Yes, it’s me! I’m the suit guy you’ve probably seen on your Twitter timeline at least once or twice, usually on Fridays. You’re probably wondering why I wear suits all the time. The answer to this question is what inspired me to write this piece. Nice, classy dress is somewhat of a lost tradition in the modern West in general, but more specifically in America (I’m an American, so I’ll talk about my own country). If you look at old photos or videos of an American city, you’ll be surprised to see how well everyone is dressed for no particular occasion, even poorer people. This piece will explore how the decline of dress is symptomatic of the decline cultural importance of beauty, and why this is important.
Going back to the earlier images, it’s important to understand what changed for us to be at the point we are now. From around 1900 to about 1960, the standard outfit (at least in cities) of people didn’t change that much. There were some differences in style between different types of suits, but people still wore suits and ties quite often. However, the shift occurred with the counter-culture movement in the 1960s, where t-shirts, jeans, and other more casual pieces of clothing became the norm. Formal clothing became reserved for specific occasions, whether it be church (those that still went), some corporate environments, funerals, etc. In recent years, even these few occasions have become rarer and rarer. Mark Zuckerberg famously dressing in a t-shirt and jeans has transformed the whole tech space into one largely without a dress code. This phenomenon feeds into an interesting insight into culture. It’s often much more top-down than we realize. There’s often a portrayal that culture is a grassroots phenomenon, but many cultural choices for dress are influence either by your parents or by pop culture and celebrities. For example, the only reason why it’s not customary to unbutton the bottom button of a suit jacket is because King Edward VII of England did it because he was too fat. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg, due to his success, can completely transform the dress code of his industry to the point that wearing a suit to work at many tech firms makes you stand out.
But here’s the thing. Standing out isn’t a bad thing. That’s one of the benefits of dressing well, and why it needs to be brought back. As the saying goes “You can’t judge a book by its cover”, but guess what: why does that slogan even exist at all? Because everyone does it! We make all initial impressions in our brains within milliseconds of seeing someone or something for the first time. When you see someone playing football who’s buff vs. someone who’s morbidly obese, you are going to have an impression in your mind about their respective skills. Similarly, when you go to a nice hotel and the concierge greets you wearing an ironed, good-fitting, nice uniform, you are much more likely to trust him/her and feel at home, whereas if he/she greeted you with a stained t-shirt and a trucker cap.
This brings us to the next point about dress, it’s not just about functionality or comfort. Some people have a false understanding of what humility and arrogance are. I always turn back to the Prophet’s advice on it:
“He who has, in his heart, an ant’s weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah.” Someone said: “A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?” Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people. (Muslim)”
What’s noteworthy about the Prophet’s statement about dress: he encourages it and tells the man that Allah loves seeing beauty in his servants. By dressing well, you aren’t just doing it for yourself, you are adding beauty to the environment or society around you. Going back to our hotel example, a nice hotel doesn’t have the same ambiance to it without the nice dress of the employees. When you go to a wedding and everyone is dressed well, it adds a level of value and happiness to the environment that’s hard to describe in words.
Finally, improving dress has individual benefits. When I put on my famous suits to go to Jumu’ah, I feel different. I feel better. I have more confidence, and it adds an extra sense of specialty to the blessed day. Doing busy work feels just a little bit easier when I’m wearing a nice outfit while I do it. People will treat you a little bit better, and it gives more legitimacy to what you have to say. You also feel a certain aura or sense of belonging when you’re dressed well. These are not statements on what should be the case. I don’t think that me putting on a suit makes my IQ or Charisma go up +2 points like it does in video games. It’s about what actually happens in reality, whether we like it or not.
In short, dress is a standard of beauty, and like all forms of beauty, we should seek it because Allah loves it.
David Williamson is the Founder and Lead Narrator at AudioIlm, an Islamic audiobook production company. Check out his website audioilm.com. If you have any questions about setting up dawah at your school, or about anything else, email him at [email protected]