Americans began the 20th century in bustles and bowler hats and ended it in velour sweatsuits and flannel shirts—the most radical shift in dress standards in human history. At the center of this sartorial revolution was business casual, a genre of dress that broke the last bastion of formality—office attire—to redefine the American wardrobe.
Born in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s, business casual consists of khaki pants, sensible shoes, and button-down collared shirts. By the time it was mainstream, in the 1990s, it flummoxed HR managers and employees alike. “Welcome to the confusing world of business casual,” declared a fashion writer for the Chicago Tribune in 1995. With time and some coaching, people caught on. Today, though, the term “business casual” is nearly obsolete for describing the clothing of a workforce that includes many who work from home in yoga pants, put on a clean T-shirt for a Skype meeting, and don’t always go into the office.
The life and impending death of business casual demonstrates broader shifts in American culture and business: Life is less formal; the concept of “going to the office” has fundamentally changed; American companies are now more results-oriented than process-oriented. The way this particular style of fashion originated and faded demonstrates that cultural change results from a tangle of seemingly disparate and ever-evolving sources: technology, consumerism, labor, geography, demographics. Better yet, cultural change can start almost anywhere and by almost anyone—scruffy computer programmers included.
The answer, apparently, is Nerds! NERDS!!
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday May 26 2017, @08:05PM (1 child)
Not everything has political and generational animosities at their heart. Culture is culture. I never felt that wearing a suit or jeans made a political or social statement. It was just what was appropriate for the situation.
I attended a memorial service for my mother's husband last year and I wore a suit. Does that make me a tool of "old white men"? I think not. It was an expression of respect for the deceased and my mother.
Another family member is getting married this summer. I will be wearing a suit for that as well. Does that make me bigoted or insensitive to others? I love my niece and I will do whatever I can to show her that love, and my desire for her continued happiness and a good life in whatever ways I can. Including dressing formally for an important event in her life.
If that leads you to conclude that I am bigoted or am "the man trying to keep you down." or some other such thing, more power to you. But your "argument," such as it is, is unpersuasive to me.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by meustrus on Tuesday May 30 2017, @05:26PM
I never meant to say that wearing a suit makes you an old white bigot. I don't associate it with intolerance either - the "socially progressive" comment is about being inviting to people that don't want to wear a suit and nothing more.
But if it is your intent to show respect, it matters a lot to whom you are showing respect. Some people won't feel respected if you show up in a suit; they may feel patronized or intimidated, especially if they tend to dress casually and suits belong to outsiders.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?