From Ms Eliette Markhbein.

Sir, I could not disagree more tiffany with Lucy Kellaway’s opinion of bracelets and bright ties (“When the rebels with a cause look ridiculous at work”, December 7). I was once treated for traumatic brain injury by a doctor who not only wore colourful ties but also wore a green plastic bracelet. The colourful ties and the bracelet told me three things about him that made a huge difference in my rehabilitation outcome: the bracelet, which read “Mind Matters!”, told me of his commitment to the rehabilitation of his patients. The fact that he wore it deeply touched me and made me feel I could trust and work with such a person. The colourful ties told me of his intellectual and artistic curiosity, and his sense of humour. I looked forward to his ties. They enlightened my very, very grey days of rehabilitation.

While teenagers wearing plastic dangles may seem trite, one should silver necklaces never judge. However, most adults wearing these plastic bracelets do so as a commitment or a devotion to a cause that has dramatically changed the course of their lives or the life of someone close to them. This is a far cry from “wanting to prove one is not boring” and far from being ridiculous.

Eliette Markhbein,

New York, NY, US