I spent Saturday in a rented tuxedo.
I don't entirely agree with Graeber, but it can only be true that the suit and tie fulfills a cultural objective as it has had such a long run. I am glad that I am not expected to suit up often, and I expect that greater decentralization of the workplace will continue to undermine this attire.
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 have no problem with adopting attire outside of my normal wardrobe when it comes to ceremonial occasions. Wearing a tux was a statement of solidarity on Saturday. There was an Indian wedding at the same hotel where everyone, whether Indian or not, was in traditional Indian attire. I would enjoy the opportunity to wear something I never had before as part of a celebration.
I feel far less comfortable wearing the suit and tie in a work capacity, where I see it as largely unnecessary.
I like David Graeber, but this feels completely made up and devoid of evidence. I mean... the "phallic" shape of a necktie is more of a byproduct of the tailoring of men's suits. Cravats and silk scarves don't look phallic at all. Plus, what kind of ties do cowboys and Texans wear, the swingin'est dicks of 'em all? Tell me a guy with a giant truck, a huge hat, ridiculous boots and mud tires is gonna wrap a tiny little leather thong around his neck if it's in any way a phallic symbol.
I wore a John Lennon bolo tie all through middle school and I can say with 100% certainty that I never considered it a phallic symbol in a tiny leather thong I'll have to find a picture of it sometime. It was a big part of my world back then. I resurrected it for my high school graduation day.
As someone who rarely has to wear a suit for anything I have to say I thoroughly enjoy having a suit on. Suits, especially tuxedos make you look classy as fuck. I don't really know how much of it is cultural influence but I think just the way they're styled to fit and cover look aesthetically pleasing. Plus, James Bond... It would be interesting to see how children react to people wearing suits vs. not and see if there are like genetically embedded reactions suit vs. no suit.
Story time! My high school has a tradition where in the last week of classes, the graduation class gets to take over the school for one day. Basically, the entire class gets the freedom to organize a show to thank / mock the teachers and to reminisce about the six years of spending there. Usually, this started off with locking up the school and throwing water balloons at people who dared to enter until they ran out of balloons. Then, everyone is gathered inside the main hall and the teachers are playfully mocked for what they've done wrong in the past six years for an hour or two. It's often a show with a theme - in my first year the graduates did a Judge Judy style of show. Second year did an Oscars-style show, giving awards for the best (and worst) teachers in different categories. My graduation year wanted to turn things up to eleven though. We chose 'school is prison' as a theme. So on the day itself, we gathered the teachers behind the school, put them in prison jumpers and had them walk to the school 'chained'. Thing is though, we wanted to dress up as prison guards, but also wanted to look cool, so we asked every graduate to dress up in black suit & tie, wearing dark sunglasses and keeping a poker face at all times. We oozed authority. Me and three friends stood on the roof of the school (illegally), to imply that you're always watched in our new totalitarian regime. As a result, the rest of the students acted very...submissive? They would go out of their way immediately. When a group of juniors got a bit rowdy, one of the guards escorted him to the back of the school 'for his mischievous behaviour'. The rest of the group was scared shitless because of that. Especially the freshmen were very impressed/scared by our look. If it weren't for the suits and serious looks, they would've never listened to us. That day probably crossed some lines (the takeover day is now much more strictly regulated because of this and other things we did that day) but 'twas interesting nonetheless.It would be interesting to see how children react to people wearing suits vs. not and see if there are like genetically embedded reactions suit vs. no suit.
That's a pretty awesome story. My high school just had a senior prank, which consisted mostly of things like dying the fountain green or letting a few hundred rats go in the gym. It's kind of funny the feeling tied to people in suits and sunglasses also.
There is no genetic component regulating how an individual reacts to people in suits, but there is still some merit in the idea. Some individuals are more suggestible than others (google "Suggestibility personality trait") and may be more influenced by individuals in positions of power than others. 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. This is especially true as students typically see teachers who are usually dressed in a more professional manner. Thus, an individual who dresses in a suit may have an easier time convincing others that they have some authority by tapping into this (sub)conscious stereotype. Also keep in mind the separation of labour: you do not see general laborers dressed in suits, but rather the people in charge of them (management) are usually required to wear more formal work clothing. While I think the division of labour is rather silly in its' modern form, the barrier between those who work with their hands and those that work with their minds is often reflected, in some degree, by the way they dress. This is the result of social, economic, and personal factors which impact all of us, every day.
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. James Bond with his Hubski spy camIn 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. 
I have often thought about how many ancillary, unneeded pieces of apparel that women are expected to wear and really, there aren't many for men.... except the neck tie.
It's also funny because I realized, when reading this that the only thing I have a lot of, attire-wise like women's and their "unneeded pieces of apparel," are ties. My dress attire is as follows:
1 x blazer
1 x tux
1 x dress shoes
1 x nice leather belt (brown/black reversible, it's awesome)
2 x pairs or dress shoes
~8 x ties in different colors/hilarious design obscurities.
No KNOWN component anyway. We've proven that certain responses to certain stimuli can be transmitted from generation to generation. It seems to me that there is bioplausibility if you count 'Seeing someone in a suit' as a stimulus.There is no genetic component regulating how an individual reacts to people in suits,