I've recently taken a a new step towards adulthood. A couple of days ago I used a significant portion of my personal funds to purchase casual button up shirts. Not shirts I'd wear for an interview, funeral, wedding, or possibly a Bar Mitzvah. But shirts I'd wear in a casual setting with close friends, acquaintances and possibly around HR personnel. Who knows. I purchased them thinking "I could stand to look a little nicer sometimes." Boy was I wrong. I looked like a bigger tool than usual. I'm a huge fan of my plain black shirts. But I've taken a step with generic plaid and long sleeves. I thought I looked nice at first until I looked around. Just about everyone and their mom was wearing plaid long sleeves. Seriously. Everyone!
While I do appreciate being a nameless face that just blends into the fabric of society, this felt like a step too far. I wasn't just blending in, I was submitting. I raised my white flag to the world and said "I can't look like a cheap 20-something-year-old-asshat forever. Now it's time for me to upgrade to cheap 30-something-year-old-toolbag who want to looks nice for his corporate superiors."
Three shirts. I bought three shirts. I got compliments each day I have worn them. It's either a sign that I look good when I try harder than being a disgruntled crumbum or that there is a chemical signal ingrained in men to turn them from dumpy young guy to average older chump.
Either way, I'm not happy about it. But I guess I'll keep wearing the shirts until I stain them with BBQ sauce or coffee.
