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From: defaria@hpclapd.HP.COM (Andy DeFaria)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Dress code
Message-ID: <6610003@hpclapd.HP.COM>
Date: 30 Jul 90 17:34:26 GMT
References: <847@meaddata.mead.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Calif. Language Lab
Lines: 34

>/ hpclapd:comp.software-eng / mcmahan@netcom.UUCP (Dave Mc Mahan) /  9:45 pm  Jul 26, 1990 /

>>Would  you really consider,  say, an
>>accounting firm, unprofessional   if  they   walked around  in  jeans and a
>>T-shirt but GOT YOUR TAXES DONE ON-TIME AND SAVED YOU BIG BUCKS?  Of course
>>not.    (Or, for  that matter,  am    I, a   software engineer,  considered
>>unprofessional because I don't wear a suit?)
>
>Personally, I wouldn't care.  But I am not everyone.  

...

>One must remember though, that not all people in this world are engineers.

My point is that a lot of people feel like you and I -  that there dress is
mandated by the company, they would be more comfortable if they could dress
casually, they don't personally care if the company  they deal with dresses
casually  as long as  the work  gets  do professionally  (and  this is  not
necessarily limited to engineers and non-engineers). So why does  the dress
code remain?

>They [people who  think you  must dress 'professional' to be professional]
>claim that, "If you are a professional, what does it matter how
>you dress?  You are still a professional.  So why don't you try to display that
>in first impressions when a customer is visiting?".  Personally, I don't feel
>that this attitude carries any weight.

Agreed.  I don't want to dress "professional" because 1) it's  not me, 2) I
would  rather spend my money  earned on  things  that I enjoy   than buying
suits, 3) suits are uncomfortable,  4)  suits are ugly and stylisictly they
are boring (the "style" has been  around forever :-) -  they don't show any
individualism, they  make everybody look  very  similar and you   lose your
identitiy not to mention freedom  to  express yourself through  clothing of
your own choosing.