Rejection of the men's tie

Last night was the season finale of Criminal Minds; I paid attention only because the commercials were hinting at the departure of a regular cast member and I wished to know who was leaving and how. Why even waste my time the, for misandric crap. At the end of the second hour was a sappy wedding scene, and I noticed that Joe Mantegna's character was doing the "hip" or "relaxed" informal - black/dark shirt and black/dark jacket, but no tie. This was mirrored by the other male characters as well. Americans have long adopted informal wear as the norm for weddings, but this goes even farther.

Given my stated hatred of the tie, you might think that I would approve of such a change, but given the power of convention I can't help but judge it to be a loss of standards. Seeing it depicted on television I was washing for the return of the cravat. This has become the popular standard for early music and classical musicians as well; see, for example, the Academy of Ancient Music and the Tallis Scholars. Even worse is when the men decide to wear just the black shirt and slacks. They then resemble waiters at some upscale restaurants. One is then reminded that the dress shirt is an undergarment and should have something covering it. The bid to be cool, trendy, and not so uptight has taken the abbreviation of modern Western male fashion aesthetics to a ridiculous extreme?

If one is not fat, wearing a tailored modern Western suit doesn't look bad. One may even look smarter with a tie (though I doubt it - as I said before, my aesthetic judgment is determined more by convention than by actual appearance in this case). I do not think the modern Western suit can be tailored in such a way to make it less obvious that an overweight man is so? Other cultures got around this by having clothing that was loose fitting? I'd still prefer some sort of coat that buttoned up all the way to the top, I think.

Besides, without the tie is there a need for the Western collared shirt? (Turning the collar up may not enhance its appeal, if the tie is still absent. And it interferes with the movement of the head.)

At any rate, the wedding scene was Hollywood's witness to the importance of friendship (and of marriage) as a good, since it was also revealed that Agent Prentiss would be leaving for a position with Interpol. But it's the lies about everything else that distort the truth and turn the show into propaganda.



WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 08: George Clooney paticipates in TimesTalks 'A Conversation With George Clooney And Alexander Payne' at SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center on February 8, 2012 in West Hollywood, California. (Getty/Daylife)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 08: George Clooney and David Carr pose for a picture at TimesTalks 'A Conversation With George Clooney And Alexander Payne' at SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center on February 8, 2012 in West Hollywood, California. (Getty/Daylife)


MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) George Clooney attends a Gala Screening of 'The Ides Of March' during the 55th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 19, 2011 in London, England. (Getty/Daylife)

MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) George Clooney attends a Gala Screening of 'The Ides Of March' during the 55th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 19, 2011 in London, England. (Getty/Daylife)

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: Filmmaker George Clooney attends 'The Ides of March' premiere during the 55th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon West End on October 19, 2011 in London, England.(Getty/Daylife)