Dress Codes - An unnecessary vestige of an exclusionary and discriminatory past or something that still has a purpose...

[PeaceWave]

I ask this question due to what recently happened at a prestigious New York chess tournament. I'm not sure that dress codes ever really had a legitimate place in civil society. Over the centuries, they have been used to exclude the poor and middle classes and to discriminate against racial and religious minorities. Today, a quarter of the way into the 21st century, it is apparently still okay in some circles to use dress codes to stifle competition, brilliance and joy. I find this disappointing.

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen disqualified from tournament for wearing jeans

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chess-champion-magnus-carlsen-disqualified-from-tournament-for-wearing-jeans/

I'm not sure how many of you follow chess. If you do, then you know that 34 year old Magnus Carlsen is a rock star in the world of competitive chess. This week, Carlsen was competing in New York in the World Blitz Chess Championship and the World Rapid Chess Championship. Carlsen won both tournaments in both 2022 and 2023. He has won the Blitz Chess Championship seven times and the Rapid Chess Championship five times in the past 10 years.

After playing several rounds of chess, Carlsen was confronted by tournament officials who informed him that he needed to remove his pants. Yes, you got that right. Tournament officials told Carlsen that the jeans he was wearing were "expressly prohibited" under the International Chess Federation's regulations for the event. They further informed him that he would be fined $200 and would need to change his clothes. Carlsen declined to do so on the spot but offered to change for the following day of the tournament. Tournament officials refused Carlsen's offer, at which point Carlsen said things "became a bit of a matter of principle." Carlsen was not permitted to play in the tournament's ninth round and he was disqualified from further participation. Carlsen said he would not appeal the decision.

A picture of Magnus Carlsen and his "expressly prohibited" jeans...