TQ: Attire
Mark provides another interesting TQ that I'm answering really late.
1. Do you think your attire effects [sic] the way you work?
Yes, and in a two-fold way. In some settings, I will probably be better off in a suit (or at least a sports jacket) — say giving a presentation or talk. I wouldn't be comfortable otherwise, so I'd probably stumble somewhat. Comfort is another matter. I won't function very well if I'm hot, so in the middle of the summer, a dark suit or trousers or anything of the sort is probably going to decrease my productivity.
Incidentally, in the realm of pants, my bottom level is khakis or other similar types of trousers, preferably with a pleat, not jeans. I don't like jeans. My shorts are similar in style to my pants, only, well, shorter. Short sleeved polo shirts are pretty much my standard shirt, unless I'm wearing a suit; I will occasionally wear a t-shirt.
2. Do you think your attire effects the way others judge your work?
I know so. I've been told by people that they appreciated that I was not dressed as casually as my colleagues in projects. (In one memorable incident, I was wearing a suit, while another fellow was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. Almost everyone around us had at least dress slacks.)
3. Do you judge others by the way they dress?
Yes, in two ways. Incidentally, can you tell I'm in a class that is studying Aquinas at the moment? On every answer I feel obliged to say, “I answer in x number of ways.” I always like Aquinas's straightforward ordering of his arguments. But, I digress.
I'd say, first, I judge people improperly in this. Sometimes, I'll look down on someone, say, at church, for not dressing up a bit more. That's wrong, I know, and its petty. I've gotten better over time, but I'm still not completely over it.
The second way is more appropriate. The way someone looks and dresses says something about them. Someone who dresses entirely inappropriately for whatever event and looks like they could care less probably isn't taking the situation seriously. There may be exceptions, especially in the case of someone who cannot afford proper attire (or doesn't typically attend things demanding proper attire), but in other cases… You don't go to a job interview wearing your 1982 World Series T-Shirt, a ratty baseball cap on backwards and jeans that should have been retired three years ago.
Probably far more meaningful is when someone dresses in a way that obviously takes a lot of work (so their appearance is not from a lack of concern or effort) yet it is disturbing. I'm dubious about goth, for example. I'm dubious about overly baggy pants. I'm dubious about overly revealing clothes. That kind of thing. Those likely speak something about the person.
4. Do you think attire as a society is overrated, underrated or just right? Explain.
Overrated in the amount of time people worry about it, underrated in that every day is super-casual Friday now.
5. Do you think pay scale should dictate your dress code?
Not really. Attire is dictated more by the job position than the amount of money tied to the job.
Note: The questions on this page written by Mark are governed by the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.5 license. I believe my responses are allowed under fair use and therefore are not licensed under the Creative Commons license (I don't want people messing with adapting my personal opinions, thank you very much).
1. Do you think your attire effects [affects?? ain't you an english major, or something like that??
]the way you work?
Yes, being a “scoch higher” helps. In other words, a little dressier than the crowd. But not overdressed.
Functionally, suffiicient pockets help - I often add a second shirt pocket to polo shirts. The only T shirts I own have pockets. And, layers help, for hot environments.
2. Do you think your attire affects the way others judge your work?
Yes, because they are rarely judging just the work, I'm establishing a reputation.
3. Do you judge others by the way they dress?
More a case of “assessing” - it often tells me where they stand within the organization. Not so much rank, as much as “acceptance” into a role.
4. Do you think attire as a society is overrated, underrated or just right? Explain.
Underrated. In the boom, we learned the value of relationships and rapid communication. Clothing helps amplify the joining and bonding. It's a means of respecting the culture, society and desires/expectations in a present and future setting.
I think singles have a tougher role, and many foreign cultures do not translate into western clothing paradigms well. There was an ethnic young lady, floating around in the blogspace a while back, in search of a mate. But her clothing, which was aimed at being “one of the guys” at work, complemented little of her femininity (as opposed to being “sexy”) and seemed to hamper her visibility to the opposite sex.
5. Do you think pay scale should dictate your dress code?
Mostly yes. There's a spectrum, that spectrum slides upward.
My calling in Christ includes a strong element of shaking things up. Because I know rather well how people react to clothing, I take advantage of it break the rules intentionally. However, clothing is but one element of this.
Mike: That's a good catch, I should put a [sic] there (I didn't write the questions. Good points.
Ed: Always rocking the boat, eh?
Yeah, Tim, I see that the spelling came from Mark. I don't know the correct protocol, but I usually just correct the spelling when it is obvious what the writer meant. But when it is a “wrong” word - like “tarmac” or “helpmeet”, I use [sic].
As far as rocking the boat, here's what I have gleaned from a few 401 classes I've attended.
If you are outside the expected paradigm for a paid, fulltime minister, there are elements that you cannot change. And there are elements you can change, some slowly (like the lack of a degree), and some quickly - the car you drive, the clothes you wear.
If you are outside the paradigms, there are places (geography) you can't go, times (seasons) you can't go and roles (jobs) you can't do. So, if you have limited options, don't drive a red Corvette or a jacked-up Jeep, don't wear a Greatful Dead T shirt and grubby jeans, drive your Camry or Taurus to Men's Wearhouse, get some conservative slacks, then Macy's for a handful of Arrow shirts, then a shoe store that doesn't have the word “sports” or “sneakers” in its name. Appearance pretty much triples your options for a paid ministry position. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
Then dig out the jeans and the Camaro.
Your answers are very interesting. BTW, I'm probably wrong in the effects/affects question. Never could get that right for some reason. Back on point, when I walk into a bank and see a guy dressed in dirty jeans, a trashed shirt and a backwards hat I think Union worker. Electrician, plumber, or HVAC guy that is making well over 80K a year. He's a hard “working stiff” that gets dirty. Conversely, when I see someone in Khaki's or suit or anything like that, I think Salesmen or lawyer and my opinion drops 5points for them. When I worked for GNC I had to wear a dress pants, button down shirt and a Tie. when I got my first real Engineering job, I was told that I didn't need to wear a tie. (as pay jumped up, dress went down) When I moved to my next job, they allowed jeans and such. (another pay jump) As you can see, in my life dress has zero influence on the person nor does it cement them into any social level. That is why I posed the question. BTW, ironically my pay dropped a bit with the teaching job and guess what, yup I'm back to dress slacks and a polo. Funny that huh?
Here's one, if the plumber shows up to your door looking really bad do you assume him to be a bum, or do you assume he just came from a job?
If you attend a technical conference and some guy in a long frizzy beard and dressed poorly gets up to speak do you tune him out or do you give him a chance? Reverse it, do you give the guy in the suit that extra bit of attention?
As you can see dress is a touchy thing to nail down.
As to your responses, which are valid of course, I noticed that you mentioned alot of strict dress situations where personal choice has no place. Funeral, mass, job interview, presentations, etc etc. What about going to the mall? Hanging out with friends to watch a movie? Or something so simple as a trip to the supermarket? IMHO, that is where things get really interesting.
I agree, Mark, that it is touchy. I'd probably consider it on a case by case basis. I think in the case of a plumber, it would depend if he appeared soiled from his previous job, or if he just looked like he didn't care. The latter might worry me as it could indicate he isn't a careful, detail oriented type that will worry if the pipe drips on my carpet while he is working on it. But, even that is not a hard and fast rule.
I stick to my normal “uniform” in casual situations. I truly don't like jeans. But, I don't think less of people for wearing them, if that's what you mean.
I am dubious about those who wear extra-extra-extra baggy jeans that seem to start at their knees, etc.