Calif. mayor proposes necktie ban after MRI study

A new research study that used MRI to show that wearing neckties could restrict blood flow to the brain has prompted the mayor of a California town to propose a law that would bar employers in the city from requiring that their workers wear ties.

Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris. Image courtesy of the city of Lancaster. Mayor Rex Parris of Lancaster proposed the legislation at a city council meeting on July 10, citing a study published June 30 in Neuroradiology that found that individuals who wore neckties had restricted cerebral blood flow when compared with control subjects who didn't wear ties. The researchers found no clinical impact of the reduced blood flow on healthy individuals, but they did recommend additional study of the phenomenon.

Parris said he found the findings "deeply disturbing," and that he is "compelled to investigate them further."

"It would seem that if someone has high blood pressure or any condition that could be adversely affected by reduced cerebral blood flow, this would be an issue," he said in a statement released by the city. "At the very least, wearing a tie should not be required by employers. It should be an option."

Parris went on to note that women were once required to wear high heels in the workplace, but such footwear is now an option.

"Similarly, this new finding regarding neckties requires responsible leadership to re-evaluate the standards of 'image' against the measure of health risks involved," Parris concluded.