Self expression at the workplace where you bring your home self to the office hadn’t been much of a thing if you were not your own boss till you had the likes of Sun, Netscape, etc where people were allowed liberties like bringing their pets to the office, pajamas to work etc., as a way to endear the employee to the boss. Once the mid teens hit and every company was letting the inmates run the asylum, it was no longer something that set a company apart. However now companies have the upper hand and are showing it by controlling your self at work. It’s a way to communicate who has the upper hand whether it makes sense or not. One has to know one’s context and act accordingly if you want to work within that system. If you become your own boss or become someone else’s boss you get to set the rules again.