The Necktie - R.I.P.

David at JOLLYBLOGGER celebrates the death of men's neckties.

Anyway, there's good news on the culture front for us tie-haters - the Men's Dress Furnishings Association is calling it quits because men aren't wearing ties anymore. As far as I am concerned the whole thing of wearing a tie to church was a cultural accommodation anyway, so it's no big deal.

And just for fun, here's some thoughts on why men started wearing ties in the first place. You would think that the more prudish among us would think twice about wearing ties due to the possible origins of the tie as a phallic symbol. From that article, here's a couple of my personal favorite comments on the origin of ties.

David quotes from The Guardian:

I thought that part of the reason was so that men had a handkerchief near by for when they needed to blow their noses.

The tie was an invention of the Victorians. Supposedly it was to protect your shirt from the detritus of everyday. However, historically only two groups of people have anything around their necks, slaves and the hanged. If you had said to a Roman 'here put this around your throat' he would have been highly insulted.

You know, it took me a while to get used and comfortable not wearing a tie to church. Maybe that shows what a "stuffed shirt" I really am! Up until three years ago I wore suits and ties to work everyday. Such dress felt normal to me. However, almost no one does at our church, and many of the folks in our congregation tend to associate ties with lawyers, bureaucrats and others who have caused them problems in the past. So I've learned to go tieless, and to like it. Even an old dog can learn a new trick.