> It's not that I cannot afford to wear suits. Its that I dont like suits.

I think you prove my point (and it's not a bad thing!)

Sociology is interesting. A suit is traditionally a sign of "I invest in my clothes and therefore I have self-pride." (It's also a sign that you don't have to do hard/dirty labor.) It seems culturally America has decided that this is out-dated and are choosing to focus less on clothes as a sign of pride. This doesn't the pride isn't there, just that the ways of showing and seeing it have changed for some or most.

Some people will always think a tee-shirt or shorts look worse than a button-up and pants. It's a personal sentiment for sure.

If GP were heavily dependent on his/her job and in an environment where wearing suits is required, whether he/she likes suits would be completely irrelevant. Only because he/she apparently has a certain amount of power in their job (for example due to a sought-after skill like being a programmer) can this norm be overturned.

Over the decades, a suit has morphed from "I have power" to "I conform to the norm (and therefore I don't have power)" and with that change it is also apparent why people would want to not wear suits in an environment that traditionally required them.

I'm sure some people wear clothing to signal status, but that shouldn't be your primary reason for choosing one article of clothing over another. A man wearing pants and a button-up shirt looks objectively more appealing than a man in a t-shirt and shorts. Suits and business casual clothing are designed to accentuate the physical features of the person wearing them. The way the "V" of a button-up shirt opens up at the top - this frames the face and draws attention to it. A sport coat can broaden the shoulders and thin the waist. When a properly fitting suit or business casual outfit comes together in the right way, it makes the wearer look pleasing, not distracting, and not like they're trying to make some status statement. They just look nice.

>They just look nice.

Location may factor in here. They may look nice in NYC but they probably wish they could wear whatever they wanted (Zuckerberg) in Southern California.

Only lawyers and bankers dress fancy everyday here. And not even all bankers.

My view of suits has always been, "I work in a profession that requires me to wear this symbolic clothing."

I've avoided these kinds of careers because I want to be graded on my skill, not my ability to dress well. And suits are uncomfortable, and I like to be comfortable.

As a native of Scandinavia I too have experienced the trend of people claiming their right to be judged on skill rather than background or appearance. Here however, it is often argued that the right to be judged on skill and compatibility, and therefor being able to dress to ones own preferences is earned only when you have proven to be a) greatly over-qualified and b) of a high enough age and/or c) with an ethnicity, gender or other background factors that conform with the existing idea of what a professional in the specific field looks and acts like.

Yeah but when you think about it, you’re probably still working in an industry that frowns upon pajamas in the workplace. Just because it’s OK to not wear a suit doesn’t mean that people aren’t judging you.

FWIW I see a necktie as a fancy leash and collar (and it's just as comfortable to wear one). I'm nearly 30 and the only time I've worn my dumb suit is when going to a funeral.

I would wager you are probably overestimating your (and the average American tourist’s) ability to “look good” in a T-Shirt.