Men have to dress alike; women are able to vary their attire.

[Jeebo]

This is something that has been bothering me for a long time, so I have finally decided to say something about it. Watching all of this political coverage recently, which is to say, MSNBC, because that's my default channel, I rarely watch politics anywhere else, how do the men in the House and Senate and the White House dress? They all wear dark coats and slacks, shirts and ties. Except for the colors -- dark coats and slacks, different color ties and shirts -- there is little variety in the way they dress. That's apparently the way they HAVE to dress. Remember Obama's tan suit and the furor that ensued?

Look at the women in those same venues. Look at the wonderful variety in colors and styles that they can dress in.

There is some kind of sexism going on here. I'm not going to try to articulate it now but perhaps some of you can.

If I were in the Senate or House I would try to be daring and original. Sweaters with interesting and colorful patterns, vests, boots, lots of trailblazing fashion statements for men in those kinds of jobs. I would use my imagination and just dare anybody to say anything. And if anybody did, I would point to the women and say that if they can have that kind of variety in their attire, so can I.

-- Ron

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Every other species: Male flashy and flamboyant, female drab. Except us!

[secondwind]

2. I think that there's a dress code in Congress, whether it is written

or or not.

Personally, I think the men wearing suits give more gravitas, and is expected. Women all dress very appropriate, but they have the added benefit of adding color here and there.

[Kitchari]

3. Probably younger people will vary from the business dress code

In time, creative changes will be made. I agree, it's stodgy, but a uniform look also frees up time and attention for other expressions, other work

[Dagstead Bumwood]

8. Well, it's 'Murica, so maybe one day congress will begin to look like the supermarket

with people in jammy pants and flipflops

[Kitchari]

9. Ha!

Flipflops for the flipflops!

[Beringia]

4. Well to take another view, the men don't have to expend as much money

or time on special clothing. I loved wearing overalls when I was young. And forget it when it comes to high heels, no way. I had a man I once worked for who saw my fingernail polish once, and he said he wished he could wear that, but that is the only time I heard a man say they wished they could do something fashion-wise a woman does.

Also woman bear the burden of trying to be beautiful all the time, whereas men can get away with just about anything even when they reach old age.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. I was going to say the same thing

If you want to have a varied wardrobe, it's great, but if you are EXPECTED to follow fashion trends, wear high heals and apply makeup everyday, no thanks. I'm lucky I work in a casual office.

[AmyStrange]

13. +100000000000000000000000000000000 x 2

-

Men say they don't need to stress about clothes, and women do, but then why do men die younger (on average)?

I think it's because they secretly want to wear dresses, and the fear from not being able to even talk about it ,and the resulting frustration, is what's killing them.

That's my theory, and I'm stickin' to it.
=============

[Beringia]

14. That's funny

[kurtcagle]

5. It goes back a long ways

Political institutions tend to vary slowly in terms of fashion, especially when there are few women who are part of the political process. Politicians, by and large, seek clothing that denotes power and status, even when they tend to be fairly progressive because they want to be seen as representing the "best" (typically the most successful) of their constituents. Deviating much from that standard can be seen as disrespectful towards others.

Women work on a slightly different set of rules than men regarding successful clothing, but the same philosophy applies: dresses with jackets, pantsuits (which sadly faded after Hillary Clinton), essentially what you might expect to see on an evening news program. Even outside the chambers, there's a formal "informal" dress code - typically involving polo shirts and slacks for men, blouses and slacks, or long dresses for women in the summer. These tend to mirror business formal and business casual.

There are some variations. Bowties tend to go into and out of fashion for men, and jacket/turtleneck sweaters are often suitable for both men and women. Politicians on the West Coast are increasingly foregoing ties altogether - they've all but disappeared here in Seattle even in business settings. As a general rule of thumb, the dominant dress code reflects what was common in business circles generally thirty-five years (two generations) before, which is one reason that I suspect ties may be on the way out in Congress within the next decade.

[yardwork]

7. As a professional woman, I've always envied men who can wear suits.

Men's business shoes and clothes are much more comfortable. They don't have to invest in the latest styles. They can grab and go. And nobody expects men to wear makeup or color their hair.

[Skittles]

15. women don't have to do that nonsense

they do it to themselves - it's part of the reason they are not taken as seriously

[Aristus]

10. It started during the Victorian Era.

Men being required to wear drab, sober, conservative black, brown, or navy.

In the Regency Period and before that, men were permitted to wear all kinds of bright colors, flashy outfits, buckles, ribbons, bows, etc. We could be peacocks if we wanted to be.

[Beringia]

11. I googled Regency Era Men's Fashion, and it seems conservative colors too

Probably not too flashy colors or dress for women either.







Those men in the Regency Era must have been really tied in by those clothes. I would favor Native American

[sir pball]

12. You can blame Beau Brummell for that

In the early 1800s, he basically single-handedly killed colorful,. varied menswear (think the costumes in Hamilton) in favor of coordinated full trousers, jackets, and white shirts.

Bastard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Brummell