Making the Man
My workplace has an annual winter dinner, which comes up in about three weeks. Unfortunately, the e-mail notice we received about it today suggested that people are now expected to dress up for it,m whereas in the past I have just worn everyday clothes. In all likelihood, therefore, I will not be attending.
I have this real hang-up about dressing up, or otherwise dressing any way other than how I usually do. I just hate it. I feel uncomfortable (never mind that anything involving a tie simply is uncomfortable), and just silly. I would feel more comfortable wearing jeans in a room full of tuxes than wearing a tux myself (although I'll admit I've never actually worn a tux, though I have worn a suit from time-to-time). I don't dress up for Hallowe'en (and haven't since sixth grade), partly for that reason and partly because it seems so contrived. (If I ever do dress up for Hallowe'en, I will probably do so in such a way as to truly scare and disgust people, because that's what the holiday is for. None of this nudge-nudge-wink-wink bullshit.)
So I have gone to great length to avoid dressing differently. I wear jeans, shorts, pullover shirts, the very occasional T-shirt, and that's about it. And I'll wear dressier clothes if required to do so for work. But dressing up for fun? Why on earth would I want to do that? Why would anyone want to do that?
It's an element of our culture (of many cultures) that simply makes no sense to me. And it's one of those points on which I take the old saw "to thine own self be true" quite seriously.
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