Is ironing dead? The latest decline in dress code

Office dress code has been trending more casual for years, and the pandemic helped turn athleisure and sweatpants into business casual. And now, there’s a growing debate around one practice long thought to be standard for anyone wishing to look presentable and professional: ironing.

In fact, many people on social media are saying they never iron anything—whether it’s work clothes or otherwise.

“For science, how many of you still own an iron—the one for taking wrinkles out of clothing—AND know how to use it?” one Threads user recently asked. 

It’s a sentiment others have shared online from TikTok to Facebook. Naturally, the replies were divided. 

“I use mine weekly and I can’t imagine how anyone can look as though they haven’t just rolled out of bed without one,“ one user replied.

“Do I own an iron? Yes. Do I know how to use it? Also yes,” replied another. “Have I used it at any time in the past 7 years? Hard no.”

While it might be tempting to put the decline in ironing down the generational differences. Growing up during COVID with remote learning on Zoom from home for years, Gen Z has struggled with navigating dressier attire. But the reality is more complex. Just a few years ago, after all, headlines constantly churned about how millennials killed everything from napkins to mayonnaise, homeownership, and middle management. It is true, roughly 30% of 18- to 34-year-olds don’t own an iron and have never even touched one before, according to reports. 

Yet, the debate to iron or not to iron transcends generational divides—in some cases, uniting generations over a common cause. 

A screenshot on Reddit reads: “One main thing millennials can be proud of is that we collectively banished ironing clothes.” Responding to the post, one reply read: “Im GenX. I refuse to wear clothes that require high maintenance or ironing.” 

Another wrote: “Gen Z here (26) similar with me, I know how to iron but I very rarely do it cus I mostly don’t have too.” 

Modern easy-care fabrics, the invention of handheld steamers and wrinkle release spray, as well as shifting work culture that encourage less formal dressing, have turned a once essential appliance into a relic of a bygone era for some.

As one response to a viral post by The Imperfect Mum read: “My mum once said she doesn’t remember the ’80s because she spent the entire decade ironing.” 

The rise of dual-career households means many simply don’t have the time, or the desire, to stand at the ironing board for hours on a Sunday ironing socks for the week ahead. 

This iron avoidance has led to the development of a number of ingenious coping mechanisms: Dark colors and synthetic fabrics hide wrinkles better. Dryers, or hair straighteners, can stand in for irons in a crunch. Leaving the house in slightly rumpled outfits is no longer the fashion faux pas it used to be. (Besides, the creases will probably relax by the time you get to where you need to be.)

Still, there remain those who point blank refuse to leave the house in a wrinkled shirt, diligently hauling out the ironing board on the daily. 

And truly? Nothing says you have your life together quite like a crisp, crease-free shirt. 

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