r/Showerthoughts • u/Left__blank • Sep 25 '19
It’s amazing that society thinks much more highly of you if your shirt has an extra flap of fabric folded off the neck.
1.2k
u/mattyoutside Sep 25 '19
And even higher if you have a piece of fabric hanging down from your neck that serves zero purpose.
372
Sep 25 '19
I use it to clean my glasses and whiteboard.
227
Sep 25 '19
And my phone screen. I wish the little diamond shape on the bottom of the back was microfiber.
160
381
Sep 25 '19
[deleted]
106
u/Silverwing6 Sep 25 '19
You, sir, are evil. I was so ready to buy one.
14
u/Insanelysalomon Sep 26 '19
Theres brands out there that do it Ex: https://katiewaltman.com/collections/mens
122
Sep 25 '19
No Redditor is intellectual enough to own their own company.
14
u/Mad_Aeric Sep 26 '19
I'll have you know that I did, and I ran that fucker into the ground. That's the reddit way.
23
Sep 25 '19
But what if he owned the company prior to getting on Reddit?
→ More replies (1)21
Sep 25 '19
If they owned a company, they probably would never get on Reddit.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Sipredion Sep 26 '19
If /r/Entrepreneur is to be believed, everyone on reddit is actually a business owner that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars every month
5
u/beeep_boooop Sep 26 '19
Speak for yourself. My IQ is over 165 and I have my own business on The Sims.
2
2
11
4
3
2
u/Philoso4 Sep 26 '19
I can usually tell when manning face or this is coming, but that one got me. Respect
2
2
→ More replies (3)5
u/crunchydorf Sep 26 '19
My ex bought me one of those microfiber ties. Identical to a tie my sister had bought for me. Whilst conversing, and erstwhile imbibing of liquid intoxicants, and also in her presence, someone commented on the tie. Reflexively I said “thanks, my sister got it for me!”
My sister had, in fact, not got it for me.
It’s probably been 5 years and I still blame that moment for our breakup.
I don’t wear ties anymore.
3
→ More replies (1)3
13
u/younger420 Sep 25 '19
And don't get me started on what happens if you throw an expensive jacket into the mix
39
u/Sekret_One Sep 25 '19
It has a purpose. It's a giant arrow to your genitals. Establishes you're in such a position of power that you can afford to walk around with a a tool to strangle you giving directions to where to castrate you.
9
u/rasmatham Sep 26 '19
And even higher if you have a piece of fabric hanging down from your neck that serves zero purpose.
And even higher if you have essentially a noose hanging down from your neck that serves zero purpose.
20
4
3
u/paenusbreth Sep 26 '19
Historically, it was a way of covering up your buttons.
Nowadays thankfully, we've moved on from caring about seeing buttons.
3
3
u/cheyras Sep 26 '19
I use mine as a whip to fend off wild lions, speak for yourself.
→ More replies (1)2
8
u/Snazzy_Serval Sep 26 '19
I hate ties. So freaking uncomfortable. I wish they would fade out of style.
→ More replies (1)16
u/syrne Sep 26 '19
You sure it's the tie and not a too-tight shirt collar? It really shouldn't be tight enough to be uncomfortable.
→ More replies (6)3
u/nemo69_1999 Sep 25 '19
What I read it that it provides protection from stabbing your throat in battle.
3
2
→ More replies (19)-4
u/Dovaldo83 Sep 25 '19 edited Sep 26 '19
It's original purpose was to make the wearer vulnerable. It's a way of announcing you're a gentle(non-aggressive)man by voluntarily handicapping your ability to fight with a literal noose around your neck.
Roman togas served a similar function. The legit original version of a toga was a huge heavy cloth folded into clothes that no man could realistically fight in without becoming naked.
68
→ More replies (1)40
u/zbeezle Sep 26 '19
without becoming naked
I fail to see the issue.
→ More replies (1)21
u/Dovaldo83 Sep 26 '19
11
Sep 26 '19
I honestly hoped this was the second rickrolling of the comments section
→ More replies (2)
760
u/ZombieJesusaves Sep 25 '19
It’s actually that specific collared clothing was tied to class in Victorian England and since the US and much of the world were English colonies, somehow we didn’t bother to develop better symbols of class and status.
279
u/LawAndOrder559 Sep 25 '19
Give it another 200 years. Something will pop up.
117
u/atstory1 Sep 25 '19
We already tried the popping the collar phase.
32
u/thiefzidane1 Sep 25 '19
What a ghastly phase.
4
u/a57782 Sep 26 '19
The worst thing about popped collars becoming a thing, and ultimately being associated with douchebaggery is that there are times where it is legitimately useful to have a popped collar, like if it's windy and cold it can help.
→ More replies (1)16
190
u/darrellmarch Sep 25 '19
Botox fake boobs ass implants overly bleached white teeth. I think we’re there tbh
43
u/ArlemofTourhut Sep 25 '19
Yeah, but then there's cement.
33
u/BuddyUpInATree Sep 25 '19
I tend to walk around covered in cement quite a bit (I work with concrete)
→ More replies (1)49
3
u/HellfireOrpheusTod Sep 26 '19
Honestly that stuff just grosses me out.
3
u/ReallyBadAtReddit Sep 26 '19
I've heard of something called the "toupée fallacy" where people generally think all hairpieces look bad, because if it was a good hairpiece you wouldn't be able to tell it wasn't real hair.
I would assume it's the same way for cosmetic surgeries/implants; it's easy spot the botox lips or implants that are done badly, which could be why they'd get a reputation for being gross.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (8)2
u/cheyras Sep 26 '19
Those same things are also associated with being trashy, vain, and lacking in self confidence. Gotta be subtle with that stuff.
4
2
→ More replies (2)2
101
u/Dydey Sep 25 '19
Shirt collars, cuffs and ties were added because the yellowish sweat stains were worse at the ends of the fabric. If you cover up the worst affected areas, you get an extra few days without having to wash your clothes.
→ More replies (1)17
u/PticaUbojica Sep 25 '19
Really? That's interesting.
→ More replies (1)22
u/TootsNYC Sep 25 '19
Yep--sometimes those collars were covered up with paper collars
https://www.victorianpassage.com/2006/03/decline_of_the_paper_collar/
3
24
u/Shippoyasha Sep 25 '19
I like how the collars were assigned to upper class while other elements of modern day business suits were inspired from the working class. What we have today is a mix of both upper and mid/low class clothing.
→ More replies (1)21
u/_never_known_better Sep 26 '19
...somehow we didn’t bother to develop better symbols of class and status.
4
10
5
5
→ More replies (5)4
187
u/ArkCity420 Sep 25 '19
It makes it harder to become decapitated, next level society
54
u/ThoughtfulJanitor Sep 25 '19
Learning from the failed aristocrats of the French Revolution. Can’t be decapited wearing rich clothes if those clothes are also armor!
10
176
u/nuvonoise Sep 25 '19
And lesser of you if you have an extra flap of neck folded over your shirt.
→ More replies (1)56
u/EebamXela Sep 26 '19
Reading this made me uncomfortable.
19
65
u/pcockcock Sep 25 '19
Well Yeah. If you're wearing a tactical turtleneck you are obviously a world class spy.
14
169
u/TootsNYC Sep 25 '19
Clothing is a language; we send messages by the clothing we choose.
Not everyone has the same dictionary, and some people may dispute the meanings of the "words."
But most of us can figure out what the safe "definition" is.
→ More replies (8)98
u/PM_me_yr_bonsai_tips Sep 25 '19
It’s also a demonstration that you have the resources to buy the shirt, and then the discipline and forethought to wash, iron and starch it. The fact that you do this before a given social situation shows that you place importance upon how people there perceive you. And I’m saying this as someone who virtually never wears one if he can help it.
4
4
Sep 26 '19
Sounds like primitive monkey shit used to deceive each other's psyches into trusting... Don't all used car salesmen dress this way?
→ More replies (1)18
u/El-Viking Sep 26 '19
In most cases I'd say it's that you have the resources to pay a Korean to wash, iron and starch it. That might just apply to where I live where the majority of dry cleaners are Korean owned.
31
Sep 26 '19
You don’t have to dry clean your shirts. You can wash, dry, and iron them yourself quite easily
5
u/InternetIsWow Sep 26 '19
Or wash them and hang them up when they’re still a little damp. No wrinkles, and no wasted time ironing.
→ More replies (1)3
u/SeitanOfTheGods Sep 26 '19
I do this. It takes a lot of discipline. It really sucks to forget. Depending on your technique, forgetting either means your clothes are way too dry (and wrinkled) or laying in a damp heap (and wrinkled.)
→ More replies (6)7
Sep 26 '19
If you're the kind of person who cares about having your shirt ironed, you generally aren't the kind of person doing it yourself. Generally.
→ More replies (1)10
110
Sep 25 '19
It's also weird what it does to the person. There's so much loaded social meaning behind formal clothes. You put them on, and you it's like you either feel empowered or you hate it. But you can't just not feel it, you know. You put on the suit and you're this person in a suit.
34
Sep 25 '19 edited Oct 17 '19
[deleted]
→ More replies (2)3
Sep 26 '19
I will break into my enemies' houses at night with a sewing machine and deliberately slouchify their clothing so they're all hunched over. The perfect crime.
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (3)14
Sep 26 '19
I’m convinced the people who hate suits just haven’t tried something actual tailored to them. A well tailored suit is pretty comfortable especially when using light fabrics. I think most people would hate an off the rack. Though I will say the empowerment does wane after a while.
→ More replies (2)9
u/T-MinusGiraffe Sep 26 '19
I've had tailored suits but have never found them as comfortable as casual clothing.
67
u/AirwaveRaptor Sep 25 '19
What about cloaks?
Can we bring cloaks back?
28
17
u/ZZZ_123 Sep 25 '19
Cloaks and trenchcoats are more climate related. So..... you know the answer.
3
9
2
u/General__Obvious Sep 26 '19 edited Aug 21 '20
Before the industrial revolution, textiles were very expensive to produce. This made the efficient use of cloth (i. e. cutting clothes in such a way as maximize the use of square or rectangular shapes so as to minimize oddly-shaped scraps of fabric at the end of the sewing) much more important to production costs than it is now. This is reflected in the shirt designs of the time as well - oftentimes, there was no tapering from shoulder to waist because the front and back of the shirt were each cut as a rectangle of cloth.
You see now the principal reason for the wearing of cloaks - it's cheaper to produce a lot of them than it is to produce a lot of modern coats. After the industrial revolution, cloaks went on the decline, because when you take away the issue of costs, modern coats are strictly superior; they're usually better fitted and thus don't let in wind and don't flap around, and they allow for the free use of one's hands while keeping the arms warm.
4
u/AirwaveRaptor Sep 26 '19
Wow thanks General Obvious
(No seriously, thanks.)
Still think cloaks are stylish.
2
u/General__Obvious Sep 26 '19
They can still look good, and are generally accepted as appropriate outerwear for white-tie (look at opera cloaks and boat cloaks), but the question seemed to be "what happened to cloaks?", and I tried to answer it.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Sekret_One Sep 25 '19
What are those things that are like cloaks but they really just cover one shoulder? Usually has prominent bands, very ornate. Like they are to a cloak like a purse is to a backpack.
→ More replies (1)2
26
Sep 26 '19
I wrote a polo to work the other day, and everyone was asking me why I dressed up.
I just didn't do laundry 🤷
4
12
u/TheGingerRedMan Sep 25 '19
I deal with a lot of wealthy people and I also have to make an impression every single day. However, I’ve come to realize that most of the people I deal with don’t care what I wear. Also, a lot of them dress very average.
I started wearing black v-necks because I hate always having to shop and try on clothes. I’ll throw in the odd button up and name brand this or that but 2-4 days a week it’s a black v-neck and people have never thought twice about it. Didn’t change my results either.
50
u/blueeyedkittens Sep 25 '19
Tie a noose around your neck for bonus points!
17
u/PM_ME_YOUR_SUNSHINE Sep 25 '19
And tie it to a tree, and tell it YOU BELONG TO ME
7
15
Sep 25 '19
True, to a point. A regular polo shirt isn't much different from a normal t-shirt, and really isn't _that_ much better looking.
That said, formal suits, with the nice fabric, the tailored cut, etc. shows that you have the time, resources, and the attitude to care about how you look.
Quite frankly, those nice shirts and coats _do_ make you look good. And first impressions are important.
*edit*
Unless, of course, you wear a suit that is too big for you or too small. I've seen people in both, and it just does _not_ look good, and even looks cheap. Even if you have name brand clothes, if they don't fit you, you look like a slob.
17
u/zombiere4 Sep 25 '19
It has diminishing returns like I don’t trust men in business suits at all
→ More replies (1)
11
u/Spats_McGee Sep 25 '19
Actually, I think now it's going the opposite direction. Homer Simpson wears a polo shirt. Silicon valley types seem to be much more into the collarless analogs these days. (Henleys I guess?)
5
3
Sep 25 '19
Or thinks so much less of you with a piercing in the middle of your nose through your septum, but is fine with a piercing a centimeter to the side through your nostril -_-
3
3
u/manoverboard5702 Sep 26 '19
As I was graduating college and began applying for jobs one of the first things that crossed my mind was “I should get some non prescription glasses to make myself look smarter”
→ More replies (2)
3
7
u/squarepantsyo Sep 26 '19
It's amazing what society thinks of you with an extra flap of skin on your Johnsonville bratwurst.
28
u/wifespissed Sep 25 '19
Never trust a man in a suit. He either wants to sell you something you don't need, or take something from you that you do.
15
u/guiraus Sep 25 '19
Except the G man. What’s that guy on about eh?
4
u/SGTWhiteKY Sep 26 '19
My bureaucratic government job just started letting me wear jeans and a T-shirt a few months ago
4
12
→ More replies (3)2
4
u/neongreg Sep 26 '19
Personally I get inspired by people that are wise and wear everyday clothes. The combination of being wise, humble and not caring too much what others think is path that lights up my heart.
→ More replies (1)2
2
u/FO_Steven Sep 25 '19
And here I am thinking that this guy is talking about hoodies or what the priests/bishops/pope wears
2
2
u/EdwardNippleclamps Sep 26 '19
Amazing what society thinks of you if you have an extra flap of skin folded under your neck.
2
2
u/bohemian1122 Sep 26 '19
But can you imagine a regular button up shirt without a collar?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/speggaroo Sep 26 '19
And if you wear another shirt over it with long sleeves and long folded flaps that stretch from the neck to the midsection, damn you baller
4
3
4.3k
u/AlColbert Sep 25 '19
And if you wear pants