Once again there's a huge fuss about men not wearing ties, in this case in the French parliament. Right-wing MPs are complaining that left-wing MPs in the France Unbowed Party (the FLI) are going tie-less. According to them the FLI MPs should be wearing ties as "a mark of respect due to our institutions and our compatriots".
Right-wing MPs in a letter have asked the parliament speaker to enforce an obligation to wear a tie in the chamber to prevent "more and more casual clothes". What on earth are they envisaging? MPs entering parliament in their pyjamas?
The LFI have replied that "in 2022 wearing a tie does not imply smart dress but more adhering to a particular social group".
Wouldn't the tie-fanatics be better employed making a fuss about something truly important, like poverty, the cost of living crisis, the destruction of Ukraine or climate breakdown?
Does it really matter that some MPs prefer not to wear a dangly thing around their neck?
Whoever drafted the parliamentary rule book clearly never considered this thorny issue. Apparently the rule book isn't specific on whether MPs should wear ties.
Perhaps the LFI should retaliate by insisting that the right-wingers should show more respect for the country's institutions by wearing a top hat and tails.
PS: I guess the only female equivalent to the tie is tights, which are uncomfortable and inconvenient but not entirely pointless - they can keep you warm.
Pic: French MP Adrien Quatennens
The tie does serve a purpose. Not least in pulling an outfit together.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that suits tend to be uniform (even the most expensive and well tailored ones - think stylish Hugo Boss who designed Hitler's soldiers' attire) a tie introduces colour, playfulness, even mischief, the individual - a sort of outlet for your personality. Make it silk. And then, of course, there are the delicious neckties. Not to mention James Bond and his bow tie.
Swooning,
U
Ursula: Clearly we have very different opinions about ties....
DeleteOver here, it’s the opposite. Nobody even attempts to look professional. Personally, I love a colorful tie.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Tradesmen never wear ties, in case they get caught up in something with disastrous results.
DeleteGood point, Nick. And worse. Your reply to Bijoux reminds me of a Hitchcock. Set in London - probably to the tune of dense fog. Can't remember the title this minute. Frenzy? Upshot being lots of sacks of potatoes and the MURDER weapon. Yes, a tie. So you win. To top it all, the culprit had reddish/carrot coloured hair. What a way to go. Still, you could stop at a motel and have a shower. No ties involved.
DeleteU
Ursula: "The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog"? Yes, I guess you could easily strangle someone with their tie.
DeleteRidiculous, and as you said there are far more important matters. But, if you can't solve a real problem put something in it's path so people don't know you're not doing your job and solving big issues. Politics have become pathetic with the far right leading the charge here as well. Good luck. My husband wore a tie the other day for the first in ages and talked about how uncomfortable it was.
ReplyDeleteSandy: Indeed, politicians bring up these absurd issues to divert attention from something awkward they want to conceal.
DeleteI don't see the point of ties. Even more so when a co-worker was shredding a lot of documents (about forty years ago now and had his tie caught in the contraption and nearly died. I had to wear a tie as part of school clobber and how stupid was that?
ReplyDeleteI would use it as a napkin over lunch along with others.
I'm a firm believer in just t-shirts and jeans for everyone, including at weddings and funerals. Give the oodles of money saved to the poor and needy.
Let's focus on character rather than all these ridiculous bells and whistles.
XO
WWW
www: Hear hear. T shirts and jeans, that sounds good. But British employers are obsessed with some bogus idea of "professionalism".
DeleteWhen my dad worked at Robins Air Force base, he was required to wear a tie in position. We still have the tie. It bears a dog head smiling. Dad rode a bike to the base because it was faster with the traffic backed up. As he entered the base, the tie went on. My dad would understand your point of view.
ReplyDeleteAnn: I'm sure plenty of men only put their tie on as they get to work. And loosen it at the earliest opportunity.
DeleteIt would be high heels for women. Fortunately I managed to escape jobs that required them.
ReplyDeleteAnon: Yes, high heels are just as pointless as ties. They're worse though because they're much more uncomfortable and usually painful as well.
DeleteA study showed that the germiest thing in a doctor's office was a man's tie. The simply don't get cleaned after every wearing. Why would anyone advocate for wearing dirty clothes?
ReplyDeleteLinda Sand
Linda: Absolutely, why encourage germ-laden clothing?
DeleteJoanne's comment didn't appear on my post. She said: "By the time I got down here, the high heel had been mentioned. I once adhered to a dress code at my corporate job by using the men's side of the paper. White shirt, pre-tied tie (for me), nice suit, men's socks, men's style shoes. "They" could do nothing to me; the rules did not state, then, which dress code I had to follow. That was summer, by fall I was gone. Their loss."
ReplyDeleteJoanne: Very ingenious tactic, switching to the men's dress code. Interesting that they didn't specify which dress code you had to follow.
DeleteI stopped wearing a tie a very long time ago and have given away my entire collection. With my current choice of our white Indian dress, I don't have to spend time on choosing what to wear also!
ReplyDeleteRamana: Is there anything more futile than trying to decide which of one's tie collection to wear today?
Delete" Wouldn't the tie-fanatics be better employed making a fuss about something truly important, like poverty, the cost of living crisis, the destruction of Ukraine or climate breakdown?
ReplyDeleteDoes it really matter that some MPs prefer not to wear a dangly thing around their neck? "
AMEN NICK!
Tammy: There are still some people who insist on wearing cuff links. In fact I had to wear them at my boarding school.
DeleteTies always seemed uncomfortable to me. I was in the ROTC in high school and we all had to wear the dress clothes, shoes and little black ties.
ReplyDeleteMary: The Reserve Officers Training Corps? Very impressive. I guess that was the first and last time you wore a tie?
ReplyDeleteMs Scarlet's comment didn't appear on my post. She said: "Ties are silly. I have nothing further to add."
ReplyDeleteMs Scarlet: I couldn't agree more.
DeleteTies serve no useful purpose other than a cosmetic one -- fashion, plus they can be uncomfortable, some even unhealthy. MRI study showed they can cut off blood flow to the brain if too tight; they can carry more bacteria than a shirt sleeve. Wearing a tie and the type or not should be optional.
ReplyDeleteI'm opposed to wearing anything that is uncomfortable and serves no functional purpose. Defies common sense that women wear certain types of shoes that are uncomfortable and actually harm the feet..
Joared: Indeed, ties are uncomfortable and serve no functional purpose. But still lots of employers blindly insist on them.
DeleteYears ago, when my neck was thicker, I had to wear a tie and it choked me all day. I renamed them DPOC. Dangling Piece Of Cloth. We also had to wear our coats into and out of the building. So I would carry the coat up to the front door, put the coat on, get to my desk and take it off..
ReplyDeleteThe DPOC was the last thing I put on before I left in the morning. One day I just forgot to put it on. Managers were beside themselves on how I could forget to put it on. My two choices were go home for the day or go out and buy a tie. There was a cheap clothing store a few blocks from the office. I got myself a nice pink patterned tie for two dollars. I wore it many times after that.
Mike: The coat thing is like the way women only put on their high heels when they reach the office. Luckily the only time a job required me to wear a tie was when I was a local journalist in the late 1960s.
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