On wearing a tie

I wore a tie today. I've long enjoyed wearing ties. I used to wear one once or twice a week, but last semester, I wore one almost every day, and this semester, I'll probably do the same. I've been thinking about why I do that, and since a blog is the perfect place to answer a question that no one has asked, I'm going to tell you.

The main reason I'm wearing them more often is because I can. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last year, and now my shirts are actually comfortable with the top button buttoned.

It's also true that I have a lot of ties. I think I have about 50. Some are goofy -- I've got a Toy Story tie and a Veggie Tales tie and a Loony Tunes tie. Some mean something to me -- I've got several ties that I got from my father, and ties that I bought while traveling or got on special occasions. A lot are just pretty. They are a lot more interesting than any shirts I have, and than most of my sweaters.

Mostly, I think that I wear ties because I'm a non-conformist. In my department, you can't stand out by dressing down. If I dressed less formally than everyone else, I'd look like a homeless person, or worse. But almost nobody else in my department ever wears a tie. A few of the women regularly dress up, wearing the female equivalent of a shirt and tie. But none of the men do, so I can stand out.