she found this stupid on two counts : one , why were men required to wear jackets anyway-and was there anything more ridiculous than that remnant of the breastplate , the necktie , that they knotted around their throats like a hangman 's noose , interfering with a few basic things like breathing and swallowing-and why were n't women allowed to wear coats , too , if the men felt unable to give theirs up ?