Ben Wallace is a freelance analyst and writer who would like to see a world where everyone is able to realise their true selves without harm. Ben identifies as non-binary to break free from the constraints of gender stereotypes, but would rather break the stereotypes.
OPINION:
Cut off your collar and tie
I am sick of the corporate male uniform of collar and tie, and the lack of choice men have for office attire. Ties are uncomfortable. They restrict my airways and make me feel as if I am choking. Why wear them? We should dump these relics of masculinity and begin wearing smart, gender-neutral clothing.
Inclusivity is here
We are living in a more inclusive society, where gender boundaries are breaking down and freedom of expression is increasing. So, why are most male office workers still wearing the same standard suit? Why is the collar and tie the male uniform on formal occasions? There’s a whole world of female fashion that has nothing to do with dresses and is free of collars and ties.
Male fashion is inflexible or juvenile
Part of the problem is that men’s clothing stores stock a choice of either standard office attire or juvenile delinquent wear. Where are the alternatives? Why do females get the choice of hundreds of smart tops and outfits, while all men are offered is either collared shirts or baggy T-shirts?
Let’s have some colour co-ordination
Perhaps shops do not see a demand, but I frequently see women in outfits that would work on men if they were available to men. Female fashion incorporates tops without collars and colour-co-ordinated or monochrome outfits that look great in the office. They would look great on men, too. Give us those options. Currently, I can make up a monochrome outfit from trousers, a fitted T-shirt, a jersey, and maybe a non-suit jacket. But it’s hard moving beyond just black when shops don’t stock colour-matched clothing items for men.
Break conventional dress codes
We need to loosen the screws, too. Corporate rules dictating what men wear must go. Norms dictating what we wear to job interviews, to Parliament, to court, to meet the King or to present 1 News need to be broken. Break them.
Have a go
If individual men stop wearing a collared shirt to the job interview, the wedding, the funeral, or on 1 News, then we break the gender stereotype. So, stop being a gender-stereotypical male in your attire (and your behaviour, but that’s another story) and make it easier for everyone to express themselves. Wear something different. Give it a go.
Dress smart your way
To be clear, I’m not advocating men wear baggy, dirty, worn T-shirts and jeans to the office. I like smart clothing. I am advocating men claim the option of wearing smart, clean, colour-co-ordinated tops and pants – or whatever you want to call them – just as females already do. Women have found a way to gender-neutral clothing. So can we.
Unbind me
Ties, which a collar generally invites, are a product of tradition that has become uniform in the modern world. Apparently, 17th-century Croatian mercenaries, who had been hired by the French, used ties (or “cravats”, derived from the French for Croatian) to hold the tops of their uniform jackets together. The seven-year-old King Louis XIV, upon inspecting his troops, took a liking to these ties and made them mandatory at royal gatherings. They quickly took off across Europe, rapidly lost any practical purpose, and became an accessory of formal male attire that is now almost universal.
