Living an image

I work as a Sales Manager in a Internet Media Company. I have loads of programmers, journalists, movie critics and other sales people around me. In the building that I have my office, on one of the floors is the office of one the popular English Dailys and thus, have more of journalists and movie critics, the so-called opinionated and creative crowd.
So when I go down for a cup of tea and smoke with my friends, I just cant help but notice the stereotypes.
Think of an Indian Journalist, and you will think of shabbily dressed, bearded, khaadi wearing, bespectacled, smoking individual. Well, with so much of TV happening around, the over grown beard has given way to trimmed beard, khadis have given way to torn denims, but the glasses and ciggarettes are still there. As if they were the hallmark of intellectualism.
Drop closer and the conversations will never be trivial, it always is a discussion about the seemingly most important issues, almost always about 'the system'. Not that I don't like such conversations. I love them, you can talk about so many things that are wrong with our system without even proposing a solution. I love when people who have never voted criticize the democracy. I adore people who wear brands and then moan about the consumerist attitude, but that's a different story.
Coming back to our journalist and creative friends, as if the whole 'look' is necessary to 'being'. Sometimes it makes me wonder what is more important, to look the part or to play it?
It is not that the sales guys are far behind. We( and I count myself in) dress as if we are about to attend a christian wedding.
The programmers dress in casuals as if each one of them owns a Google! My company's CEO dresses in Black T-shirts and Denims, just like Steve Jobs does.
So we all dress for our part. And we do that really well. I am not sure if play them that well.
May be the stereotypes of movies and media reinforces the image in us. May be, we reinforce the stereotype by behaving that way. But which so ever is true, I feel that we live the image more than living the role.
Enough said, I need to go and fix my tie.