Tennis shoes?!

[bigtree]

Joseph Zeballos-Roig @josephzeballos 4h
Sen. Fetterman is now wearing a suit as he’s walks into preside in the Senate chamber


...tounge-in-cheek, y'all.

[Srkdqltr]

1. He should even if it's difficult for him. I know. Theyvall should be in business attire.

Some of these folks are very juvenile.

[bigtree]

2. I think the Senate would have accomodated him more in his recovery

...if it wasn't full of republican assholes.

[claudette]

8. I don't understand

how shorts and a hoodie contribute to one’s recovery from a stroke. Besides. He’s not in the Senate chamber often for long periods of time.

[bigtree]

9. probably not going to get anything but pushback from me on this

...I've bucked dress codes all my life with deliberate defiance.

Josh Hawley was wearing jeans, boots and no tie on Monday evening, an outfit he says he normally wears when he flies in from his home state for the first votes of the week.

“Now I can vote from the Senate floor on Mondays,” Hawley said, noting that he usually wears a suit and tie every other day.

Nearby, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was also tieless. The Democrat said he’s been reprimanded by Sergeant-at-Arms staff in the past for not wearing a tie on the floor.

“They would tell us when we were doing it wrong,” Murphy said.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/senate-ditches-dress-code-fetterman-choose-casual-clothes-103294581

...the casual clothes made the Senator more comfortable as he continues his recovery from stroke-induced depression. All good with me.

[claudette]

11. Well

Having gone to schools for 12 years that had a dress code and working many years in an urban school district with a dress code, dress I learned how to follow the rules and don’t feel that it hindered me one bit. Decorum shows respect.

[bigtree]

13. but it's not really respect

...it's just show.

[claudette]

16. That would be

your opinion. In my opinion, I believe it is disrespectful to defy a dress code. The whole world is going "informal" these days and that's not a good thing, in my view.

[bigtree]

19. my opinion is as valid as any other

...means just as much as those who advocate this strictness, even though I think they would regard my view as some kind of aberration.

I'm as much a part of society as anyone else, and this is a lifetime view which I hope I've instilled in others.

MY father used to come home from work, take off his suit, and put on another on to go to the store. He eventually broke down and bought some jeans and sweaters (crease down the middle).

[claudette]

20. I didn't say it wasn't

You may have your "opinion." But, the Senate has its RULES. Period.

[bigtree]

21. I wanted to make a point about the social validity of my disdain for dress rules

...rules which make people unnecessarily uncomfortable at work.

My view has been the predominate trend over my own lifetime of work and social interaction.

I've witnessed the relaxing of those ridiculous rules in my own work experience in grocery retail, where I was required when I began in the late 70's to wear a white dress shirt and tie to work produce. No tennis shoes, hair above the collar, top button buttoned, sleeves rolled down and buttoned.

Now we see even managers dressing informally. I don't think Congress is a church; it's not the military; it's not a courtroom. It's where representatives and senators come together to debate and vote. There is no judge, principal, or superior authority which needs some kind of fealty in attire among these peers.

This is a clique of snobs worrying about superficial nonsense. It should be concerning that this is what animates them, not advancing progressive legislation, but here we are.

[claudette]

27. You're saying

the Senate is a clique of snobs? I disagree. They are elected officials in our government and should follow the rules - period. A dress code is not a bad thing, in my view. They can walk and chew gum at the same time - they can worry about legislation AND dressing with respect for their office.

Added: Senators knew when they ran for office that the dress code was in place.

[bigtree]

30. no, that's what you parsed out of what I said.

...that makes this over.

I said what I said.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

15. He dressed in shorts and hoodies before his stroke

And I’ve never heard him say that he needed to dress this way due to his recovery. He just didn’t want to wear a suit.

[claudette]

17. Exactly

And maybe he was allowed to wear shorts and a hoodie in his old job in PA, but the United States Senate is quite different. I also don't see how wearing a suit for short periods of time in the Senate Chamber would inhibit his recovery from the stroke.

[bigtree]

18. he said it made him more comfortable

...that's what I'd call being attentive to his recovery from his stroke-induced mental illness.

It's not really something that's give much consideration by society, especially workplaces. It's a no brainer for me to recognize this man's need to feel comfortable as he makes his recovery.

In my life, everyone get a pass on their attire. Your mileage may vary.

I seriously will never understand the virulence with which people question this. Understand that, if you will.

[Polybius]

22. Do you have a limit at all on workforce attire?

Is it anything goes at all times, or do you ever draw the line? I once saw a guy in jeans and a t-shirt at a wedding. He was very out of place.

[bigtree]

23. why should anyone care about a t-shirt at a wedding? No, I've never cared

...I used to go without shoes all summer in my youth. Didn't own any, didn't want any.

In the 70's we were later-day hippies who eschewed material 'values' that society really insisted on at the time. Nothing like the casual nature of attire today. It was a badge of honor for so many to dress alike, short haircuts in the 80's, and that official sports gear that you couldn't get dirty came in the 90's.

I'm convinced that it was our pushback that loosened the fashion that we enjoy today. Jeans, t-shirts, different shoes - all strictly regarded by society when I was young.

Did your dad have a shoe shine station in the basement like mine?

I would blow it all up if I could, and remove all of the pretentious dress restrictions which intend to render us all into automatons which comport to someone's else's standard of propriety.

It's a mind crime that we still insist on things like ties, hard shoes, and shirts with collars. It's absolutely ridiculous and it has the feel of children with the clothes their parents laid out for them.

[Polybius]

32. There has to be a line drawn somewhere

Sorry, but that guy looked like a fool at that wedding, and everyone was talking about him. Would you be ok with Mitch McConnell showing up to the Senate topless in swim trunks? Krysten Sinema in a bikini?

[bigtree]

34. would I accept Mitch McConnell in shorts?

...why would I care?

No one is in a bikini. It would never happen.

I think what this is all about is control. It's what these dress codes have always been about. Someone's idea of conformity. Ties are absurd and just silly. Not awful, but certainly not worthy of anyone's concern.

And why are suits for men only regulated? Why are womens' legs acceptable on the Senate floor and not men's legs? What kind of discriminatory nonsense is that?

Oh, you folks with your clothing rules. So contradictory, and so subjective to arcane mores which have evolved far past these archaic regressions of fashion.

Respect doesn't come out of coercive rules, only obedience. That only works with little children who can't be trusted to dress themselves.

[edisdead]

35. Seriosly! What is the point of a tie?

And why does it make someone a better senator?

should we go back to wearing white wigs? It's all a bunch of nonsense. Hey you might be the brightest mind of our age and have answers to the problems of our time, but you want to wear shorts or a hoodie? Sorry. Guess we will just have to figure it out another way.

It is all maddening.

[Polybius]

41. I agree with you

I support a compromise. Ditch the suit and tie requirements for me. Allow nice polo shirts with dress pants.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

33. He was doing it before his stroke

I agree that shorts and hoodies are more comfortable…that doesn’t mean they should be worn to work (unless that’s part of the specific job/work culture).

[edisdead]

36. so what is the argument against them?

If it was "cultural" would it be acceptable?

He is who he is and how he dresses is part of him. What about his attire makes his opinions and work less valid?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

37. I expect more from a Senator

than to look like a slob on the Senate floor just because he doesn’t like to dress up.

YMMV

[edisdead]

38. why?

What does his dress do for you?

[edisdead]

40. Also shorts and a hoodie is a slob?

Casual sure but a slob?

I do find the phrase “dress up” also interesting too.

[Raine]

3. Totally agree. nt

[Bristlecone]

4. I wear a jacket often and travel a lot for work

Always tennis shoes(all though they are disguised as dress shoes(Think Cole Han ZeroGrand) and I am not alone. Almost every business person I encounter does the same, men or women.

[bigtree]

6. it's really common

...just riffing on the rw howls about POTUS's digs... because at this point in my life I'm basically just a dad-joke myhouse comedian.

[Bristlecone]

14. 👍🏼

[LeftInTX]

44. New Balance makes 847's in all black

That's what my hubby wore at work, but he was a HS Principal and did alot of walking at work.

Of course for meetings at central office, he wore dress shoes, but for everyday grind, he worse these:

[CrispyQ]

5. Just keep humming, "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!"

🎶 🎵

[Raine]

10. Exactly!!! 💕 🥰 nt

[claudette]

7. He really looks

handsome in a suit. Shoes don’t matter that much

[blogslug]

12. John Fetterman is 6'8" tall

Off-the-rack suits, shirts and dress shoes are virtually impossible to obtain for someone that big.

Personally I think he should don a series of awesome caftans with sandals just because, fuck em, that's why.

[BlueSpot]

28. Senators get nearly $200K/year

He doesn't need to buy off the rack.

I've never worked anywhere that allowed shorts and a hoodie. Actually, that combo particularly irritates me. I mean, are you hot or cold? WTF?

I am probably old school but I think what you wear shows how seriously you take what you are doing. On the beach, wear flip flops. Directing the future of a country? I'd like someone who looks a little more serious.

But then, I said I am old school. But he can afford to look the part so that particular argument doesn't cut it with me.

[blogslug]

29. How many handmade suits, shirts and shoes do you think he should buy?

One suit, 6 shirts to be safe and a pair of bespoke shoes?

Should he have two suits, three or four? Does he need two pairs of dress shoes, one black, one brown? Should he go to a sub-par tailor or cobbler and get the cheapest stuff he afford? Remember, he's 6'8". Whatever it costs an average man of five foot ten, it will cost John double.

Now, when he gets his new wardrobe, I guarantee you that TMZ or the New York Post or the Style section of the NY Times will start asking tailors and influencers to ballpark the cost of his clothes. And guess what happens next?

I could go on but I'm tired.

I think John Fetterman takes his job very seriously. Our founding fathers took their jobs seriously and they wore lace collars, powdered wigs, short pants and stockings.

[Raine]

31. Totally agree...

I guess I'm old school too.

[gab13by13]

24. So didn't Schumer first make the dress code casual

and then when Joe Manchin complained he went back to formal?

Can't lose Manchin's vote later on.

[Raine]

25. The Senate all voted to reverse it. nt

[KentuckyWoman]

26. I wear gym shoes with a dress.

The support is better so I don't fall.
Stroke survivors often need to do the same.

[Ms. Toad]

42. As a member of the Morton's Neuroma club,

I applaud wearing shoes that don't cause injuries - and hate the characterization of shoes that are designed to support - rather than injure - feet as "ugly" or not appropriate.

The pain from Morton's Neuroma - to which dress shoes generally contribute - can be debilitating. There is no good treatment - and surgery (removing the impacted nerve) frequently makes the problem worse. And at least partly because of societal pressure, people (especially women) feel they need to wear shoes that exascerbate their injuries (heels, pointy toes) to "dress" occasions.

We need to stop elevating and praising shoes which aren't shaped like human feet were when we were born, and shoes which shift pressure to the ball of the foot.

Kudos to Fetterman for wearing reasonable shoes. (I'm not suggesting Fetterman has Morton's Neuroma - that is only one foot injury that our unnatural choice of shoes contributes to.)

(I'm one of the lucky ones - my MN is mostly under control - but only because I wear spacers to spread my toes out and wear flat shoes that don't push them back together)

[LeftInTX]

43. I have that...My podiatrist injected the nerve with alcohol. It worked

Of course, I only wear open toe shoes, except for New Balance 2 E

Hubby was a HS principal and he walked alot at work. He wore all black rubber soled New Balance walking shoes, not athletic shoes.

He's still an admin, but not a the head principal. (He subs for maternity leave)

[Ms. Toad]

45. You're lucky.

That has a pretty low success rate.

Fortunately, I haven't had to use anything beyond spacers and carefully selected shoes.

The problem with shoes is that there aren't any signs until the scar tissue has already developed. I can now tell pretty much immediately whether shoes are cut in a way that will add to the scar tissue - but that is because I already have a 5 cm ball of scar tissue around the nerve. But when it was only 4 cm, the squeeze wasn't tight enough for it to make the nerve complain. I've never worn the kind of shoea that are obviously bad for feet - whiçh is why I can get away with more conservative measures.

[LeftInTX]

46. I'm sorry to hear this.

Mine was probably pretty small as I don't have much tolerance for pain. It occurred shortly after I had broken the big toe on the same foot. So, it was probably small. I think I had like 4 injections.

[Ms. Toad]

47. I consider myself in the lucky category -

I'm part of an online support group for MN, and hear lots of horror stories.