The image of a man in a suit

A man walks into the room. He is wearing an extremely well-made suit that cuts a dashing figure. The entire suit impresses upon everyone an acute sense of precision. His crisp silhouette implies power and sharpness of mind. At least that’s the way I imagine the impression of a suit being. Just because I have a deep appre­ci­ation for finely crafted suits doesn’t mean that everyone else does. That was a scene of a man in a suit through my eyes. For someone else, suits could mean an entirely different thing.

Despite my advanced age, I am still going to classes to earn my under­graduate degree. I am mostly around girls between the ages 19 and 22. I do wonder what their impres­sions would be when I walk into the classroom in a sharp looking suit and a leather briefcase. What do women think of a man dressed in a very expensive suit, sitting at a Star­bucks with a MacBook Air? I imagine that the way it is hard for a man to approach a woman in a very attractive dress, it might be hard for a woman to approach a man in a nice suit.

I do believe that it isn’t unrea­sonable to theorize that my image could be one of elitism and lack of approach­a­bility. As impressive as my clothing would be to myself, it could very well be intim­i­dating to others. It could easily project an air of inac­ces­si­bility. These thoughts aren’t unfounded: I’ve had women tell me that a suit can feel very formal and not very conducive to casual chitchat. Some­times it can give off the sentiment, “Look but don’t touch!” I’ve also been told that I can some­times carry a dark air around me. Accenting that untouchable energy with my visage whose brow defaults to a ever-so-slight scowl and you can imagine why it would take a very rare and brave girl to approach me.

I have never let the opinions of others stop me from doing what I like or feel is right. It is a personal statement of mine to wear a suit, to project an image of refinement. I am not like most others, and I refuse to bend to societal norms. And so I will go forth with the enjoyment of wearing my suits. But it certainly would behoove me to remain aware of the various percep­tions that emerge from different lenses.