The Type “Mr. Stuffed Shirt”

“Mr. Stuffed Shirt* is a recognizable type: he is pompous, stilted, cold, vain, measured in his expression. Frequently the meticulousness of his dress in comparatively informal surroundings makes other people uncomfortable; they retaliate by finding him ridiculous. Left to himself, the “stuffed shirt” has no inkling of the fact that he is one.

The iciness of his attitude is invariably fortified by the absence of any “sense of humor.” He appreciates only the silly jokes he himself “makes,” meaning: repeats. Since his pompous rendition always spoils the joke, he is the only one who laughs.

In an atmosphere of banter, teasing witty innuendos, he is as helpless as a fish out of water. His revenge is the “killjoy” attitude. There is no denying that he is a thoroughly disagreeable fellow.

The first impression he makes is that of an insecure, rather depressed person, who “covers up” by putting on airs.

The next impression is that of a person prematurely calcified. “My husband was born dead,” complained the wife of such a patient.

Still another impression then makes its way to the fore: the “stuffed shirt” seems to be enacting a comedy. “Such people do not really exist,” is the reasoning, “the whole thing