Elbows have always been allowed on the table. The rule for fancy dining was that you couldn't have elbows on the table during a course, i.e., when people are actively eating, but before/after, it's fine. That's a reasonable rule to be considerate of space.
I’m gonna be the Debbie downer and mention that no-iron clothes have synthetics in them, the washing of which is a major contributor to the microplastics problem.
Lol who said anything about specific garments? We just wear our clothes wrinkled and no one cares. My linen shirts looked wrecked for an hour or so and then the wrinkles fall out, for instance.
I did that in the military. They were less keen and some shit hit some fans or whatever. So I got me some safety pins for my neckline and they shut the fuck up and my millennial self rejoiced.
I feel like a lot of people from different countries would fit that description after the fact since technology was more expensive and it took us longer to be able to afford the new and trendy items.
Hopefully no weddings or funerals coming up. Then again, if you're American, I've seen people show up to a wedding in shorts and a baseball cap. No ironing required.
Casual clothes killed most ironing but ain't nobody showing up in a wrinkled suit.
Unless you're upper management or going to a wedding/funeral/formal event, why would you even wear a suit? In the last decade I've worn my suit 3 or 4 times in the last decade, and they were all weddings or funerals.
Yeah I should have put an edit in. I didn't know this was going to blow up like this. I don't wear a suit or formal clothes more than about once a year, for the events of friends and families. I'm not trying to say it's an every day thing.
Give it a try. Hit up a thrift store and get some great tacky suits from the 70s and 80s, if you can find em. It's a bit of fun to wear them when it's not necessary or expected. I probably wouldn't wear a really nice wedding/funeral suit in such cases because I spill fucking everything and would become destitute from the dry cleaning bills.
Now, if it were a social expectation/requirement, it would suck and not be fun. But, as a choice that one can make, it's great sometimes.
On the rare occasion I have to wear a dress shirt for work, I'm making sure it's as wrinkled as possible. I wouldn't want to be mistaken for one of the execs, it gives the impression that you don't work hard. I think it'll continue bubbling up in the same way not wearing a tie and not having curtails did.
I bought an ironing board and an iron when I moved into my current home thinking "yeah, I have some shirts, I'll iron them when I need them".
That was 3 years ago. The ironing board was put into a corner out of sight and the iron is still in its original packaging, unopened to this day. I'm trying to justify my purchase with "better to have it and not need it than the other way around".
My parents bought me one when I moved out. Kept it around boxed for 5 years before throwing it out unused. If you care my clothing is wrinkled, I will never respect you.
Bragging about wasting a perfectly good tool (and a gift) that you were too stupid to figure out how to use. Then, to mask your embarrassment, you try to put blame onto those who do understand the purpose of an iron.
I at least got one of those little cheap half size ironing boards that I can hide by the dryer. I iron special occasion clothes and that one silk shirt I love to straighten the button strip whatever if it is egregious... Otherwise it sits unused 99.5% of the year.
"This Millennial entrepreneur is bringing back ironing in a big way. For only $500 per billing period*, a subcontractor with Iron It® will come to your house and iron five shirts for you. You can add extra shirts for only $50 each, or pants for $70. Sign up today for a free trial at ironit.com! (*Billing period is 7 days. Free trial subscription automatically renews unless cancelled before day 3. Not liable for damage to clothes.)
Okay, but how about we still go with the subcontractor, but ... Hear me out here ... We call it AI and the subcontractor actually works in India for pennies on the dollar? Pivot to that and you've got my investment.
You know, I want software patents, math patents(yes, they are not legal. Yes, they exist.), NDAs, DMCA and mass surveilance to be on list what millenials are killing next.
You joke but my dad once fell face first into a bonfire and blistered most of his face. When the skin grew back his dermatologist told him that a lot of people would kill for a skin treatment as good as what he wound up with. He was almost entirely blemish and wrinkle free when he healed.
You could probably manage the same with enough hot steam from an iron but it may take a bit longer.
Fuck yes it is. I think I've ironed more this century than my Boomer mother. And none of it was out of necessity.
After working as a farm hand one summer, it was like a switch flipped in my head and I really started to like button-ups and the like. Probably something along the lines of "this clothing is completely different from my work clothing and doesn't have animal shit on it".
No-iron shirts and slacks are still the way to go but, getting those wrinkles that escape is just so satisfying.
I got into sewing so I do use an iron, but even then half the time I'm lazy and don't even press my seams. I'm not very good at sewing as a result, but I have a good time all the same.
The other really valid reason is linen. Kinda unrelated to sewing itself and it's not about stopping the stuff from crinkling (that's right-out impossible), but to make sure that crinkles don't always appear in the same place so the fabric has a chance of wearing down evenly.
Found this out the hard way because my linen duvet covers are oversized -- nominal size is correct, but they're made for down blankets, not flat ones. Blanket slides inside, generally towards the bottom, leaving a fabric flap on the top that really tends to crinkle as you sleep, wash, hang up, the crinkles don't straighten out, exact same crinkles appear in the exact same spot and get chafed while sleeping, rinse and repeat for two years the first hole starts appearing, a month later there's more than you can be bothered to patch.
Luckily it was a simple matter of running a stitch down the length of the thing to shorten it a bit, but given that an iron and ironing mat (not a full table, mat is completely sufficient) is significantly cheaper than linen covers or just the material for them, definitely worth the investment and time.
Oh and yes linen covers are definitely worth it because moisture regulation. It's also nice and soft -- not in the silky smooth sense, it has definitive grip to it. So are linen kitchen towels because they actually dry stuff instead of spreading water around. Half-linen is already a massive upgrade over cotton in that area and it's much cheaper (the main reason why full linen is so expensive is because it's a bugger to weave, not because the yarn is that much more expensive. Weaving linen wefts into cotton warps OTOH is pretty uncomplicated).
But I do like ironing. I do it so infrequently, I associate it with getting all fancied up to go out to a special event.
And everything about it is so relaxing... The sound of the water in the iron, the hiss of steam. That clean smell, rising with the hot steam. You're forced to slow down and pay attention, if you want to get it right.
Whether you're alone or sharing the moment with company, it's a recipe for encoding a core memory, deep in there, pinned in place by multiple senses.
I came here to say this. I go into zen mode when ironing my clothes because I only have to do it when I'm either celebrating or doing something very important to me.
All these other things to worry about, but right now, my only enemy is this wrinkle next to the collar.
Fold your clothes immediately after drying, while they are still warm. Also, dryers that can add steam really help if you've got a few things that need wrinkle removal. Also, handheld steamers are cheap.
Mostly, avoid needing to iron by avoiding wearing formal business attire.
I don't use the dryer except for towels, and I'm generally pretty good about taking them out when they're done washing- can definitely tell when they've sat there a while!
Take your clothes out of the washer immediately, untangle them if necessary, and put them in the dryer. Don’t just dump all the clothes from washer to dryer.
Remove the clothes from the dryer as soon as it's done while they're still warm. Hang shirts on hangers and put away the pants.
Lastly, only buy new shirts and pants that are iron-free.
Honestly most the advice I'm seeing is basically an answer to "how to avoid clothes looking absurdly crinkled" but nothing gets clothes as crinkle-free as an iron. Most people are just content with some crinkles.
Ironing is really only required for "dress up" clothing, casual cotton clothing is generally presentable if you wash, machine dry and fold/hang while still warm. You will have a crease and it will resolve itself in a few hours. Polyester blends also come in several utility blends like the stain free, moisture dispersing and wrinkle resistant. I'm realizing reading this thread that some people iron all of their clothing, but in my home we typically only iron our formal occasion attire (rare).
Ironing clothes died long before millennials. Grandma quit ironing before you were born. Wrinkle Free shirts and pants started showing up in the 1970's and were common within the decade.
As a chubby middle aged sales guy who remembers when we used to wear suits, I miss them because a suit and tie is about the best thing you can wear as a chubby guy to look good.
Suits and other "nice" clothes are designed to enforce class separation. Reject them. Although you should probably wear them to a funeral or wedding anyway, out of respect.
Yeah... I'm pretty sure you need an iron for those. A decent iron can probably do everything that a hand steamer can so, might as well just go with a nice iron.
Ironing is the only time of the week where I have the time to watch TV or movies. Not that I don't have free time, but I usually spend it in other ways. During ironing, I'm a captive audience. That said, I don't iron all that much. I remember the last season of The Boys took me four months to finish...
I, for one, do like to iron. I'd probably not like it if it was mandatory for all clothing though. What really has happened is societal changes leading to much more casual attire expectations (not that we could afford to dress like previous generations) alongside advancements in textile technology that have resulted in garments less likely to show wrinkles.
I hate them too but unfortunately the vast majority of schools require them. It pisses me off how much time and energy is spent enforcing meaningless rules.
Unfortunately the kids school uniform needs ironing, and my t-shirts are always way more creased when they dry on the washing line outside than when they've been in the drier.
Na, they can definitely look worse! I had one on the other day that I didn't iron and by the end of the day it still looked terrible, more so than if it had originally been ironed.
I have an iron but no ironing board so I used to do it on my desks when trousers were really too wrinkled, but it's been over a year since my desk has had enough room for it, I just don't know where to put the stuff and don't have time for that.
The number of times I find myself plugging the iron in behind the TV and then holding an old Amazon box against the wall and juggling my pants while I iron because I'm in a rush and that's the available outlet plug and space.
I'm one, and the SO is a Zillennial; neither of us own irons. Just don't see the point. Dryers are fairly effective wrinkle removers, and any remaining creases will eventually come out simply by wearing the clothing.
I iron for the creases!! I understand why many people wouldn't have use for them but I like having crisp collars on button downs and polos and a slight crease to certain khakis
I think what this meme misses is, largely, clothes in the west are now designed to look as if they have been ironed if hung up properly to dry
This is absolutely not a pet peeve of mine that we didn't just stop ironing due to the lack of social convention (brought on by less time in working people's lives and less domestic labour done in the home by women) but by new technology in the area of clothing
I still have to put up with it a little bit but I made it my life's mission to avoid it as much as possible whilst still being part of mainstream society. I'm so glad that this meme indicates that FINALLY other people are not only not doing it but also denouncing it as much as I have. I've had to hold back on bitching about how stupid and irritating it is because it was always something everyone else seemed to have viewed as a mundane, at worst neutral and at best good aspect of everyday life that wasn't that hard and gave you nice looking clothes. You can't complain at length about something that is considered in those terms because you just come off as a boring crank. But now finally, if only for a moment I can still feel normal whilst embracing my abiding hatred of the pointless and time wasting practice.
FUCK ironing, and especially fuck whatever dipshit came up with it. Before this was invented wrinkled clothes would have to have been but a fact of life. I'm near certain whoever did come up with this was someone who knew they personally would never have had to do it. For centuries it would have been palmed off on the usual people that had to carry out the shitwork and now, in modern times, we didn't jettison the practice along with the sexism and classism that forced some to have to do it and not others, we just made it so that now we all have to do it. It delivers no benefit, it's so fucking stupid aaagghh! Because of the conventions and expectations that formed around it, I'm unfortunately forced to participate in it despite my misgivings, even if only on the bare minimum of occasions. If I have a job interview, or I'm going to a fancy event I have play in to this ridiculous farce that is noticeable only from its absence and help perpetuate it. I sincerely hope this generation really has managed to abolish it and it's only the remnants of my own upbringing and peers that mean I still have to occasionally do it because the world will be objectively better off if no one ever does this again.
Ooops. Millennial here and I often iron my bed sheets. I have a weird ventless washer/dryer combo thing, and no matter how quickly I pull my sheets out or what dryness level I set it to, they come out quite wrinkled. I don't really mind if the main sheet is a bit wrinkly, but it drives me nuts when the top edge gets all folded, and then those folds become permanent creases.
I don't actually do anything about it, but I don't like the way some sheets get that top hem all wrinkled either, so I honor your commitment to making the thing that matters to you better.
Yep. The dry cycle also takes about twice as long, but supposedly it's more gentle on fabrics. It's a pretty nifty option for small spaces without a way to properly vent the dryer, but I can see why they're not more popular. The machine came with the place, so I didn't exactly choose it, but I hang dry most stuff anyway, and definitely prefer it over dealing with shared, coin operated machines.
I like ironing my clothes though and if you show up to a formal family event with a shirt that looks like you rolled around in it, then I will offer to iron for you before the next time.
My clothes only get wrinkly if I get them wet and then let them dry being all balled up so I never really ironed even though I grew up with it being a thing. The only thing I use an iron for and the only reason I even have one, is for applying those heat-activated designs and patches (though I usually tend to also sew the patches on because that heat glue often suuuuucks).
Man, I iron all the time. I'm not like, ironing underwear like a crazy person, but I have a lot of shirts that would be straight up unacceptable to wear to work without it. It takes like 2 minutes.
I don't usually wear dress shirts to work except for big presentations, but how on earth does it only take you two minutes? Are you only counting active time ironing? Or ironing 10 shirts in one session and giving the per-shirt average?
Start to finish, from getting out the iron, plugging in to start up, setting up my ironing board and laying out a shirt, waiting to heat up, ironing the shirt plus flipping it around and ironing again, then putting everything away after the iron cools down, it's usually like 15-20 minutes for me. Maybe you can do something else when the iron is heating up, but it still seems like at least 10-15 minutes. Still a short enough period to not be a huge hassle once a week, but way too much to do every morning.
It really isn't that hard. It takes about 3-4 mins to iron a dress shirt to look pretty damn good compared to doing nothing for it at all not including the time for the iron to heat up. I also save time by using the steam button heavily and not being afraid to throw on a slightly damp and warm shirt. Still, when I decide to change my shirt right before I'm walking out the door and I only have 10 mins or I'm gonna miss my train I still always have time to throw the iron on and give it a once-over. Like yeah if you want all your garments absolutely perfectly ironed it might take a little longer, but you might just not have the technique down from lack of practice. For the record I'm gen z so idk if I'm just weird or if the meme is maybe not as universal as some think.
I leave the whole thing set up in the guest room so I don't have to mess with it, and I'm a woman, so most of my dressier tops are less complicated than a men's button-down. I plug it in, wash my face, and it's ready to go, and it really is only about 2 minutes to actually iron. Maybe twice that if it's a particularly finicky fabric (which I'm slowly eliminating from my wardrobe).
man if your clothes look dragged through bushes i think you need to reconsider your washing and storage routine, my clothes just have minor creases and the fanciest part of my routine is rolling things up before stuffing them in a drawer.
Millennial here, graduated highschool nearly 20 years ago. Still not ironing or owning an iron. If you hang your clothes up to dry and do it properly, you don't need to iron them.