4 Comments so far

1. Anonymous on May 15, 2007 14:41

   Hmm, I don’t see how it would have been “funny” to tell the man that his desk was next to the toilet. He was making an honest mistake - thinking because you were in jeans & tshirt that you were a mover. And for the guy who “loves to dress up” making you & the rest look bad - I don’t think so, your attitude was what made you “look bad”. The one guy is happy & comfortable with himself enough to wear suits & ties - but you were not (happy with yourself) and so you let yourself think you “looked bad”. Maybe I’m not expressing my thoughts good but how one thinks of oneself often determines others perception of him. And if I could, I would wear jeans everyday to work - I wear them all the time outside of work!!

2. Michael on May 15, 2007 15:02

   Thanks for your comment.

   If I said his desk is next to the toilet, that would have been a joke. My current office is next to the toilet and when people say “where are you today?” I say “131, next to the toilets!” and people always laugh.

   I’m not unhappy about me or my clothes, I have suits, I just prefer to have them hanging in the closet. So i think you misinterpreted what I was trying to say.

   Image you start a new job. Everyone is wearing suits. You decide one day, maybe a Friday, that you wear jeans. It would be odd. People would talk. There might even be subtle pressure not to do that again (depends on the company).

   I feel everyone should wear what they want (assuming they’re not in a client-facing role). If someone wants suit complete with cuff links and tie (like one of my coworkers) then that’s fine. If someone wants to wear jeans, great. But unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. At least not in France. Imagine Steve Jobs. A black turtleneck shirt probably comes to mind, along with black pants or jeans. That’d never happen in France. A CEO of a big company has to wear a suit, after all, all of his employees are wearing suits.

   Once we had a project dinner with the client. All the developers (mostly young kids) dressed up. The client arrived dressed down (no suit, I forget what he was wearing). I thought it was cool. It was like he was wanting to eat with us like he was part of the team. So I thought. The developers didn’t like it at all. They said he was mocking us, dressing down to show he was the boss and he could dress down if he wants. I told them they were crazy, that you don’t have to be a big boss to dress how you want. But apparently you do (in France).

   A friend of mine recently started at another consulting company. I asked him about the suit he was wearing. He said “it’s mandatory”. I ask “did they tell you that you first day?” “No” “Did anyone tell you that?” “No” “Then how do you know it’s mandatory?” “Cause everyone wears one”.

   As I’ve said, the French are much more conformist (despite their reputation for being rebellious, more on that later). They tend to do what everyone else is doing. That’s how they get to be known for fashion. One woman wears a certain style purse and next thing you know they all have them and my wife is wanting one. I think it’s more extreme here than in the US, so maybe you have to experience it to fully understand it.

3. Anonymous on May 18, 2007 3:44

   “I think it’s more extreme here than in the US, so maybe you have to experience it to fully understand it.”
   Then why blog about it?

   This is the second time you have stated something like this. If your intention is to explain differences that we simply cannot understand, then why bother?

   “… casual Friday doesn’t really exist in my office. People are generally dressed up all the time.” Then why do you think you should dress in jeans? If it doesn’t exist, then it doesn’t , and you are simply dressed inappropriately. Remind me not to invite you to my wedding…or funeral.

4. Michael on May 18, 2007 7:21

   This blog is about daily life in France, and one of the most fascinating aspects for me is the difference between life here in France and the US. Just because something can’t be explained doesn’t mean we can’t try.

   As for why wear jeans when most others are dressed up, that’s because I don’t do things simply because everyone else is doing them. I didn’t start smoking when I moved here, I didn’t start being rude (although I have caught myself on occasion, it’s something I try not to let happen), and I’m not going to wear a suit every day for no reason. When I see a new client or do a big presentation, I wear a suit. Wearing jeans to the first client meeting would be inappropriate. Wearing them to my work when I know I won’t be leaving the office is not.

   Funny thing after writing this blog, Wednesday, the last work day of the week due to a long holiday weekend, is that the assistant to my manager wore jeans. He had a sportcoat on which I guess made it ok but I was happy to see him in jeans. Since movers don’t wear sportcoats maybe I’ll try this.