While formal clothing was already in decline in the years before the pandemic, working from home has accelerated the trend, and in the office smart casual rules.
Oliver Cheshire in Hardy Amies, Jon Hamm as Mad Men’s Don Draper, and a suit from M&S. Composite: Getty/AMC/M&S
Question from Mr. Amin:
Good afternoon to the GC team,
I read your articles and I very much agree that fashion has significantly changed a lot over the past decades and so are people, technology and so on. Our perception of things 10 years ago and today are also different due to new information that we receive. I notice that when our environment changes, we are forced to adapt regardless, good or bad. Because if we don't adapt, we will be lost behind. People would see us as backward thinking.
1. Fashion
Let's draw our attention to fashion. I think you would agree with me that fashion in the 50s is better than the fashion today. Men were dressing like men. Women were dressing like women. Folks were dressed accordingly because they took pride in their appearances. We were in a golden age of civility and rectitude. For unknown reasons society changed. From a dark three piece suit to shorts and croc slippers for men. While the women went from cocktail dress to wearing men's clothes just to enforce gender equality. So who is responsible for this change? The fashion designer? If you send me a fashion in the 40s or 50s or 60s, I can tell that the fashions in those eras were significantly better than the fashion today. So if fashion in those eras were better, why do people want to change?
Convenience.
That is what destroys things, even good things. Simple example, in the 60s shirts were tighter and neatly tucked in. In 2024, you get mocked (example nerd) for tucking in your shirt even if it is a good thing. Tucking in makes you look neat and smart but society doesn't do it anymore. People are willing to look sloppy because of convenience (relaxed).
Take a look at our Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government today. They practice "dress down". They no longer wear neck ties for official duties. They impose us to follow. It is this type of culture that sets the wrong precedence. We have lost a lot of good fashion. Now, they want to further destroy fashion by getting rid of the tie. We should be dressing sharply, not bluntly.
Again convenience. The lesser the effort is, the better. That is the message here.
2. Marriage
Who knew divorce would be the in-thing in 2024. Divorce means nothing anymore today as many people seek solace in singlehood. With the volume of marriage complaints that I see on your page and divorce being most talked about, you can't deny that divorce is no longer a taboo as it once was. You can already read many news articles that point to the rising number of singles. It is easier to manage a single life. Far less commitments means less headache. Marriage requires a lot of money. Inflation keeps rising. Men can't keep up so they take up personal loans. I have acquaintances who take up a loan to pay off another loan and they are very unhappy with their marriage. That is how depressing their situation is. So why bother marrying when you can be free of depths right? Why get married when you can remain single and keep going out with many girls right? My own circle of friends are in a state of depression trying to sustain their marriage. They even used up all their savings and are now begging friends to borrow some money. It's so sad to see their situation. I am 47 years old and I don't want to get married because I know I cannot sustain. Everyone knows marriage is actually a good phase in life, it teaches you to be responsible, it teaches us to be a real man but articles and news seem to show that people prefer the single life.
Again convenience and freedom play a role.
3. Evolution of Women
Women are not the same as they were in the 50's. The role especially women have gone through a remarkable transformation over the centuries.
Women were more confined to domestic roles but today their status has raised significantly in modern times. They are able to gain financial independence, and actively contribute to society. They have a demand in a relationship. They want convenience (money). If they don't get it, they will show the man the door. Women as men, also do not care about getting married. They have their own income. But we men would still need to pay for them. Most times a woman's money is their own. They rarely buy for you unless it's for a special occasion. Women are aware of their traits as a lady to be more reserved, refined and well-spoken but many of them no longer adhere to those traits. They don't want to abide by such decorum and taste. They want to feel loose - not tied to any boundaries or rules (again convenient) yet they have high demands like for instance they want their own house in their own choice of location. The women of yesterday would never demand a man to stay at a location of her choice. It's usually the man's choice. They choose a man based on their level of convenience.
Personally, I think there would come a time that requires all of us to embrace these changes. We can't change fashion back to its glory era of the 50's. We already cannot control divorce rates from skyrocketing. We can't change women to be who they were in the 50's. These are some examples I have brought up to show that despite wanting things to be as they once were......despite listing all the advantages these things have, we just can't change them but to move forward and accept these changes in life. It's either we adapt or we lose.
