Mark Zuckerberg has his hoodie, soccer moms have their yoga pants – are we all just wearing uniforms?

From Silicon Valley executives and Japanese Lolita girls to the Maasai people, uniform dressing has both pros and cons

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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in his signature hoodie and grey T-shirt. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:00am, 17 Mar 2020Updated: 6:00am, 17 Mar 2020

With all the new perspective that travel brings, it was modes of dress and societal uniforms that struck me the most on a recent trip to America’s Silicon Valley. Male tech executives there really do walk down the streets of Palo Alto in Patagonia fleeces and khaki trousers. These men, some of them so wealthy they could afford to wear anything their heart desired, have replaced traditional suits with a more casual uniform.

We often instinctively resist uniforms enforced by others because they take away our individuality. While military uniforms empower, prisoners’ uniforms do the opposite. School uniforms, in theory, provide an even playing field for students from different economic backgrounds so they are not distinguished by the brands they can afford to wear. Yet youngsters have always found ways to subvert and modify the dress code in favour of self-expression.

So why are there so many self-imposed uniforms in the world? A sense of belonging is a strong motivator.

Uniforms or modes of dress have a long history in various cultures. In the Maasai tradition, the colours, size and design of the elaborate beadwork worn indicates an individual’s age and status. For hundreds of years, Scottish tartans have represented specific clans, though, sadly, few men sport kilts these days. Generic checks have since been adopted by cowboy, punk and grunge culture, among others, not to mention Burberry. And the Japanese street style of Lolita girls has been a theatrical way to rebel against strict societal norms within the comfort of a group.

Japanese Lolita girls in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighbourhood. Photo: Shutterstock

The truth is, we all consciously and subconsciously fall into our own “style tribes”, a term coined by anthropologist Ted Polhemus. It isn’t just the men of Silicon Valley.