Male Body Image and Neckties: What's the Relationship?

The subject of neckties receives considerable attention by men as they make their daily clothing choices. For those whose "uniform" consists of a suit and tie, that choice of a tie may be their only way to express their individuality. In the case of President Donald J. Trump, the daily decision will invariably involve an extravagantly long neckties. We know perhaps how he accomplishes that super-long look, but no one seems to know why. From a psychodynamic point of view, there’s a clear link between the tie (and its length) and the male anatomy. As a phallic symbol, an abnormally longer tie would therefore signify a man’s desire to present an unusually macho image of himself. The bowtie, in contrast, would signify the wearer’s desire to appear youthful. Bow ties are, after all, what little boys often wear the first time they’re put into dressier outfits.

There is essentially no research to bear out the validity of any of these interpretations of the potential unconscious messages that men try to send in their choice of neckwear. The only reference I could find in the psychodynamic literature was a report from British psychoanalyst Brett Kahr, who discussed the meaning of a particular tie worn by one of his clients in couples therapy with his wife (Kahr, 2011). The client wore the same tie week after week, an unusual one adorned with a large picture of a butterfly. The therapist offered this interpretation to the couple: “I wonder whether, in part, the tie might be emblematic of the very dead, stuck part of each of you, and of your marriage, in fact, the part that is reluctant to change or try anything new—the part that feels depressed. But judging by the great color and the bright butterfly pattern on Mr. Z.'s tie, perhaps it conveys some sense of hope that something bright, something non-depressed might still emerge (p. 367).” Further, by wearing the same tie week after week, perhaps the client was seeking consistency, having grown up in a family that moved from city to city. Kahr believed this case to illustrate the fact that “a gentle, tentative observation about an item of clothing, conveyed in a benign tone of voice, can yield great dividends for the enrichment of the psychological work” (pp. 368-369).

You may not be able to pull off the “gentle, tentative observation” in a "benign tone of voice" with the people you know when commenting on their clothing, so best not to try this at home. However, the vignette illustrates the idea that we do communicate messages about ourselves with our choice of clothing. In keeping with the more contemporary, relationship-oriented brand of psychodynamic therapy, Kahr’s approach focuses not on the potential sexual significance of the tie, but on what it communicates about the client’s emotional life more generally.

Research specifically on choice of neckwear ironically looks not at men but at women. In one study of flight attendants conducted by University of California Davis psychologists Carrie Leigh Haise and Margaret Rucker (2003), the wearing of a necktie (or a version of a necktie) by female flight attendants conveyed the image of being competent but also more unpleasant. The authors concluded that flight attendants would have an easier time controlling their unruly passengers if their uniforms included these variants of a necktie. For police officers, both male and female, no effects of wearing a tie on ratings of competence or professionalism were noted by University of Toledo’s Richard Johnson and Shawne Anderson (2015). Both of these studies involved studying neckties as part of a uniform, not as part of a fashion choice. If a woman decides to wear a necktie to appear more masculine, University of Minnesota’s Kim Johnson and colleagues (1994) noted over 20 years ago that she will be rated as less “promotable” than if she wears a scarf. Perhaps this is why so many women now wear scarves as part of their professional attire.

In the context of social psychology, studies of clothing choices tend to focus on their relationship to overall body image. University of York’s Hector Gonzalez-Himenez (2016) recently examined the relationships among “cosmopolitanism” and desired functions of clothing, also taking into account self-esteem and body satisfaction. In their work, people vary in cosmopolitanism, or their appreciation of cultural diversity, open mindedness and interest in experience for the sake of experience. The cosmopolitans choose clothing that is fashionable and that expresses their individuality. Those who are high in cosmopolitanism, Gonzalez-Himenez proposes, are concerned with their physical appearance, as they want to look good to others.

To test predictions about cosmopolitanism and its relationship to body image and clothing choices, the British psychologist assessed relationships among this quality and measures of self-esteem, body appreciation, and “functions of clothing.” A 15-item scale developed by Flinders (Australia) University’s Marika Tiggemann and Rachel Andrew (2012) allowed Gonzalez-Himenez to assess these 5 qualities of the psychological meaning of clothing: Fashion, Camouflage (of figure problems), Assurance, Individuality, and Comfort. Only for females, at least in their sample of college students, was cosmopolitanism linked to fashion and individuality. Men, it would appear, do not seem to make their clothing choices on the same basis as do women.

Nevertheless, clothing can be understood in the context of a body image for men as well as for women. University of the West of England’s Hannah Frith and Kate Gleeson’s (2004) qualitative study of men’s clothing choices and body image did not identify any particular function of neckties in men’s desire to dress to impress. However, they did conclude that “men are aware of and concerned about how their body will appear to others, and they strategically use clothing to alter and manipulate their appearance” (p. 46). The necktie, in this context, would be one such way to draw attention to, or away from, the center of their bodies.

We’re left, then, with the conclusion that psychology does not, as yet, understand necktie choices for men. However, it’s clear that necktie choices (including whether to wear one or not) fall into the purview of body image manipulation. We may not know exactly what Trump is trying to communicate with his extra-long necktie choices, but given the distinctiveness of the look, it must at least have meaning to him.

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Copyright Susan Krauss Whitbourne 2017