What to Wear
deliberatism.com
deliberatism.com
Distilling clothing down to its original "purpose" and saying "don't use it for anything else" is naïve and dismissive of the human experience. I suppose the author also doesn't keep any art on on the walls of his shelter and eats nothing but flavourless meat and vegetables?
I realise that a lot of people, and programmers especially, just aren't that into clothes, and that's fine. But that doesn't mean you /have/ to be bland. I love how the piece ends by essentially saying "wear the same uninteresting clothes every day, blend into the crowd, and THEN enjoy as the mundanity of your life somehow decreases." I hope I'm not alone in thinking, "Wat?"
If this is the solution to a problem people are having, it sure is a depressing one.
I do keep art on the walls (in fact, I used to be a painter). I eat many varied things, and find a great deal of pleasure in doing so. I read a wide variety of books, watch a great many films, and make lots of different things.
If you love clothing, indulge that passion. There are a number of other forms of self-expression, though, and many that are much more gratifying/useful.
People really do treat you better if you can dress competently. Even if that sounds shallow, and it probably is, the boost that looking good gives your confidence can be very profound.
I don't advocate that everyone devote time to following fashion on a daily basis, but learning to put patterns and colors together goes a long way. You can learn the basics of "How to dress" in less than a day.
Really. I don't see why people make such a huge fuss about this. Especially if you're a man. Being fashionable takes almost zero time. If you're afraid that you're going to spend 2 hours getting ready, like a girl, realize that most of the time that women spend getting ready is put into makeup and hair. If you have a few good outfits, you just throw them on like any other clothes. Unless you can't operate a zipper or buttons, it's not much harder than pulling on a hoodie...
We keep hearing these things in advertising, and then we start to actually think they're real. We've been led to believe that the underwear we buy will somehow make us better, or more desirable people. This is pure bullshit.
If you like buying nice clothes, fine. Just don't overestimate their value.
If you don't like buying nice clothes, fine. Don't underestimate their value.
Sassy-ness aside, couldn't resist the jab, our clothes really do make us better and more desirable. At least in the way other people see us. Certainly wearing nicer clothes won't make you a better programmer. It might get you a better programming job though.
I'm a partner in an agency. We used to wear suits to meetings. After not winning a contract with one organization, I asked why they didn't choose us. (During our meetings, we seemed to have established a good rapport.)
He explained that everything we said made sense, but that we were "too corporate."
We have many more clients now. I wear the same understated thing to almost all of our meeting. Our sales have never been higher. Turns out, our clients care more about how good we are than the way I choose to dress.
Myself, I've had this aesthetic since childhood. Not only does function-over-form clothing save time for more important activities, it prevents accidentally clashing colors (and other such faux pax that people like me are largely blind to). A couple of years ago I went out to a special occasion wearing a button-down shirt and an xkcd tie. Over the course of an afternoon I got complimented by three attractive strangers.
I cannot in good conscience endorse this post.
Why would one want to blend? Sticking out and being different is a great thing. Displaying self-expression and individualism is important to who each of us are. I have found this to be true in my profession and I would encourage people to spend more time on what they wear. It can drastically impact ones success. Simply put, don't look sloppy.
btw 'the west' is not the only part of the world where clothes have a meaning.
There are really practical concerns that arise from this, as I noted with the global inequities that surface. By only thinking of ourselves, others live crummier lives.
In principle, this is a dismal notion. Meanwhile, such imbalances will come back to haunt us.
As the "haves" we need to start asking what our responsibilities are to the "have nots." If not because it's the right thing to do, from a perspective of self preservation.
Making a difference in the world is.
The two aren't connected as often as us entrepreneurs like to believe, though.
Great read.
I'm doing it with my fridge too. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day. I just need to fuel up and get to work.