I found an interesting post from Grayden over on LiveJournal, and he’s kindly allowed me to repost it here as a guest post:

Many geeks fall into the camp of “if I worked in a job where The Man made me wear a suit, I’d go postal” or some other such vague anti-authority threat. I guess one source of anti-dressup sentiment among geeks is the notion that people who have true talent don’t need to dress to impress. Their accomplishments rather than their appearance should speak volumes about their merits, and therefore anyone who seems to rely on fancy clothing or primping to impress must be compensating for some basic lack of skill. This sentiment among alpha geeks creates a polarizing influence. The tech elite craft this sentiment into an atmosphere where dressing as differently from The Suits as possible is desirable. Scraggly beards, t-shirts, shorts, and sandals become the order of the day. It creates a culture where young aspiring tech geeks who are still honing their skills dress poorly as a way of fitting in… wearing almost (*gasp*) a uniform of geekdom!

Everyone wears a uniform of some sort. Even teenage rebels who want to show how different they are usually end up looking and dressing just like every other teenage rebel.

Suits get the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. In any kind of career involving technology, a suit is by the geeks as the uniform of The Man, the pointy-haired boss, and the corporate weasel. I can understand a certain level of anti-establishment sentiment among geeks who all-too-often see that “the right way” is not “the company way” of doing things, but it’s a shame that the clothing - the suit - is what gets all of the attention in these battle lines. A suit is also the uniform of polite and pleasant society. It can have very positive and pleasant emotional associations.

I really like dressing up in a suit for formal events. A suit makes me feel confident and assertive, and not in any kind of “I’m a total dick” sort of way. I stand up straighter, smile more, and get friendly nods from completely random people when I dress up. Reflecting on that, maybe I just enjoy reaping the benefits of wearing the uniform of politeness. :-)

Wearing ID cards and name tags is yet another touchy issue among my geeky peers who so often go on at length about being forced to wear things that don’t suit their vision of proper geek attire. To me, wearing an ID card or name tag is not a bad thing. To me, it is a mark of affiliation and belonging. At a community outreach event for my job, an official name tag instantly identifies me as a source of information and assistance. I think it satisfies a part of my personality that really wants to be a part of a team effort.

Thoughts? Let Grayden (and me) know what you think in the comments.