one feel more confident and effective when I am at my most spiffy.
It's actually sort of puzzling to me that Clark Kent/Superman would take off a fine three-piece suit to fight crime in a skin-tight body stocking. Imagine the combination of heat vision and the silky-smooth savoir-faire of Armani.
That said, I've never really understood the point of the necktie. The whole idea seems symbolic of despair (like a hangman's noose) or bondage (like a leash or chain). It certainly has no comfort value, cinching our collars within millimeters of asphyxiation. Visually, the necktie is reminiscent of a limp, dangling phallus, while functionally pointing to the wearer's own genital bulge.
(There is a certain irony in this distinctively male imagery, in that such subtextually loaded fashion accessories are normally the baileywick of women, who are not only cursed with a panoply of uncomfortable accoutrements but also have such an innate awareness of the casual-to-formal spectrum that they can coordinate a distinct and precise symphony of accessories for any given instance.)
So I would not mind too much if the necktie were to go the way of the ascot. I would not be the first person to point out that our President-Elect has, on occasion, shown a disinclination toward neckties. During the primaries, in particular, his tie-less, rolled-up shirtsleeves look suggested a new paradigm for the white-collar worker.
As legend has it, President John F. Kennedy's presidency effectively destroyed the hat industry. Until the 1960s, America was a bald man's paradise, with fedoras and porkpies as far as the eye could see. But Kennedy didn't wear hats, probably because he enjoyed showing off his lustrous wavy 'do.
Obama could have that effect on neckties. There's just one thing that worries me: Iranian President and fission enthusiast Mahmoud Ahmadinejad doesn't wear a tie, either. What if Ahmadinejad's infamy has the inverse effect of popularizing ties? It will be like the 1980s all over again -- we'll be surrounded by Annie Halls and Andrew McCarthys and Alex P. Keatons from Family Ties. Ties! They even snuck ties into Must-See TV. We can't let this happen again.
Maybe the CIA can somehow get Ahmadinejad to start tight-rolling his acid-washed jeans or something. That's a fad that the American People can resist.
