We now live in a society where the entrepreneur is celebrated more than the corporate CEO. The guys running startups, with ping-pong tables in the boardrooms and casual Friday, every day. That said, randomuser is right, wearing a suit for special events when you normally don't have to is fun. I had to wear a tuxedo earlier in the year and I'll be damned if I didn't feel like.... well, like randomuser said... James Bond. In western culture, a person in a suit is normally someone who is important because of their knowledge, power, wealth, ect. This is a stereotype that people have been exposed to from a young age.
Yes, and at a young age it is a slight of hand trick that may actually work on you. As you get older though, the effect certainly wears off. mk writes, Perhaps a more interesting question is not what a tie represents, but when and where is it expected, and when can you get away without it?
I think about this often. When I started my career in sales, I was mandated to wear a tie. This was selling at a company making commission only and my annual earnings were a fraction of what they are now. The higher that I moved up in the professional world, the higher my earnings potential rose, the less expected the tie became. There are only very rare meetings these days where I will wear a tie. VERY rare. The most I get dressed up these days is in a sports coat.