“If men can run the world, why can’t they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?” – Linda Ellerbee
The first question my 91 year old grandmother asked me when I got my new job was, “do you have to wear neckties?”
Let’s remember she’s from a generation long ago when men wore a suit and neckties to go to the movies and women wore dresses and pumps to do their house work. Sounds pretty foreign, doesn’t it?
I don’t think there was really a dress code per say at my previous job. Jeans and sneakers were commonplace and it never seemed to be an issue. In truth, I settled into that work attire pretty quickly – going from dressing up to dressing down with little convincing needed.
But it wasn’t until I started my new job (business casual everyday but Friday) that I realized how much dressing up really does affect our mood and view of ourselves.
I find myself feeling like a grown-up, a professional even, for the first time in a long time. Who knew some dress pants and a button down shirt could be so powerful. I wonder what neckties would do for me?
Now wearing jeans on the weekend, while still comfortable, feels strange to me. Suddenly I feel like my grandmother when the only time you wore jeans back then was to do work outside or some other messy activity.
