Why Wearing a Suit Sucks

My job requires me to wear a suit every day, well, every day except for Friday.  I wake up in the morning, eat a waffle for breakfast, and tie a noose around my neck. That’s how it goes.

On Friday we are permitted to wear a collared shirt that features the company logo.   And as much as I hate being a walking billboard for anything, by week's end, its often an attractive trade off. Wearing a suit for work makes no sense.

Plain and simple, wearing a business suit sucks.  You women have no idea how lucky you are in that regard. (Don't bother complaining that your office requires pantyhose; at least you can still breathe!)

Back in the days when my jobs required a business casual dress code or "just tuck it in," I was convinced that the well-dressed dudes in the suits got all the glory.  They were the ones that the shopkeeper hooked up with a free cup of coffee.  They were the ones who got hit on riding the train.  They were the ones bringing home bank.

But I was wrong.

It's on Fridays, the one work day that I do NOT wear a suit, that these things happen. Go figure!

I have found that people generally treat me better when I am not wearing a suit.  Perhaps they are unfairly judging me, the way I made assumptions about suit-wearing corporate types before I became one.  (Actually I am not a "suit," I just look like one).

This is the point where I should tell you that I am a product of NYC public schools, so I was never subjected to school uniforms.  Perhaps that's why it strikes me as odd.  Maybe there's some study that shows that suppressing individuality and neutralizing everyone's appearance results in fewer distractions and arguments.  But as I recall, those kids in uniforms were just as bad as us - maybe worse.

Forcing men into monkey suits has it's place, (learn about necktie history) but for me, sitting at a desk all day with minimal human interaction with "outsiders," is a complete waste.  Well, almost.  Having to wear a suit does have its advantages.  It certainly doesn't hurt your confidence to be dressed to impressed, not only at work, but everywhere you stop in between.  It also can be fun to mix and match shirts and ties, experiment with cuff-links, and break out the suspenders.  (This fun wears off rather quickly for most.)

There are also the cons of wearing a suit to work.  First, they are expensive.  If you ever hear of a deal of two suits for $199 - run the other way. Second, dress shirts wrinkle easily.  I don't care if they are wrinkle resistant, wrinkle-free, or wrinkle-proof - all button-down shirts wrinkle.  And that brings me to the third reason why I hate wearing a suit to work: the dry cleaners.  It's a weekly trip and an expense, which surprisingly, adds up.  Throw in faded black socks, and I can’t even talk about wearing a suit without getting riled up.

Weddings, fine, I guess
Funerals, alright.
But every day at work when you’re sitting in front of a computer?  C’mon!

I like my job but I hate wearing a suit - it sucks.

What are your thoughts on wearing a suit to work?  How do you perceive men in suits?

Comments

[Nancy]

I promise to peruse this interesting discourse later, A, and make a more informed comment. But gotta say one thing - Try wearing pantyhose...;-)

[Nancy]

OK, I partially take back my pantyhose snark. I think if I had to wrap a tie/noose around my neck everyday at work, I'd want to hurt someone. And I agree that a suit is a bit of overkill if you aren't interacting with the public or customers in you job.

You might want to consider bringing back the classic, pastel Miami Vice look. Be the first one in your office to push up those sleeves, Crockett.

[Robin]

Pantyhose are made out of synthetic fabric. Have you ever wore synthetic next to your skin in a hot, humid northeast summers? At $5-$10 each you should be able to wear them more than once and not worry about runs.

The grass isn't always greener,

[Andrew G. Rosen]

Pantyhose vs.Suit? There is no winner...

[Tom]

I hate suits too, Girls get over yourselves, pantyhose are not that bad. Yes I have worn them a whole day, hell I've worn dresses, and yes I am a guy. I agree, suits should be reserved for weddings and funerals, nothing more. I HATE suits and I HATE ties.

[Dale Roach]

In my occupation (minister) this debate has been going on for some time. However, the younger guys in our denomination are wearing suits as little as possible. Come to think about it even the older guys are wearing them less. Concerning pantyhose. I was told that the suit was created by a woman who intended to get back for a man's invention of pantyhose.

[Bluejeans101]

Suits should be phased out, they suck, I became self employed and burned all mine, they were expensive but it felt liberating to do that......

Andrew

[Phillip in Dallas]

Suits are basically ugly and worthless, they make a lot of guys act like assholes, who are not assholes without the suits, weird huh? I HATE BUSINESS SUITS!

[john]

i agree with above blog i mean i use to go evrday with suit on people are just in causal clothes it was crazy i like looking normal and in the summer got dam torture it even more embaressing wearing a suit when people are in flip flops women outside naked come on i want live not be slave to a job!

[SuitWearer]

Seriously? I love suits. They're easy to wear, they look good even with minimal effort, and a decent suit, chosen for the season, is far more comfortable than blue jeans. As for ties, they're made from stretchy silk and don't cause that strangling sensation that some guys whine about. That sensation comes from the fact that too many men put on weight over the years but refuse to surrender to reality and buy larger-collared shirts. So when they squeeze that top button shut ... gag!