The Perfect Foam

Who likes wearing neck constrictors?

I consider myself lucky.  Every day I get to come to work wearing jeans and a polo shirt.  It just doesn’t get much more comfortable than that (beyond maybe wearing sweatpants and an undershirt).

Considering that at my previous job I had to wear slacks and a dress shirt for the first year and a half and a tie thrown in for the last six months, I definitely feel blessed.  Slacks and a shirt aren’t too bad, but with the (dreaded) tie included you’ll catch me running the opposite direction whenever I get the chance.  Case in point- I attended an all-day seminar earlier this week and I thought that perhaps I should dress up a little for the occasion.  Upon arriving I quickly noticed that I was the only guy (granted there weren’t many people there) wearing a tie.  A swift removal of said tie occurred before the seminar began.

I was surprised to find out that there is quite a history behind some form of fabric being worn around one’s neck.  While its predecessors date back to ancient Egypt, the modern necktie has its origins in the industrial revolution (here is a history of the necktie courtesy of wikipedia).   Whatever its history may be I absolutely put myself in the “anti-tie” category (whether one exists or not!).

I’ll acknowledge that ties do make us guys look professional/handsome.  Now whether that’s because we’ve come to associate ties with looking professional/handsome, or whether we actually look professional/handsome is another matter.

The fact remains that I hate wearing a tie (let alone a suit AND tie; that would be a rant too long for a single post).  Why we force ourselves to essentially wear a noose around our necks is beyond me.  Seriously, isn’t that what a tie is- a piece of fabric constricting our ability to breath?!  Forgetting about what wearing a tie signifies, if anyone can explain to me how a tie enables someone to do their work any better, by all means please do.

I know the resulting question- why not let everyone come to work dressed however they please then?  Ok, ok, if everyone came to work in pajamas I admit there could be a problem.  And I understand that if people are dressed in a “professional” manner, there may be more of a likelihood that they act in a “professional” manner.  But I like the idea of being comfortable while I work and “sans cravat” certainly makes for more comfort.  In fact, make that jeans and a polo.