clothes are ARBITRARY

Total nonsense. Appearance is the true first impression we have of someone. This is a fundamental and common trait throughout mankind. We may not like how much emphasis is placed on personal appearance, but it doesn’t change the reality.

This is just the first thing that popped up when I searched “appearance is the first impression” this is not a novel concept and definitely has some (if not definitive) research behind it. https://www.science20.com/news_articles/appearance_says_lot_when_making_first_impressions

I had never heard of Fetterman before I heard that Chuck Schumer changed the Senate rules for him. The first headline I saw said something like, “relaxes the senate dress code.” I was like… why is this news and moved on. Then I saw post here with a picture attached and was like… wait what? At that point I stopped to look into the issue.

If Fetterman had looked presentable but not in a suit, I would have assumed this was more R v D drama to distract from important issues. That wasn’t the case. He looked ridiculous.

If I saw someone dressed like this checking their mailbox on a Saturday morning, I would smirk to myself in acknowledgement that I had worn similar stuff to do the same. If, however, I walked into a law firm because I needed serious professional help, and this guy introduced himself as the person I was looking for, then I would either ask if it was his day off or thank him for his time and leave immediately. Someone who cannot be trusted to manage their own personal appearance, also cannot be trusted to manage a serious professional issue for me.

If he is just incapable of telling the difference between looking like a slob and a professional then he needs to have a spouse or a staff member help him out each day. Nothing wrong with someone knowing their limits and focusing on what they are good at.