Thread: what to wear

!) You've been told to wear uniform at school, business suit when you work.

Almost every conference will define a specific dress code..

You can't wear jeans, shorts, or trainers at a night club(most confusing.)

Q: Shall we be told what to wear? ? ? Shouldn't it be our own autonomy???

If you own your own business you can set the dress code or have no dress code. If someone else owns the business they can make rules that they like. If you don't like the rules you don't have to work there.

As for school, there are governing bodies that ultimately have to respond to the voters, or the owners in private schools. When uniform codes are set there is usually a good reason.

If you own your own business you can set the dress code or have no dress code. If someone else owns the business they can make rules that they like. If you don't like the rules you don't have to work there.

As for school, there are governing bodies that ultimately have to respond to the voters, or the owners in private schools. When uniform codes are set there is usually a good reason.

That's just the obvious status quo...But I'm asking what is the philosophical principle that bolster such act? Sure, it's their company, so what?? Yet you didn't show me how does it link to the ruling of attire. Of course, biz owner doesn't own their employees....

Dress codes define in-groups and expose the other, but allow an option for the other to signal their respect to the in-group, thus giving them a pass or visa. Your autonomy is in your willingness to respect the societal norms of the in-group you're participating with. If you aren't willing to fit that norm, even temporarily, find another in-group.

But don't forget the words of Mark Twain: "naked people have little or no influence on society." Whatever your wear (or don't wear), you're defining yourself a member of one group or another.

SkinWalker sums up quite well the social aspect of clothing choice/conformity, but I'm going to extend on what Bunbury said about it being business related.

In all the examples you gave there is also a practical business answer to why clothing options are limited.

At school having the same school uniform implements a feeling of equality and being part of a group, rather than creating more divides between already conflicting groups.

At work, the uniform is either functional (for laborers, tradesmen) or is supposed to reflect the business (neatness, attention to detail, etc.).

The night club example is the least ridiculous of all. Night clubs (excluding gay clubs) choices are driven primarily by female patronage. That's why groups of girls will get let in, served drinks and generally treated better than the males. So the club only wants to let in the well dressed, well groomed males, not the jeans-sneakers-shirt ones. Well dressed males -> more females -> more males (only the well dressed let in) -> (and so it continues). It's simply good business sense to be exclusive about who they let in.

You have the autonomy to choose what you wear. They have the autonomy to choose who they allow in/employ.

Originally Posted by JFich

At school having the same school uniform implements a feeling of equality and being part of a group, rather than creating more divides between already conflicting groups.

Especially gangs.

Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with saying, "Fashion condemns us to many follies; the greatest is to make ourselves its slave"

Originally Posted by JFich

The night club example is the least ridiculous of all. Night clubs (excluding gay clubs) choices are driven primarily by female patronage. That's why groups of girls will get let in, served drinks and generally treated better than the males. So the club only wants to let in the well dressed, well groomed males, not the jeans-sneakers-shirt ones. Well dressed males -> more females -> more males (only the well dressed let in) -> (and so it continues). It's simply good business sense to be exclusive about who they let in.

No, I think with clubs it has to do with niche marketing. Different clubs try to appeal to different groups of people, a good way to appeal to those groups is to be exclusive to certain kinds of dress and music.

Just to take the example of gay bars. A jeans and leather bar is appealing to a bear or "straight acting" gay crowd, and will usually exclude drag queens (and women too). It's just about niche marketing. Likewise, an entirely different dresscode would be expected at a discotheque, and even the music will be tailored to appeal to a different group. There's usually a few drag bars too, that while they rarely only admit dragqueens (I don't know of any that do) but are accepting of them.

With clubs that enforce more dressy clothes, they are trying to appeal to the general trendy twenty-something club going crowd. That is different from rave clubs, or hip hop clubs, or punk clubs, that will all have either implicit or explicit dress codes.

Originally Posted by ArezList

Q: Shall we be told what to wear? ? ? Shouldn't it be our own autonomy???

Should we be told not to carry guns around?
Should we be told not to rape people?

When we refer to anything as "Should we" we are going to have to question the basis in ethics within a group. What should the group do? A group's ethics is based upon the collective needs/wants of each individual of the group, and these "needs/wants" become the group's norms which build upon the group ethics. In north American society, these norms are ideally based on scientifically derived conclusion. So in terms, the group's ethics is based upon the current groups scientific beliefs.

If we believe that wearing the same uniform helps us in any net positive way then I don't see why not the group should follow it. Of course, this is all under the assumption that the group's individuals believes being in a group is beneficial.